Over here they just put the pin terminal on a stick and shove it in to your car, it was already that way even before covid. Don’t think I’ve ever just handed my card to someone.
Y’all also use PINs. Americans freak out if they have to enter a PIN.
Here it’s only used for debit transactions (that is, taken directly out of a checking account). PIN for credit transactions is incredibly rare here.
This is probably because the merchants are responsible for fraudulent credit purchases. Credit companies kinda have them over a barrel in that regard…they have no incentive to enforce PINs, and users just want convenience.
Meanwhile Sally the Walmart clerk gets written up because some knucklehead in her lane swiped a cloned card. She has no power here either…card readers rarely ask for signature anymore (not like they are trained signature analysts, a pseudoscience in itself) and I can’t remember the last time I was asked for ID for a credit purchase (aside from booze, smokes, or Sudafed, but that’s a different reason)
It’s funny because where I live there were even warnings to never give your card to the cashier back when they weren’t so popular. It was precisely because of some rare cases of cashiers managing to clone or charge the card during that moment. I, and most people I know, wouldn’t just hand in their card if asked. It just doesn’t happen here.
Over here they just put the pin terminal on a stick and shove it in to your car, it was already that way even before covid. Don’t think I’ve ever just handed my card to someone.
Y’all also use PINs. Americans freak out if they have to enter a PIN.
Here it’s only used for debit transactions (that is, taken directly out of a checking account). PIN for credit transactions is incredibly rare here.
This is probably because the merchants are responsible for fraudulent credit purchases. Credit companies kinda have them over a barrel in that regard…they have no incentive to enforce PINs, and users just want convenience.
Meanwhile Sally the Walmart clerk gets written up because some knucklehead in her lane swiped a cloned card. She has no power here either…card readers rarely ask for signature anymore (not like they are trained signature analysts, a pseudoscience in itself) and I can’t remember the last time I was asked for ID for a credit purchase (aside from booze, smokes, or Sudafed, but that’s a different reason)
yeah not sure if its a us thing or a midwest thing but you hand your card to the person who swipes/taps it.
It’s funny because where I live there were even warnings to never give your card to the cashier back when they weren’t so popular. It was precisely because of some rare cases of cashiers managing to clone or charge the card during that moment. I, and most people I know, wouldn’t just hand in their card if asked. It just doesn’t happen here.
It is a US thing, and it’s a thing European tourists are weirded out over.
would love if it was not. dont see hwy it cant just be accesible at the window.