Going cashless in London -- it's easy!!!
Nov 26th, 2007, 10:05 PM
#21
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<<< but that's my question too... did you really use a card to pay for a newspaper, a cup of coffee, some food from a street vendor, a bunch of flowers, etc. >>>
Anyone had a Starbucks recently?
Anyone had a Starbucks recently?
Nov 27th, 2007, 12:01 AM
#22
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Can't imagine buying a pint with a card.
"If one does attend a sit-down restaurant, I think London restaurants include a blank space for you to write the tip, just as is done in US restaurants."
Chip & pin devices, which most places use now, can be programmed either to allow the option to enter a tip, or not. IME most don't.
"If one does attend a sit-down restaurant, I think London restaurants include a blank space for you to write the tip, just as is done in US restaurants."
Chip & pin devices, which most places use now, can be programmed either to allow the option to enter a tip, or not. IME most don't.
Nov 27th, 2007, 12:26 AM
#23
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For the most part, I agree with the OP...more and more London is much like the USA in terms of credit card usage....during the winter holidays I usually spend a week in Southern California doing the usual touristy things and I easily not once had to use cash and believe me I don't usually frequent the highest quality of restaurants...almost all fast food restaurants now take credit cards, parking at the attraactions. you hand over a credit card instead of a $10 bill (ouch ouch ouch)..admissions of course. One nice consumer protection in America is that visa and mastercard prohibit merchants from imposing a minimum for use of a credit card...I walk around with an advisory from visa on this and if a merchant ever tries to pull that on me, I show the merchant the comminque from visa.
I think somehow the UK has prevented the card companies from establishing this consumer protection regs in the UK...some merchants do have signs establishing minimums for use of a card but many, especially say grocery stores, fast food places (including now many of the Pret a Manger's) do not, although even I have my decency and never use a credit card for less than £1,
On a typical day on holiday in London, about the only places I don't or better said can't use a credit card are the daily visit to the internet cafe where my usual procedure is to spend about an hour reading the hometown newspapers (I haven't bought a newspeper in years, read about 8 or 9 papers each morning on line), a stop at a pub for a pint or two, some newstands sometimes for a bottle of water or soda pop and that's about it...Paris has become prety much the same way ever since the strike by the drivers who brought currency to the banks about a decade ago, Germany is a bit tougher as many fast food places do not take cc's.
But as noted, I can easily get rhough a week in London with only one or twominimum withdrawals from ATM's.
I think somehow the UK has prevented the card companies from establishing this consumer protection regs in the UK...some merchants do have signs establishing minimums for use of a card but many, especially say grocery stores, fast food places (including now many of the Pret a Manger's) do not, although even I have my decency and never use a credit card for less than £1,
On a typical day on holiday in London, about the only places I don't or better said can't use a credit card are the daily visit to the internet cafe where my usual procedure is to spend about an hour reading the hometown newspapers (I haven't bought a newspeper in years, read about 8 or 9 papers each morning on line), a stop at a pub for a pint or two, some newstands sometimes for a bottle of water or soda pop and that's about it...Paris has become prety much the same way ever since the strike by the drivers who brought currency to the banks about a decade ago, Germany is a bit tougher as many fast food places do not take cc's.
But as noted, I can easily get rhough a week in London with only one or twominimum withdrawals from ATM's.
Nov 27th, 2007, 12:48 AM
#24
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I thought this might be about the next generation of swipe/wave cards that are being trialled at the moment (or perhaps talked about would be more accurate).
I'll be interested to know how/whether it would be intended to make them internationally valid. Identity security would worry me a lot more than the exchange rates/fees applied.
I'll be interested to know how/whether it would be intended to make them internationally valid. Identity security would worry me a lot more than the exchange rates/fees applied.
Nov 27th, 2007, 03:26 AM
#25
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If anybody in front of me in a pub queue uses a credit card to buy a pint I reserve the right to stab them in the ears with cocktail sticks and gouge out their eyes and replace them with pickled eggs.
Although i'll probably settle for a Paddington style hard stare.
Although i'll probably settle for a Paddington style hard stare.
Nov 27th, 2007, 04:48 AM
#26
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Why? When I'm on a grocery check out, I hate it when some little old lady (god bless them for the most part) waits for the order to be rung up, be told the price is $37.24 and then and only then goes into her pocket book, looks for her wallet, takes out a twenty, a ten, a five, two singles (after searching for them) then reaches into her change purse and starts counting out let's see two dimes and one two three pennies. no I don't have 4 cents so takes back the two dimes and gives the cashier a quarter, waits for the penny in change, puts her change purse back in her pocket book then starts gathering the groceries. Elapsed time 2 minutes 23 seconds.
I, have my groceries rung up, swipe my credit card, sign the receipt, and am off. Elapsed time 17 seconds...
The fact is with today's swipe terminals and even with chip and pin, credit card transacgtions take less time than cash transactions and from a merchant's view point, credit card transactions in today's technologically advanced world are immediately placed in your account and do not disappear or you don't have all sorts of fights did I get the right change or not....a cashless society makes so much more sense and is much more efficient for both the consumer and the merchant.
I, have my groceries rung up, swipe my credit card, sign the receipt, and am off. Elapsed time 17 seconds...
The fact is with today's swipe terminals and even with chip and pin, credit card transacgtions take less time than cash transactions and from a merchant's view point, credit card transactions in today's technologically advanced world are immediately placed in your account and do not disappear or you don't have all sorts of fights did I get the right change or not....a cashless society makes so much more sense and is much more efficient for both the consumer and the merchant.
Nov 27th, 2007, 04:50 AM
#27
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BTW just a quick follow up....many of the fast food outlets have been given permission by mc/visa/amex not to even require a signature for relatively small purchases...the clerk swipes the card prints the receipt and you're done! Elapsed time 10 seconds...much more efficient and cost effective than cash!
Nov 27th, 2007, 05:06 AM
#28
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You haven't been in a busy pub have you?
Once the person has been served and is asked for the money they then do that rooting around the handbag or wallet thing, finally prise out the card and hand it to the grommet behind the bar.
Said grommet then goes and gets the little moble card reader, puts the card in it, pushes some buttons and hands it back to the tool that offered the card. He then puts in his PIN. This is where the fun starts.
The handheld readers are basically mobile phones and have a reponse time that can be measured in geological eras.
While waiting for the authorisation to go through does the grommet go off and serve someone else? Of course not. It's much more fun for the grommet and the card-bearing tool to stare at the little machine.
That's why anyone who uses a card in a pub shopuld have their bollocks ripped off and replaced by scotch eggs.
Once the person has been served and is asked for the money they then do that rooting around the handbag or wallet thing, finally prise out the card and hand it to the grommet behind the bar.
Said grommet then goes and gets the little moble card reader, puts the card in it, pushes some buttons and hands it back to the tool that offered the card. He then puts in his PIN. This is where the fun starts.
The handheld readers are basically mobile phones and have a reponse time that can be measured in geological eras.
While waiting for the authorisation to go through does the grommet go off and serve someone else? Of course not. It's much more fun for the grommet and the card-bearing tool to stare at the little machine.
That's why anyone who uses a card in a pub shopuld have their bollocks ripped off and replaced by scotch eggs.
Nov 27th, 2007, 05:19 AM
#29
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It seems to me the only "point" is that if you want to go cashless you can do so.
It isn't the least bit "liberating" for me, personally, nor do I think it is worth getting into a debate about wherher or not it is fab, or poor, or politically correct, or makes your travel experience more rewarding, or its to each their own or anything else.
"Worrying" about currency? You certainly worried as much as the rest of us I'd say by making a huge point of not having any.
It isn't the least bit "liberating" for me, personally, nor do I think it is worth getting into a debate about wherher or not it is fab, or poor, or politically correct, or makes your travel experience more rewarding, or its to each their own or anything else.
"Worrying" about currency? You certainly worried as much as the rest of us I'd say by making a huge point of not having any.
Nov 27th, 2007, 01:22 PM
#32
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This a silly. Much like " you can go to London and not take a shower for your stay". Right, so you proved your point but you still stink. Also, it is very impolite and lazy not to use upper case when needed.
Nov 27th, 2007, 01:33 PM
#33
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<<< I hate it when some little old lady (god bless them for the most part) waits for the order to be rung up, be told the price is $37.24 and then and only then goes into her pocket book >>>
You'll find it's women of all ages who do that. They are also to be found at the top of escalators trying to work out which way to turn oblivious to the people coming up behind them.
I also have a sneaking suspicion they are the people who, at checkin, make a 1 minute process into something resembling War & Peace when they discover they've got to show ALL the passports & ALL the airline tickets.
You'll find it's women of all ages who do that. They are also to be found at the top of escalators trying to work out which way to turn oblivious to the people coming up behind them.
I also have a sneaking suspicion they are the people who, at checkin, make a 1 minute process into something resembling War & Peace when they discover they've got to show ALL the passports & ALL the airline tickets.
Nov 27th, 2007, 01:47 PM
#34
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We call them "Fred Meyer Moments", after the chain of box stores by that name. She's usually got a fistful of expired coupons as well, and everything in her cart was marked at a lower price than that on the shelf, she SWEARS. And she's bad at arithmetic, so it's "...and five ... makes ... let me see ... twelve ... no, thirteen ... how much was it?
Meanwhile all the other lanes, which were twice as long, have cleared out a couple of times over while you stand there with your tube of toothpaste, fuming...
Meanwhile all the other lanes, which were twice as long, have cleared out a couple of times over while you stand there with your tube of toothpaste, fuming...
Dec 3rd, 2007, 12:36 PM
#37
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In defense of the OP, I think the point was to reassure those that post about whether they should get Euros before they leave, and are there places to change money and should they take traveller's checks. The frequent traveller knows that the world is fairly wireless, and that changing money is for the most part a thing of the past. The first-time-to-Europe traveller or someone who hasn't been to the new EU worries about these things, and the OP was making that point.
Dec 3rd, 2007, 06:46 PM
#38
I say "no" to blanket statements. The OP's observation is probably correct (if a little impractical) for someone travelling to London, one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world. Venture off the usual tourist route, however, and you will still find establishments in small towns that aren't wired up and that ATM machines not always geographically convenient or even working.
