I hate check cards

[Primer]

I am still looking to get my boss to set a minimum for credit card use. We get people looking to use a card for $2 or $3! No way theres any profit there, plus its not worth the hassle for that little amount. Takes longer to run the card than pump the darn gas.

Does Visa/Master Card allow merchents to set a minimum?
The local UNI Mart has set a minimum of $5 for credit cards.

If VISA/MC finds out about the UNI Mart setting a minimum for charges, they are likely to lose their account. VISA and MC specifically disallow a minimum being set.

"Ptomaine Alley" at my school has put up a sign asking people to be considerate about small charges due to the transaction fees. They had to rescind their minimum charge policy.

[Sylvia727]

If VISA/MC finds out about the UNI Mart setting a minimum for charges, they are likely to lose their account. VISA and MC specifically disallow a minimum being set.

Weird. I've seen it in four or five different places, usually mom-and-pop style stores. One Chinese food place had a minimum of $7, with my full meal ringing up as $3, so I'm guessing they don't ring up a whole lot.

[Gouge]

Here in my are a at least lots of Gas stations have a Cash price and a Credit price (usually 2-5 cents cheaper on cash) You can get the cash price if you run the card as debit, but if you run it a s a Credit card you get the credit Price.

[venroses]

What I hate/don't understand:

Those chips in the visa cards. What the heck are they for? They don't really do anything... Just an extra step of putting them in the chip reader....

[Rapscallion]

What I hate/don't understand:

Those chips in the visa cards. What the heck are they for? They don't really do anything... Just an extra step of putting them in the chip reader....

One less step of checking signatures.

I've just been shopping. Grabbed a few goods, did the self-scan thing, hit debit card, slotted card into machine, hit the appropriate code, was on my way in seconds. Nobody can forge my signature, because it's not needed. A forger can see my signature, but they can't see my PIN. It's cut fraud over here fairly significantly, and I get through checkouts faster.

Yay!

Rapscallion

[retailwrkralum]

I like to use my debit card as a DEBIT at the pump for this reason: It deducts the entire amount right away. When I use the CREDIT function at the gas pump, it only authorizes $1 and then the rest of it posts to my checking account in a few days. Then when I check my balance, I have to remember to deduct the rest of the amount whereas when I use DEBIT, it's already done. Plus and I don't think this is an issue anymore, but gas stations used to put like a $50 hold on the authorization (instead of the $1) so if you only bought $35 worth of gas, your checking account would be deducted for $50 until the $35 posts. The gas stations claimed that the banks were the ones who did this but that is totally false, the banks have no control over how much a merchant places a hold for, only the merchant has that control.

[BookstoreEscapee]

If its slow I will tell them they can just use it as a credit card and it will work the same as a debit but they never believe me. They insist that it will charge them for using it as a credit card. Or that it wont take the money from their checking account but will be billed to them with interest at the end of the month.

Heh, I had this argument with a woman once. She refused to believe me that running it as credit still made the money come out of her account. I just said OK and let it go. Then told my coworkers about it later on my break and we laughed

[Mighty Girl]

WHOA!!!! You still have FULL SERVICE gas stations? I miss those. I remember years ago never having to get out of the car in crappy weather to get gas....and they'd check your oil and clean your windshield....(gets misty eyed)

[GolfCart34]

WHOA!!!! You still have FULL SERVICE gas stations? I miss those. I remember years ago never having to get out of the car in crappy weather to get gas....and they'd check your oil and clean your windshield....(gets misty eyed)

If you go to New Jersey, they're all full service stations as per state law. That takes some getting used to for people who see self serve 99% of the time. And have fun getting gas at some rest areas down there if it's past 10pm.

As for the credit vs. debit thing... Our bank encourages customers to use their cards as credit since it tends to be more secure (since you then have MasterCard's backing and the bank's backing). Using the credit option also makes the bank more money since the bank gets a kickback from MasterCard whenever credit is selected. When you do a transaction as debit it can be harder to prove a fraudulent transaction since supposedly only one person (you) is supposed to know your pin. When you add checks in on the equation, checks can sometimes cost more to process than debit and/or credit transactions.

I don't use my debit card at the gas pump. I have a Shell card so I use that and get a 5% off per gallon discount.

[Mighty Girl]

I'm envious. I covet your full service stations and I'm not ashamed to say it.

Here in Northeast Ohio, they are non-existent. Have been since around the early 90's. So very sad.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Around here Kwik Trip used to have one pump be full service on Tuesdays. I don't believe they do that anymore.

[venroses]

One less step of checking signatures.

I've just been shopping. Grabbed a few goods, did the self-scan thing, hit debit card, slotted card into machine, hit the appropriate code, was on my way in seconds. Nobody can forge my signature, because it's not needed. A forger can see my signature, but they can't see my PIN. It's cut fraud over here fairly significantly, and I get through checkouts faster.

Yay!

Rapscallion

Thats what I thought they were for, but I've never seen anyone enter a pin. And they still need to sign it.

All it does is I swipe it, then it tells me to insert the chip thing. Then it asks the customer to approve the price. No pin. I even asked a lady who had a card, and she didnt know what the chip was for either. I told her that I thought maybe it was for a pin, and she said that it would make more sense that way...

My favorite cards though are the AMX with the photo id on the back.

[VenomX]

and they'd check your oil and clean your windshield....

We dont do that.. We are Semi-Serv, meaning we will only pump the gas.

[Slytovhand]

We dont do that.. We are Semi-Serv, meaning we will only pump the gas.

When I was learning all my servo stuff, we were told that we weren't allowed to do anything touching a customer's car.

Apparently, there had been litigation because of ppl putting in the 'wrong' fuel or other such issues. So now, everything is self-serve.

SB

[VenomX]

When I was learning all my servo stuff, we were told that we weren't allowed to do anything touching a customer's car.

Apparently, there had been litigation because of ppl putting in the 'wrong' fuel or other such issues. So now, everything is self-serve.

SB

We almost always ask what Octane they want.