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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
byPowercntrl ( 458442 ) writes:
Is there really any reason we can't just make pennies out of plastic instead? Personally, I haven't used cash in ages anyway so I'm really neither here nor there on running out of pennies, but it seems like if the problem is just that they cost too much to manufacture, make them out of something cheaper.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Or just scrap them as a denomination. I'm in the UK where pennies are worth fractionally more. It is now worth considerably less in real terms than the 1/2 p coin when that was scrapped. I, personally in favour of scrapping copper coinage completely. Round the tally to the closest 5 and be done with it.
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
I don't even regularly carry cash anymore. Phone generates a random credit card number for anonymity when shopping, that's good enough.
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
"Phone generates a random credit card number for anonymity when shopping"
Huh? How can you pay with some random card number? And no payment method is anonymous , you simply move who knows from the shop to apple/google and your bank still knows you spent money either way.
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
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bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
For most people I know that do this, it's just one less thing to carry - they'll have the phone with them anyway, so why carry cards/cash as well?
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
Because not everywhere accepts apple or google for payments and if you're phone is lost or stoken you're screwed. Also it means giving apple or google your bank details in the first place.
byjonbryce ( 703250 ) writes:
In the UK, everyone, and I mean everyone accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay. I never carry cash when I go outside now.
byAnonymous Coward writes:
Big Brother is watching you shop. I hope you like it.
byKisai ( 213879 ) writes:
Big Brother was watching you shop with Cash too. Those serial numbers are not just for anti-counterfeiting.
byklui ( 457783 ) writes:
This claim is just silly. I've never seen a clerk record serial numbers with purchases before. What serial number would they write from coins? Oh, of course, the date of mint.
bypostbigbang ( 761081 ) writes:
And you've surrendered your soul and privacy to tracking. You've become a loyal tool of the state, your history laid bare to the government or the next hacker looking to forever phish you with bad emails, snarf your wallets, and find out about those tawdry condoms you're buying. Welcome to The Hive. You've succumbed.
byiAmWaySmarterThanYou ( 10095012 ) writes:
You're online, posting at slashdot with a 6 digit uid.
Your computer has an IP, you pay for that access with a credit card associated with your name, address and bank account. Your email is hosted somewhere that also knows who you are. Your every search, purchase, post, article read, hooker hired, porn viewed and everything else you do is logged in a government database somewhere.
What privacy are you talking about? No normal person has any privacy on the net. 99% of privacy nuts fool themselves into thinking they do running a government owned vpn.
It is possible to be anonymous on the net but so restrictive almost no one would do what's required.
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bypostbigbang ( 761081 ) writes:
Or I'm on Tor, the email on an obscured host.
Privacy is fleeting, we'll agree. And some of us try, because it's the right thing to do, rather than give it up to the man.
And we do so diligently, stay out of the system, whatever system that might be. And we don't leave tracks, and leave no trace. Yes, there are sniffers everywhere. The good news is that most of them are stupid, and have only hazy ideas of how to harvest the petabytes of info they already have.
But we're not "nuts". We're entirely deliberate. And often, we're successful. Conversely, sometimes we're not. You can profile my /. entries, sift me, but you don't know who I am, not that I care if you do. Rather, I fight the invasion, a matter of dignity and the right to be as anon as I please, not how you please. You can call this a fantasy or obsession, I prefer: Diligence.
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bypostbigbang ( 761081 ) writes:
You're a bully.
You move the cheese, breast-thumping about "unlimited government resources". Your delusion is believing your own BS.
Tor exit nodes are known. Your data, where stored, is for sale somewhere; we know this. If you are stored in fewer places, there is less to rob, the benefit of thinking about actual liberty and what privacy adds to it.
That you don't care anymore is your problem and sad demise. My data, what little there is, is tough to join together by purpose, not sloth. Your paranoia is not my
bypostbigbang ( 761081 ) writes:
Maybe too many testosterone patches? You should really pull them off when they're expired.
byThumpBzztZoom ( 6976422 ) writes:
He's an idiot. Look at his username. Actual smart people don't need to tell you they are smart. You have to get really, really far down the intelligence curve to get to the point you make a user name like IAmWaySmarterThanYou. He's basically the prototype example of Dunning Kruger. And he reinforces his own ego by changing the goal posts, ignoring logic, ignoring every time you prove him wrong even when it's his own information that does so, until you realize that he's too stupid to ever accept being wrong,
bypostbigbang ( 761081 ) writes:
Thanks for your kindness in revealing this.
byBig Hairy Gorilla ( 9839972 ) writes:
He may not actually be smarter than you but he's right. Data and systems are becoming monolithic, data from one system can be correlated to data from another system often by using public domain information. Data can be scraped from Facebook and other places, where people seem to reveal all manner of (what should be) private information. So... there really no way to avoid, no where to hide. If you are using a public VPN, like Nord, you just shift who gets to capture your info.
(the only way to do it is by set
byWarlockD ( 623872 ) writes:
I have to agree here. Tor or FreeNet get bad raps but they undoubtedly have this goal. True internet privacy is such a high bridge to get to nowadays. You practically have to air gap a separate computer though a firewall just to make sure that computer isn't spiting out things you don't want. People say "sure use Linux" and I do, just you cannot trust even Linux browsers not to have some JavaScript backdoor or some flaw, etc.
I just wish this wasn't some weird contentious issue. "Bad people" who reall
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
I'm in the UK and no, they don't. Go into plenty of small cafes and you'll be lucky if you can even pay by card. There's one in Romford that still only takes cash.
byUn-Thesis ( 700342 ) writes:
I've lived in the UK for about a year on and off since 2015. I've lived several months each in Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Glasgow, Stockton-on-tees, Teeside, Middlesbury and about 6 months in London.
I have never once found a store that was cash only. I've never found a single store since 2021 that didn't accept Google Pay via tap.
byskam240 ( 789197 ) writes:
I hear people say what you're saying here about where I live and yet the places I go to that are cash only havent disappeared yet.
Can't say which of you is correct but I'd put my money on the real local as opposed to the person with a few months experience in a few places. I don't know why you'd think you'd know more than a real local on something like this.
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
Wow, a whole year - in bits. I bow down to your comprehensive knowledge of retail in my country.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Once you get out of London, say as far as sunny Ramsgate, some places only accept cash. That caught me by suprise.
byRockDoctor ( 15477 ) writes:
In the UK, everyone, and I mean everyone accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Loosey Lucy down the docks?
Joe "no bleach" Drugdealer?
I think you mean "everyone who I deal with". Definitely not everyone.
Since I'm likely to head to rural Englandshire in the near future, I might remember to eyeball the traders at the farmers market. Since the car park the stalls are laid out on doesn't have power points and gas lanterns are used on the stalls that don't pack up and leave at dusk (so 4pm the last couple of months
byjonbryce ( 703250 ) writes:
Certainly at my local farmers market, which is within walking distance of an Elizabeth Line station, so not particularly rural, they all take Apple Pay / Google Pay.
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
Because not everywhere accepts apple or google for payments and if you're phone is lost or stoken you're screwed. Also it means giving apple or google your bank details in the first place.
Well maybe - just maybe - for the people that dojust carry the phone - all the places where they need to make payments do take payments by phone! And maybe (rightly or wrongly) those people don't have your misgivings about giving their credit card details to Apple/Google. And let's face it, if your cash/cards are lost/stolen, you are equally screwed.
You don't have to agree with their reasons. But they're fairly easy to understand, and there's no element of showing off (I'm not even sure how that would work - hey everyone, I'm doing this thing that loads of other people can also do!) involved.
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bydfghjk ( 711126 ) writes:
" And let's face it, if your cash/cards are lost/stolen, you are equally screwed."
It's not about theft, that is only one problem. Are you suggesting if you can't solve every problem, don't bother solving any? I mean, "let's face it", why bother paying for anything at all?
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
" And let's face it, if your cash/cards are lost/stolen, you are equally screwed."
It's not about theft, that is only one problem. Are you suggesting if you can't solve every problem, don't bother solving any?
No, I'm suggesting that some people feel that for them, carrying extra cards is—on balance—not likely to solve enough problems for them to be worth the extra inconvenience.
I mean, "let's face it", why bother paying for anything at all?
You're right! Some people don't carry any means of payment at all. Sounds pretty inconvenient to me, but, if it works for them *shrug*...
byDayze!Confused ( 717774 ) writes:
And potentially less screwed. Someone finds your wallet with cash and credit cards, they can use those. Straight out take the cash, and attempt to use CC's. At least with a phone the wireless payment doesn't work without unlocking it.
byMalc ( 1751 ) writes:
That's an American problem. Funny given that the tech is American. But then the US has always lagged behind with contactless payments.
Apple Pay isn't about showing off. It's faster, more convenient and more secure.
All of my credit cards are secured at home. I just have cash and my debit card in my wallet in case my phone dies.
byLetterRip ( 30937 ) writes:
That's an American problem. Funny given that the tech is American. But then the US has always lagged behind with contactless payments.
Most of the world has widely used public transport that use contactless payment, so it is a fairly obvious transition in most countries. The US lacks decent public transport for most people, and thus they have no experience with contactless payment for public transit, hence the slow adoption.
byMalc ( 1751 ) writes:
New York City has a decent public transport system. I couldn't believe when I was there in 2016 that it was still using physical tickets so many years after London, Hong Kong and many others had gone contactless. I hear it's improved recently with OMNY, maybe with a bit of help from Andy Byford.
byomnichad ( 1198475 ) writes:
Funny given that the tech is American. But then the US has always lagged behind with contactless payments.
The "E" in EMV is Europay. Apple just forced any credit card issuing bank to give them a cut in order to enable their NFC chip for EMV payments. They could have just acted as a secure enclave for issuers to directly link an account. Their innovation is marketing and skimming off the top.
byMalc ( 1751 ) writes:
IÃ(TM)ve had countless time where I seen people fucking around with their phone in front of the POS terminal.
Amateurs ;)
Admittedly there is more that can go wrong. But, is it just that they weren't prepared and didn't choose their card in advance?
byXenx ( 2211586 ) writes:
Iâ(TM)ve had countless time where I seen people fucking around with their phone in front of the POS terminal.
That specific experience may be unique to phones, but similar types of slowdowns occur with cash/coin, cards, checks, etc. It's called being unprepared, or bad luck. For example, there is a gas station near work that for whatever reason started to decline my default card. Just that card, and just there, so I get to play around with multiple cards whenever I need to stop off there.
In my experience, when things go well, phones are near the top for expedience. When things go poorly, they're not much worse th
byUnknowingFool ( 672806 ) writes:
Because not everywhere accepts apple or google for payments in the US.
Fixed that for you. Some European countries have been ahead of the US regarding payment systems. For example, chip credit cards were everywhere long before US banks shifted towards them. Phone payment has been a thing in some European countries for years. In Asia, they have been the majority of payment types in countries like Singapore, China, India and Japan for years now.
byUn-Thesis ( 700342 ) writes:
I live in Colombia, Panama, Egypt, and the UAE almost all year.
I have never once found an actual store that doesn't have tap-to-pay that supports both Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Only street vendors in Colombia and Egypt want cash.
Most street vendors in Colombia accept digital wallet Neqi now, too. It's like Paypal via Bancolombia.
bythegarbz ( 1787294 ) writes:
Because not everywhere accepts apple or google for payments and if you're phone is lost or stoken you're screwed. Also it means giving apple or google your bank details in the first place.
Everywhere where you can tap a card you can typically tap your phone. Also what do you do if your wallet is stolen? And all Google gets details wise is my card information. They can't see the balance though they can see how much I'm spending at a shop. That's not a big risk.
byIamthecheese ( 1264298 ) writes:
>... why carry cards/cash as well?
Because anonymity is a cornerstone of liberty. When everything you buy is easily tracked (and we're almost there) the government will know where you have been and what you have been doing in great detail. A social credit score is only the beginning of what they'll do with that information.
bydfghjk ( 711126 ) writes:
...and randomized credit card numbers do absolutely nothing for that, they only address "man in the middle" problems. All randomized CC numbers map back to the same payment source.
This is the reason people use cash, privacy.
bysarren1901 ( 5415506 ) writes:
The illusion of privacy anyway. Unless you don't carry your phone and you walk to where your going and you conceal your face, you are going to be tracked. The place you enter probably also has cameras up and though the quality may be bad, they would likely hand the recordings over to police and maybe even without a warrant.
Please keep fighting the privacy fight though. It's not a bad fight and maybe it will help preserve something. Thank you for your efforts. Sincerely.
byThumpBzztZoom ( 6976422 ) writes:
I assume you are livestreaming your life 24/7 then. Because if you really believe that theoretically you could be on a camera that theoretically could have its data handed to the police means you are going to be tracked, why are you bothering trying to have the same illusion of privacy?
Just because some of the data systems know some things, does not mean you have to give other ones the rest of the information.
We do not live in the CSI/NCIS fictional universe. It would take an insane amount of effort for a c
byomnichad ( 1198475 ) writes:
They do, but a merchant can't grab that without paying a data broker. But if they collect a hash of your same card number every time you shop, then they can sell to a broker. Or give away the data in exchange for even more data on you. So it's a slight increase in privacy by reducing the number of entities that can snoop.
bydfghjk ( 711126 ) writes:
"For most people I know that do this, it's just one less thing to carry..."
Except it's not. "Most people you know that do this" need to discover wallets.
"...they'll have the phone with them anyway, so why carry cards/cash as well?"
In case they lose their phone or stops functioning? They need. to have an ID with them anyway, carrying cards/cash takes not extra effort because, you know, wallets.
It's almost as if you think that every app needs it's own phone, at least when it suits your narrative.
byreanjr ( 588767 ) writes:
I rarely take my ID when I go out. There's no necessity to carry an ID.
byzenlessyank ( 748553 ) writes:
Don't drink, don't smoke, whatcha do dee do?
bysarren1901 ( 5415506 ) writes:
It may not be "necessary" to carry ID but it certainly get make things easier. I know if for whatever reason I may have police contact, I'd rather just show ID instead of having to go down to the station to be identified instead.
I can't remember the last time I even had police contact, but for that one single reason it's worth always having ID.
Also, whatever if you get in an accident? If you have ID on you, it's easier for all the emergency services to figure out who you are and contact your loved ones, etc
bytepples ( 727027 ) writes:
You must be fortunate to be 1. a citizen, 2. living in an area with adequate public transportation and bicycle infrastructure, 3. without a medical condition that requires you to use prescription-only or behind-the-counter medication.
Many regions require noncitizens to carry a passport on their person at all times. Many regions require a driver of a motor vehicle to carry a driver's license on their person at all times while the vehicle is in operation. Many regions require someone picking up a prescription
bycayenne8 ( 626475 ) writes:
I rarely take my ID when I go out. There's no necessity to carry an ID.
You don't drive?
I'm guessing your not one of the majority of Americans.
EU maybe?
byreanjr ( 588767 ) writes:
American. But I don't drive often. My girlfriend usually has the car.
byThurstonMoore ( 605470 ) writes:
In the US you're not required to carry ID.
byIngenium13 ( 162116 ) writes:
Yes, this was a weird thing to me in Spain. People were shocked that I didn't carry an ID, because it's required there and I didn't know. I never considered it unless I was going to a place that checked ID (no bar or club checks ID in my experience), or was driving. Otherwise I didn't see a reason to carry it.
bywhoever57 ( 658626 ) writes:
In the US you're not required to carry ID.
Unless you are not a citizen.
https://www.uscis.gov/green-ca... [uscis.gov]
byreanjr ( 588767 ) writes:
If I drive, I take my ID, but I don't typically drive when I go out.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
I'm the UK we have no ID cards, and you are not required to carry your diving license when driving. There are still valid paper licenses out there with no photograph.
byKsevio ( 865461 ) writes:
I always have my phone with me anyways and it's easily accessible. I usually have my wallet (though not always, sometimes I don't bother), but it's usually less convenient to get it out. Paying by phone is just more convenient for people like me, plus it's more secure.
For some older people, using a phone doesn't come as naturally so it might not be a good choice for them if they have to figure out how to unlock it or whatever. They can stick to writing checks
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
"For most people I know that do this, it's just one less thing to carry..."
Except it's not. "Most people you know that do this" need to discover wallets.
A wallet that's big enough to fit a smartphone in? My wallet's pretty chunky, but it won't fit my phone. But even if it did - Idon't mind having a chunky wallet and a phone in my jeans pockets, but plenty of people do... especially if they're wearing a dress or skirt instead of jeans.
"...they'll have the phone with them anyway, so why carry cards/cash as well?"
In case they lose their phone or stops functioning?
Wallets can get lost too - and if you're suggesting they keep their phone in their wallet then they've still lost everything.
They need. to have an ID with them anyway, carrying cards/cash takes not extra effort because, you know, wallets.
Why would they need to have an ID with them?
It's almost as if you think that every app needs it's own phone, at least when it suits your narrative.
I have no idea what you're saying here. What is my narrat
bytepples ( 727027 ) writes:
I don't mind having a chunky wallet and a phone in my jeans pockets, but plenty of people do... especially if they're wearing a dress or skirt instead of jeans.
Places I've stuck a phone, wallet, or other items while wearing a skirt include a jacket pocket, an apron pocket, and a pouch on a belt.
Why would they need to have an ID with them?
Existing as a noncitizen, driving, or buying medication.
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
I don't mind having a chunky wallet and a phone in my jeans pockets, but plenty of people do... especially if they're wearing a dress or skirt instead of jeans.
Places I've stuck a phone, wallet, or other items while wearing a skirt include a jacket pocket, an apron pocket, and a pouch on a belt.
And did that work for you? Great! But other people may prefer to do something differently, including the people I'm talking about.
Why would they need to have an ID with them?
Existing as a noncitizen, driving, or buying medication.
Non-citizens are not required to carry ID, nor are drivers, and I've never needed ID to get medication. So it's actually pretty common for people not to need to carry ID, including the people I'm talking about.
bytepples ( 727027 ) writes:
Non-citizens are not required to carry ID, nor are drivers, and I've never needed ID to get medication.
I guess it must depend on the jurisdiction. Some require all noncitizens and drivers to carry ID on their person at all times. Some countries that had a methamphetamine use epidemic 20 years ago still have a law on the books requiring customers to show ID to buy pseudoephedrine in much the same way as they must for spray paint, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or lottery tickets. (Search keyword: Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005)
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
> ... are not required to carry ID, nor are drivers
In the USA...it's never that simple.
Drivers are required to carry an ID if you are operating a motor vehicle that requires one. This includes a broad category of specialty vehicles and uses (eg Commercial), as well as specific regional requirements.
You also need an ID if you want to get on an airplane legally or if you want to get prescription medication because you need an ID to get a prescription anyway.
If this has not been the case, in your experience, someone else has fucked up.
... or I'm not in the USA?
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
Non-citizens are not required to carry ID, nor are drivers, and I've never needed ID to get medication.
I guess it must depend on the jurisdiction. Some require all noncitizens and drivers to carry ID on their person at all times. Some countries that had a methamphetamine use epidemic 20 years ago still have a law on the books requiring customers to show ID to buy pseudoephedrine in much the same way as they must for spray paint, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or lottery tickets. (Search keyword: Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005)
Things are different in the US, but here in the UK I don't need ID for any of those things. Personally I do tend to carry my driver's licence (occasionally it comes in useful, and I generally carry a wallet anyway so it's nbd), but many people just don't carry any ID around. Indeed, there are people who don't have a passport and can't drive - and they may not even have any ID to carry! (Probably the most common reason for people to carry ID is to purchase alcohol, but once you get beyond a certain age (or a
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
> ... or I'm not in the USA?
What's your point? Nobody is going to ask what country you're from. It's irrelevant. The UK you don't. The US is varies. AUS you do for buses and trucks. So what?
The post you responded to was literally about the USA.
The post I responded to literally said "If this has not been the case, in your experience, someone else has fucked up.". I was simply pointing out that there is another explanation than "someone fucked up".
If it has nothing to do with you, nobody cares weirdo.
IDK, you clearly cared enough to reply!
bycayenne8 ( 626475 ) writes:
Why would they need to have an ID with them?
Err....to drive, you need to have your drivers license with you.
In the US, we drive....and slashdot being a US centric website, it's usually best to assume US if not specifically stated otherwise.
bypsmears ( 629712 ) writes:
Why would they need to have an ID with them?
Err....to drive, you need to have your drivers license with you.
No, that's simply not true: I don't need to have my driver's licence with me to drive - there's no legal requirement to do so.
In the US, we drive....and slashdot being a US centric website, it's usually best to assume US if not specifically stated otherwise.
Sure, in general - but, if you read back up the thread, the context here is not "people in general": for some reason we're talking - specifically - about "most people I (psmears) know that pay for things with their phones". And those people do not need to have ID with them, even for driving.
bysarren1901 ( 5415506 ) writes:
I could make payments with my phone but tend to do the CC with the tap option. I don't use my phone as I don't want Google, Samsung or whoever else offers these services to have my transaction data. This way, my CC knows all and the bank just knows the CC gets money every week.
Cash is really only useful if you are buying something you know in advance will be cheaper with cash, which for me happens to be buying gasoline with cash versus card.
My change tends to pile up until I remember to grab a hand full to
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
When you pay with Google Pay, and I think Apple Pay as well, instead of giving them your real credit card number it generates a single use one. The bank knows to tie it to your account, but the retailer can't use it to match up with other transactions.
My phone is faster than my bank card. I don't have to open my wallet, and the card sometimes requires a PIN for security, where as the phone always uses fingerprint unlock so never fails to approve first time. Plus it's in my pocket for easy access, and I have
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
"My phone is faster than my bank card."
Not IME. If I'm stuck behind someone struggle to pay in a queue its either a pensioner or a hipster trying to pay with their phone.
"I don't have to open my wallet"
Neither do I. I only have the 1 contactless card, the rest I've disabled NFC.
"The shops are barely worth visiting most of the time, apart from grocers. They have hardly any stock, never what you want. "
Can't disagree with that.
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
It's the other way around for me. It's usually someone trying to pay with contactless card and getting refused, so they have to insert the card and try to remember their PIN number. My phone never fails.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Not on the train/tube at rush hour. It's always someone futzing with their giant iPhone 19 pro max ultra turbo, haphazardly jabbing at buttons while a big queue of people using cards forms behind them...
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
Ah but iPhones went to shit when they removed the fingerprint unlock. The face thing rarely seems to work, and it's extra awkward to use for payments. Fingerprint sensor works every time.
bydfghjk ( 711126 ) writes:
"Obviously the bank knows about these transactions, but that's life in the UK now. "
So "good enough" privacy for you is no privacy, because all you care about is "the retailer" as it suits your narrative. You know what "the bank" doesn't "know about"? You using cash. You know what doesn't require a PIN OR a "fingerprint unlock"? You using cash.
"So most stuff I just buy online instead."
But we knew that from what you said already.
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
I'm not saying it's good, but it's better than using your card.
The reality in the UK is that all you can really buy in shops is groceries and basic necessities, and maybe some clothes. So you are already screwed and have to buy everything else online. It's unavoidable. Bad, and unavoidable.
bysarren1901 ( 5415506 ) writes:
You do understand why most brick and mortar can't carry everything under the sun though. Having every known esoteric widget just sitting on a shelf waiting for the day someone needs to buy it is a waste of money and shelf space.
Consider this. You have a 1000 sq meter shop. There is only so much floor and shelf space available. You naturally make money moving product and not storing products. You will want the highest demand items on your shelves because that's what drives sales.
For simplicity sake, we'll sa
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
Sure, but these days they don't carry basic stuff. Stuff that you can easily get anywhere in Japan.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Such as? I'm genuinely curious, since I do relatively little online shopping for personal stuff. Though my work colleagues think I have an RS and eBay addiction.
There is a bit of a lack of really good tool shops round my way, though they do exist, maybe I haven't found one.
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
I think it's better in London. Outside, around here... There is very little.
bydrinkypoo ( 153816 ) writes:
Having every known esoteric widget just sitting on a shelf waiting for the day someone needs to buy it is a waste of money and shelf space.
Yes, you are absolutely right about this. But what I have noticed when I try to shop for things in local retail stores is that they don't just have poor selections, they tend to have a "selection" of essentially identical goods. I want options with differing features, and different quality levels, not basically (or sometimes exactly!) the same shit with different brands painted on it.
P.S. Be neat if some really industrious person could setup an on demand widget factory and the items just got delivered to your door :)
That's coming, but as you no doubt have figured out already (as I interpret your emoticon) it's not practical yet.
byF.Ultra ( 1673484 ) writes:
that is not what he is talking about though, he is comparing the UK pre and post Brexit.
bysarren1901 ( 5415506 ) writes:
Ahhh I missed that. I thought he was talking about how Online is steadily killing brick and mortar retail. It's going to suck having to order clothing online if and when the last stores close down. Luckily I live in a major city that has all these options in abundance. For now.
byfafalone ( 633739 ) writes:
Some stores ask for the PIN when I use Google pay from my phone. Most don't. But e.g. CVS does even for purchases under $5.
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
That must be a US thing because it doesn't seem to happen in the UK or Japan.
The only issue I've had is that one chain of cafes (Tully's) has machines that just don't work with my phone so I have to use the card.
byomnichad ( 1198475 ) writes:
I wonder if their card is a debit card. In the US, only debit cards have PINs assigned. Transaction fees are lower on debit transactions vs credit cards. If you don't enter your PIN it is processed through the credit card network instead of the bank debit network and the fees are higher. Since Europe usually has a PIN for all the cards, there's a more consistent payment flow.
I should mention that bank debit cards in the US are almost always co-branded as Visa or Mastercard. This allows them to work any
byAmiMoJo ( 196126 ) writes:
Ah, that's interesting. In Europe the EU told them to stop taking the piss with credit card fees so there isn't any advantage to using debit card.
byomnichad ( 1198475 ) writes:
It's optional at least for Google Pay. It's a different number than on the physical card, but it's persistent. This is good for me, because a receipt usually only shows the last four of the card number so I would have no other way to know the payment method later.
My phone is faster than my bank card
Marginally. And only because it's quicker to get out. Most cards have the same exact tap tech - you just enter the PIN after instead of before (phone unlock).
byPowercntrl ( 458442 ) writes:
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
Apple Pay gives you an extra 1% cashback when you use the phone's contactless payment feature instead of the physical card. Those digital pennies actually add up.
byiAmWaySmarterThanYou ( 10095012 ) writes:
My cc gives me an unlimited flat 2% cash back on all purchases on and offline no matter how I pay. Even my online PayPal purchases which are backended by that card get 2%.
I paid 50k to have my entire back yard and patio redone. 2% back. In hindsight I should've maxed that card for partial payment when I bought my house. I did put my Model 3 on it, though. 2%.
I have an Apple Card. It's good for buying Apple stuff to get the bigger discount. I pay my 99 cent/month Apple storage fee with it, too. I s
bycayenne8 ( 626475 ) writes:
Apple Pay gives you an extra 1% cashback when you use the phone's contactless payment feature instead of the physical card.
Interesting....on Apple Pay (using phone or watch)...I get 2% cash back....and 1% cash back using the physical card.
A few places, like Uber give me 3% back on Apple Pay purchases....
byznrt ( 2424692 ) writes:
not the phone, financial or payment entities generate virtual credit cards via an app on your phone. the point isn't anonymity but safety since they tend to be one-time-use, so you don't have to worry abut the shop's crappy database being pwned.
there is some degree of weak anonymity though because even if the credit card number is leaked only the payment entity can trace it back to you.
byRegistered Coward v2 ( 447531 ) writes:
"Phone generates a random credit card number for anonymity when shopping"
Huh? How can you pay with some random card number? And no payment method is anonymous , you simply move who knows from the shop to apple/google and your bank still knows you spent money either way.
Apple must have some sort of agreement to allow them to generate 1 time valid credit card numbers, or maybe assigned a batch to use randomly. I once went to return an item and there was a lot of confusion because the CC number on the receipt was not one of mine, when we finally figured out is was paid with an iPhone we could make it work by returning it to the phone instead of a physical card.
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
No need to carry a wallet. Also, additional security because the CC number can't be cloned and used again. Thie
byMBGMorden ( 803437 ) writes:
Huh? How can you pay with some random card number?
Its a one-time use credit card # where its still attached to your account, but it has a limited expiration and limited funds available. Its just a way to mitigate damage in case your card # is leaked.
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
It all depends on your habits. The phone is dirt simple for me - there's no apps to select or anything - you just press your thumb to unlock and then hold up the phone. Particularly if you're already walking around with your phone in your hand its significantly faster then having to pull out my wallet, then
byLuckyo ( 1726890 ) writes:
Most of the "random credit card number" applications works by creating a virtual, single use credit card that is linked to the specific account automatically within bank's own systems.
It's not anonymous by any means, as it's linked to a specific account by the bank, and name on the card must still match the name of the payer. But it has the anonymizing effect of not being a usable credit card number after that transaction. I.e. it prevents things like skimmer attacks.
As for contactless cards, there's a reas
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Swipe and pin? That must be an American thing. We have had chip and pin for ages for large transactions, and Europe had had contactless plus pin. That's starting to arrive over here.
byLuckyo ( 1726890 ) writes:
I'm Finnish. Thanks for sharing BS. In reality, the way contactless cards still work for majority of banks is that it will ask you to swipe the card and enter PIN at the point of sale every so often.
You'd know this is you had one such card. I'm on my second such card, so I had it for at least 4-5 years at this point.
byLuckyo ( 1726890 ) writes:
Unless you're trying to split hairs on "insert vs swipe". The term hasn't changed, at least here.
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Okey dokey.
How on earth am I meant to know that by "swipe" you mean "insert". It's not "splitting hairs", it's two quite different things one of which was popular in America, that is swiping to read the mag stripe, and the other, inserting to read the chip which is a think in the UK and Europe
What not call it swipe and sign, because it's splitting hairs to nitpick over how signing isn't typing a pin...
byLuckyo ( 1726890 ) writes:
Because from user's perspective, nothing changes. You put your card into the reader, you type the PIN, payment happens. The card includes the stripe for payment points that don't have the chip reader.
Are you referring to the system where you sign the receipt instead of entering a PIN? How would that be relevant to contactless cards? Is there some low security system that actually allows you to make massive contactless payments without ever being required to enter PIN? Because the fundamental concept of cont
byserviscope_minor ( 664417 ) writes:
Swiping and insuring are two different actions. Not only that bit from a technical perspective, they are quite different.
Somehow you expect me to psychically intuit that when you say swipe you mean insert when though quite a few machines still have a little used swipe slot on the side as well as the main chip reading slot.
Yeah they are relate, but they really aren't the same.
byLuckyo ( 1726890 ) writes:
Mea culpa. Assumption of common baseline where one didn't exist.
bykarmawarrior ( 311177 ) writes:
FWIW it's called "insert" in the US too. Nobody "swipes" when using the chip feature of their card, they insert. (Hell, in some cases they insert when reading the magnetic strip too, such as ATMs and card readers on most gas dispensers.)
Now interestingly sometimes, such as using some debit cards, you do indeed swipe and enter a PIN, but that is still swiping, not inserting, because you're using the magnetic strip.
Luckyo is just a weirdo (and I believe Tim Walz would agree, unfortunately), so it doesn't surp
bythegarbz ( 1787294 ) writes:
Also I don't understand people who pay with a phone when contactless bank cards are simpler to use and faster. Just smacks of showing off.
Let me help you there. When I'm shopping my phone doesn't just have my payment system on it, it also has my shopping list, and my ability to communicate with other people. That means it is already universally in my hand when I'm at the checkout, either because I just finished ticking the last thing off in the list, or I'm messaging someone where to meet up etc. This device was in my hand at the checkout long before I had the ability to use it to pay.
Why should I fumble around with something else when I can
byViol8 ( 599362 ) writes:
"As for faster... it's much faster to double-click the side button on one's Apple Watch and then tap it to the payment terminal than to fish a card out of your wallet..."
Why do you have to fish a card out of a wallet? Any sensible person just keeps a single contactless on one side of the wallet
then flip that side on the reader. No button press required and neither to you have to spend $500 on some ridiculous watch on top of your phone.
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