Cash, credit, health care card ... ?

[stargirl195]

Yesterday I was on my way to meet up with a friend and decided to catch the train into the city. To get a ticket I got into line behind two women and wait ... and wait. And then wait some more. When I looked over their shoulder I heard one girl mention 'but I'm TRYING to pay for it' while trying to insert her health care card into the money note slot. Two kinds of fail here:

1) Concession fares can be bought by people who aren't children or pensioners if you have what is called a Health Care Card - usually owned by students or low-income earners. So if you buy a concession and are questioned by train staff, all you need to do is produce your health care card. But where would someone get the idea that their bit of cardboard labelled health care card equates to a form of payment like a eftpos or credit card? And

2) WHY would you try to put a card (any card) in the slot that clearly states, 'Accepts $5, $10, $20, $50'??? Why would you repeatedly keep trying to ram it in there, especially when there's also a very eftpos-looking interface at face height that accepts card payment???

It took all my inner strength not to laugh as I let them know how they could pay properly ... but I've been laughing ever since

[Dreamstalker]

Maybe she thought that since it's the same thickness as a bill, then...? Eh, even that doesn't make sense.

On the fare kiosks here, the bill and card slots look similar apart from the orientation and size (card slot looks like the one on the USPS machines). Still, I've never seen vertical bill acceptors.

One thing I found unusual here is that it's not possible to purchase a reduced-fare commuter rail ticket using the pass (which is also my proof of reduced-fare eligibility)...I had put plenty of money on the card thinking I could do it, but no (I didn't even question the policy, just paid cash).

At the game store, I once saw someone trying to pay with their SWA Rewards card (the paper card that just has the Rewards number on it).