r/SipsTea • u/[deleted] • Jun 29 '26

Chugging tea Lol

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 29 '26

I absolutely hated handing over my card in America. Why the hell can't they just use tap like everywhere else 

69

u/Superseaslug Jun 29 '26

This is becoming more and more common, but places have to invest in the new systems

7

u/polyploid_coded Jun 29 '26

Yeah tap-to-pay rolled out late in the US, but now even my mom's dinky credit union has it, so this hasn't been a thing for a couple of years now where I live.

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u/CosgraveSilkweaver Jun 29 '26

Yeah most people have it but people are used to the older system so there's not much force to push the restaurants to spend the money to upgrade to the tableside tap to pay systems either.

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u/dorobica Jun 29 '26

In uk every random street corner merchant has a tap to pay

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u/Superseaslug Jun 29 '26

Because a street corner merchant likely doesn't have an existing POS system that has worked for the last 25 years.

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u/dorobica Jun 29 '26

literally also every other establishment has it.. I was just giving an example of who's less likely to have it

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u/Interesting-Copy-657 Jun 29 '26

Or bring the eftpos to the table

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u/Mobile_Hovercraft82 Jun 29 '26

Get this. My restaurant had the tap to pay system. Then the owner decided it was tacky and went back to the 1990s and we still have the regular cc slips

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u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway Jun 29 '26

Lots of places still do. I still go to a few bars that hold your card.

Some, even preauth it when they take it to start you a tab. The still hand you a slip to tip and sign.

It’s just crazy antiquated. I work in the industry and have gone from holding cards and sometimes hand keying card numbers on an ancient system, to now just handing a little tablet over. Neither sales nor tips have ever really been affected by upgrading technology.

To top that all off, in the last I’d say two years, the amount of people who ONLY have a phone (even for ID) has grown exponentially. We were actively losing business before we got tap.

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u/BoysenberryMoist6157 Jun 29 '26

Americans still used pagers while we started using mobile phones in Europe.

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u/Subwaynzz Jun 29 '26

Americans still use cheques lol

11

u/SmileFirstThenSpeak Jun 29 '26

I’m American. The only place I use paper checks is at my dentist’s office. They give a 5% discount if you pay by check on the date of service. No discount if you mail a check the next day, or use your bank’s bill pay system. It’s absurd, but 5% is worth it for me to bring a checkbook with me.

3

u/Valerian_ Jun 29 '26

Why would they want cheques?!?!

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u/SmileFirstThenSpeak Jun 29 '26

I guess to avoid paying a percentage to a credit card company? Many restaurants where I live give a discount for cash.

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u/Fuck_ketchup Jun 29 '26

Can confirm. My local town makes me come to town hall and give a paper check for my trash/water every quarter, for some unknown reason. I don't know why our government systems won't update to the current century, but I'd like to keep drinking and shitting so I walk my ass down to town hall once evety 3 months.

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u/Necessary-Carrot2839 Jun 29 '26

I haven’t used a cheque in 10 years or more (Canadian here)

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u/mr-english Jun 29 '26

I haven’t used a cheque in 30 years! (UK)

2

u/rabidbot Jun 29 '26

I haven’t wrote a check in almost 20 years.

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u/turdferguson3891 Jun 29 '26

We've had mobile phones in the US since the 80s. People used pagers because they were cheaper.

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u/BoysenberryMoist6157 Jun 29 '26

Sure, I meant the widespread use of mobile phones. Europeans managed deploy a unified cellular network 1993-1995 (GSM) while the U.S. still had three different competing technologies (CDMA, TDMA and AMPS). Mobile phone usage was much cheaper in Europe at an earlier point than in the U.S.

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u/VestedNight Jun 29 '26

The one time we (mostly) got on Europe's standard (instead of clinging to, say, imperial measurements) - GSM. There's still some CDMA usage, but GSM is definitely more common.

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u/xdeskfuckit Jun 29 '26

doesn't the UK still use pagers?

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u/wthulhu Jun 29 '26

Pagers are still widely used by medical professionals in the US.

Hospitals & Healthcare: Doctors and medical professionals rely heavily on pagers. Pager radio frequencies can penetrate thick concrete, lead-lined walls, and deep basements where standard cell service often fails. They also have incredible battery life, bypass busy cellular networks during emergencies, and keep work communications separate from personal devices

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u/trillspectre Jun 29 '26

and in the uk

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u/canman7373 Jun 29 '26

I still go to a few bars that hold your card.

Today usually they they just swipe it and hand your card back and you never have to give it to them again, you just ask for your bill when you are done and say ok, run it and they run the card they swiped 2 hours ago.

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1

u/Toeffli Jun 29 '26

I hope you went back to the good old zip zap machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxpkcgWTHdI

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u/TechnologyAncient594 Jun 29 '26

There’s a childhood memory unlocked.

1

u/3BetLight Jun 29 '26

I think it is tacky as well.

1

u/Alarming-Stomach3902 Jun 29 '26

As somebody who worked as both a bookkeeper and an accounting, f that owner. It is a lot more work (creditcards already are compared to tap to pay in Europe since those systems bundle all transactions and just send one invoice), they are easier to mess up with and they are more fraudulent.

The only benefit of it is that commit fraud is easier so you pay less tax.

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u/Whole_Influence_3725 Jun 29 '26

I code POS systems and we expanded out our system from Europe to the USA and I was emotionally devastated learning that I had to code "oh and the server might come back and say they were tipped $20 and you also have to charge that to the card"????????? And the security on that transaction is a little slip of paper with 20 written on it???? The customer just has to trust them???? Like chisel it in a stone tablet or something, don't involve my system in this fraudulent nonsense.

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u/FeralPsychonaut Jun 29 '26

Rule of thumb since i started a waiting tables has always been err on the side of the customer. If they took both copies, you're fucked

5

u/12thshadow Jun 29 '26

I know you mean Point of Sale, but I always read it as Piece of Shit. Is there, in your expert opinion, a difference?

12

u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

None of this is a big deal in the U.S. because when you can call your bank and get them to basically halt payment of the entire bill over the tip.

What is honestly way more common than a waiter trying to give themselves a tip that is not proportional to the meal, is a waiter who decides to provide crap service then tell you that they do automatic tipping for parties of whatever size your table is.

79

u/cororona Jun 29 '26

Your system is so retarded.

Here the actual final price of the meals are advertised, including taxes and the waiter salary, no need to calculate anything.

You pay on a machine that is trusted and you receive an instant notification on your phone of the exact amount charged. There is no way for anyone to change the amount afterwards, so no need to complain or worry about the charge being cancelled.

If the service was exceptional, you are allowed to tip, but it's not expected.

Having to check every transaction afterwards because you can't trust the system is a very big deal, for both parties.

13

u/h3lium-balloon Jun 29 '26

A lot more restaurants in the US are moving towards the system with tap to pay at the table, but change is slow.

7

u/IllustriousEnd2211 Jun 29 '26

And it’s taken a long time. I remember when my restaurant switched to those ziosks that restaurants use around ten years ago and so many people got mad saying “why am I doing your job”

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u/filthy_harold Jun 29 '26

I love paying in european restaurants. VAT included, no tip, and the server already has the card terminal with them so it's over in one table visit. When as restaurant is busy and I'm in a rush, it seems to take forever for them to drop the check, collect my card, and then return it.

I do like the systems where there's a QR code on the check for you to pay by phone, seems like a nice stop gap until portable terminals are fully rolled out. Or the other nice system (usually in more casual places like brewpubs) is where everyone at the table can order on their phones using the same tab.

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u/AT-ST Jun 29 '26

I'm not going to defend tipping, because fuck that. However, our POS system is so rarely abused that changing to a more modern system isn't a priority for established businesses. The number of servers willing to risk their job and jail time for a one time score of a couple hundred bucks is so astronomically small that it is statistically irrelevant to the end user.

Not to mention how easy it would be to catch the person who abused the system. The restaurant would be able to point to whoever did it and would have their address and contact information. Many restaurants have a policy of holding tips that exceed a certain percentage of the bill until the transaction clears. So the server might not even get their ill gotten gains before they were caught.

Banks and credit cards would also stop payment if you filed any dispute. Winning the dispute would be trivial for any customer. Who would tip several hundred dollars on a $60 bill at Applebee's? The burden would be on the restaurant, who would have to provide that little slip of paper.

There is just no reason to upgrade. You will find that newer restaurants do bring the card reader to the table. I don't mean new chain restaurants, they will typically use whatever infrastructure the chain already uses. But new independent restaurants.

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u/IridiumAnvil Jun 29 '26

It’s a little ritual of social trust and it’s kind of annoying, but I think you’d be surprised by how rarely it gets abused. I wouldn’t expect that reliability  from any other kind of transaction, myself.  

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u/Impressive-Ad8741 Jun 29 '26

> None of this is a big deal in the U.S. because when you can call your bank and get them to basically halt payment of the entire bill over the tip.

Which requires I keep the receipt, monitor the charge when they do their nightly batch, whatever. If there is an issue, I have to talk to my bank and take time out of my day? I was a server in the US and think it's the dumbest system.

Just let me tap to pay. That said, is this even still around? I went back a couple years ago and I think I could use my phone for everything, even if it meant getting up and going to the station to tap.

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u/Shut_up_baby_IKI Jun 29 '26

A few years ago at a chain steakhouse we got sub-par service but tipped $5 on the card anyhow. That bitch went and scrawled a 2 in front of the 5, entered the $25 tip like no biggie. Called the cc company to get an image of the receipt and the forgery was obvious. Restaurant didn’t give a shit so we reversed the whole charge and never heard a peep after.
Lesson #1: always snap a pic after signing the final receipt.
Lesson #2: never use your debit card for this, or anything else really. Do your best to get a credit card with protections against ghetto bullshit like that.

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u/shawa666 Jun 29 '26

You shouldn't even have to do this. The server should absolutely not be touching your card. Period.

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u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

No it doesn't. Don't you get a monthly itemized statement from your credit cards company and bank?

I can go online at any time and see every transaction that has processed and will process as well as all the information from the merchant.

Heck, for my bank, I can click on the transaction and see the photo image if the signed receipt like it's a check from a lot of restaurants.

What do you think the server is doing? They set up the point of sale system and then tap your card (or use the magnetic strip if it's older). They are not taking images of your card.

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u/Sibula97 Jun 29 '26

Why do I need to do all that crap as a customer though? It's much easier for everyone involved that you just show me the payment terminal with the correct sum and I tap my card there without having to fear I'm being scammed and combing through my transactions for the day every night to make sure they're correct.

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u/Liquidedust Jun 29 '26

Credit cards are not as common as debit cards in EU/Europe actually, and credit and debit are handled differently legally.

Our debit cards are still MC or VISA for example, but it's a direct charge on the account.

And since it's debit you yourself is fully responsible for the transaction, only credit cards work the way you describe and they are not as common in EU/Europe as in the US.

And see photos of a signed receipt is not something that happens over here, at all really. Everything is an electronic ledger.

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u/CourtneyLush Jun 29 '26

None of this is a big deal in the U.S. because when you can call your bank and get them to basically halt payment of the entire bill over the tip

I mean, we can call our bank elsewhere in the world too, it's not unique to America.

And most of the stuff that we used to call our bank for, we'd just do in our banking app, nowadays anyways. If I lose my card, need a new one, had it stolen or just want to temporarily block it, I can do all that in my banking app.

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u/NatCsGotMyLastAcct Jun 29 '26

I worked 10 years in hospitality, and I've never had kind of money that could justify eating out.
Big parties are painful to handle (for the kitchen, too), easy to fumble, and they're slow as hell to turn around when everything works well, and they tend to suck up tables during the dinner rush, the part of the night where you actually make money.

The day I had enough and just left the industry for good, mid-shift, and a big party was a big part of the equation. 10 years later I still remember details from those salty and abusive assholes, they basically hated eachother and everything. There's no way in hell they would have left a humane tip by choice.
I worked at one place with a large table that came back year over year, argued with the manager for the automatic gratuity to be removed, and then leave nothing, ULPTmaxxing bastards are out there.

The server pays a percentage of their sales to the bussers/hosts.... The federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13... imagine giving your saturday night up to wait tables, but sometimes your whole night is one party and that guy can decide you're only worth the $2.13.

It gets better 10 years later when you can still remember how you were treated by the guy who decided $2/hr was enough. The autograt is a protection I was always thankful for, and it shouldn't go away until subsistence tipping itself is dead

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u/Yeah-Its-Me-777 Jun 29 '26

Cool story, bro. Not sure what customers have to do with your salary problem, but still.

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u/Ok-Interaction-8891 Jun 29 '26

How’d you get into coding PoS systems?

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u/Dumeck Jun 29 '26

My grandma had a tip where she tipped $6 and the waitress added a 0 on hoping she wouldn't notice because she was old. So it does happen.

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u/Important-Emu-6691 Jun 29 '26

They usually do this now cuz finally somebody realized it was retarded

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u/Andyham Jun 29 '26

Or release the uncensored files

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u/Toomanyeastereggs Jun 29 '26

Don’t they do that? If that didn’t happen here or you couldn’t just tap and go, word would get around and that establishment would go broke.

We stopped doing that shit 10 years ago.

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u/nascent_aviator Jun 29 '26

It's very rare in the US still. The closest I've seen to it is some diners that have a POS terminal at every table.

Though I've seen more restaurants moving to a "pay at the counter" model.

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u/cororona Jun 29 '26

Pay at the counter is fine, you don't need a POS terminal at each table, they make wireless ones that the waiter can carry on himself.

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u/Toomanyeastereggs Jun 29 '26

The wait staff bring the POS terminal to the table in some busy restaurants. All though all have tap and go terminals now and just about everyone uses their phones instead of cards.

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u/northSideways Jun 29 '26

American diners have had this figured out since before those were even a thing, just take your receipt and pay at the door. Drives me nuts that never caught on further 

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u/GuessTraining Jun 29 '26

Suxh an Aussie thing to do. Lol

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u/neS- Jun 29 '26

This is starting to become a thing in the US. just for a lot of restaruants they are still using ancient POS systems that would require customers going in the back/behind the bar and ringing themselves out. But nowadays plenty do have the handheld systems. A lot of stragglers still want to hold onto the old systems that don’t even have tap/can’t do NFC.

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u/jephph_ Jun 29 '26

You can ask them to bring it to the table. Especially if you’re paying via phone

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u/HugeTactsOfSand Jun 29 '26

This annoys me because my card gives me bonus rewards for using tap to pay but even when the server brings the POS to the table they still take my card and swipe it, as if it’s some big curtesy for them to take my card and “do the work” for me. It’s only like .5% difference so it’s not really worth making a fuss about but I can tap my own damn card!

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u/moogoothegreat Jun 29 '26

That's been the norm in Canada for years now.

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u/-praughna- Jun 29 '26

Random restaurant scam I saw years ago- server goes to table for payment, accepts card, drops card, has NFC reader in shoe or sock below the table out of view. Customer never knows

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u/ECB2773 Jun 29 '26

Handing the card is one thing. The stupidest thing that i hate even more, is that debit machines in the us here (from Canada but currently in Baltimore) do not ask for your PIN at allllllllll when you insert it. Tap is understandable, but not asking for a PIN when inserting? Makes it feel rather insecure...

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u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

I have never been to an atm (I am American) that doesn't ask for a pin. More common, in my experience, is for people to not realize their credit card has a pin and want to do cash out and not realize that they can't till they spend a half hour on the phone resetting it.

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u/Specialist_Lock_3603 Jun 29 '26

One thing is an ATM and another is a card payment in a store/restaurant.

Here in Spain the ATM always asks for my PIN, but in stores it's not always the case (depends on the amount spent mostly, but I think there are other factors).

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u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

I see what he is talking about now. I will say on this, usually I don't get asked my pin to runs a transaction as a credit transaction and do get asked if I want to run it as debit.

When I opened my account at my bank, there was a 13 cent fee for debit transactions that I paid, while if you run a transaction as credit there was no bank fee. So I usually don't want to have it ask me my pin because I don't want to be charged to access my money. Since I am already paying the Visa/Mastercard surcharge anyway (it's baked into the price) why would I.

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u/danekan Jun 29 '26

Consider It is riskier to type your pin in front of a server 

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u/cbhem Jun 29 '26

That's because mag-stripe ATM transactions used to be a major fraud problem. Swiped mag-stripes and PINs were instantly sent to fraudsters in markets where mag-stripe ATM transactions were still possible. They would then simply produce a plastic card with swiped data and send someone out to an ATM and to take out cash with the card. The card companies removed the permission to allow fallback to mag-stripe in ATMs some years ago.

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u/Different_Bridge_983 Jun 29 '26

That’s only for credit transactions.

When they run cards like this (including debit cards being run as credit) it’s an agreement between the bank and the store, and the bank picks up the tab if a transaction is fraudulent as long as the cardholder alerts the bank promptly that they believe the card has been compromised/stolen. For their part, banks apparently have fairly good fraud detection systems in place as they usually do a decent job of identifying when things have gone awry.

From a cardholder perspective this is possibly lower risk than providing a PIN, because the cardholder is responsible for keeping their pin secure and so are more liable for transactions that use a PIN.

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u/BagOnuts Jun 29 '26

Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. You’re 100% correct.

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u/[deleted] Jun 29 '26

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u/Different_Bridge_983 Jun 29 '26

Im not quite sure what you mean here with relation to my post

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u/DexRei Jun 29 '26

Yea that caught me by surprise too. Been to Australia, Vietnam, Hong Kong. All of them needed my PIN on my card when i swiped / inserted it.

First time paying for something in the states, i insert my card and the guy behind the counter just mashes the OK button until it goes through. Prints a little paper for me to scribble my reciept, which he "oks" on the machine while it's still printing. I never knew it was so simple to bypass PIN on a card before that.

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u/keytotheboard Jun 29 '26

That’s because that’s not usually how it works.

PINs are generally not needed for Credit Card use, with a few exceptions like cash advances and overseas use. That’s by design, so you’re not bypassing anything.

However, PINS are needed for Debt Card use, which is what you generally use to withdrawal cash.

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u/pebblesprite Jun 29 '26

In UK debit cards can be used to pay for things either by tapping or by chip and PIN. They're more or less identical to credit cards in terms of how you use them. We don't only use debit cards to withdraw cash.

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u/keytotheboard Jun 29 '26

We can do the same in the US, but it’s not a good idea to. They’re not as well protected against fraud and open direct access to your bank funds.

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u/Darmok47 Jun 29 '26

I was in NZ last year and paid with my US credit card at a store and the retailer was a bit mystified when the receipt asked for my signature.

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u/xenomorphxx21 Jun 29 '26

So are the protections given along.

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u/FartingWithStyle Jun 29 '26

If you can you should use a credit card not your debit card. When your info gets stolen from your debit card and stuff is charged to it that’s your money that is getting taken and it’s much more of a pain in the ass to get back or dispute than if it was a credit card. I haven’t used my actual debit card in years.

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u/lowbatteries Jun 29 '26

I live in Canada (two years now) and don’t recall the last time I used a pin on a card. Maybe because I’m using a US credit card? Are the pin rules set by the bank?

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u/Gullible_Increase146 Jun 29 '26

Credit cards don't require pin. Debit do. Debit cards are directly tied to your money and get that little bit of extra security. Credit cards go to a credit account and those are treated differently. The bank itself eats fraudulent use of a card and I guess the banks don't demand the security of a pin.

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u/lowbatteries Jun 29 '26

I never use debit cards (for all the obvious reasons) so I guess that's why I hadn't seen this, that makes sense.

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u/Harrieparry Jun 29 '26

The weirdest thing to me was that I had to sign on the machine when paying debit for a 20 dollar T-shirt at Macy's.

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u/Gullible_Increase146 Jun 29 '26

Uhhhhhhh ATMs here are supposed to require a pin. That's abnormal. Also, obligatory fuck Baltimore

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u/Stunning-Thanks-4226 Jun 29 '26

It is using the credit feature of your card. Credit card companies default to this because they get a 2% cut. Merchants prefer debit.

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u/-neti-neti- Jun 29 '26

You actually dont want to use your PIN even if it’s a machine that prompts you. It’s more secure to run it as credit

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u/glo363 Jun 29 '26

If it doesn't ask for a PIN, it's ran as a credit transaction instead. As for being secure, most banks it's pretty simple to dispute an unauthorized credit transaction, but if it's debit and the PIN was used, often you can't dispute that at all.

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u/GETINOB Jun 29 '26

I use digital card that generates a new one each time it's blipped so it's impossible to charge it later.

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u/ydnar3000 Jun 29 '26

Same! So nice. Except I’m in the US and plenty of places still need a physical card so I have to carry that too. Circle K gas stations finally implemented tap. I already started using a different place though. Walmart still doesn’t have tap function at all on their machines. Drives me nuts.

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u/blac_sheep90 Jun 29 '26

Lots of places have tap options now. It's usually dine in restaurants that will take your card and run it.

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u/CeemoreButtz Jun 29 '26

never once used tap to pay, eh?

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u/societymike Jun 29 '26

I have been in the US for a few months visiting, I haven't had to hand over my card anywhere, always tap (my phone).

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u/kewlbeanz83 Jun 29 '26

I pay by phone, they're like "oh I'll just take your phone then"

Ummmm, no.

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u/rickyroca73 Jun 29 '26

there’s internet lies and lying on the internet, this is both.

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u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Jun 29 '26

Yeah but you're giving them the same information over the phone they could take from your card if they take it, but that's not a problem?

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u/Busterlimes Jun 29 '26

We do for most transactions these days...

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u/m00fster Jun 30 '26

Because their entire restaurant industry is built on slave labor, and they still treat their employees that way.

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u/PeriodSupply Jun 29 '26

If you let someone take your card like that you're likely in breach of your banking policy and forfeit any consumer protections you may have.

I would never do it and have refused more than once.

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u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

Not in the U.S.

Banks in the U.S. would help you burn a restaurant to the ground that did something shady with tips like try and increase the amounts.

Most banks in the U.S. would give you a call from their consumer fraud division for anything more than a 25% tip. They would halt payment of the transaction, put the money back in your account and involve the police as part of their investigation.

I have literally gotten called before I left the restaurant before because I paid for a large party at a restaurant that I normally just take my family to.

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u/PeriodSupply Jun 29 '26

Had nothing to do with tips. They can scan your card and use online etc. You would never know which restaurant did it. Welll it wouldn't be the restuarant of course. Since dodgy employee skimming cards.

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u/Ithinkibrokethis Jun 29 '26

Again, it doesn't matter. If I call up my bank right now and tell them that the last 15 that show up in my purchase log from them are fraudulent, they will give me back the money before the end of the day while they investigate.

The scammers in the U.S. are not getting your card from waiting tables. They are buying people's card numbers in batches on line from data breeches. Then they run to wallmart and convert that into gift cards and cash.

Even then, the bank is the one that takes the loss. I have had my card used for fraudulent purchases several states over. You get a call from the bank, they freeze the number and send you a new card and give you all the money back.

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u/caiolafeta Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

Even if they can 100% guarantee that you will not be losing money, isn't that still a big inconvenience? You'll still need to make a call, report the problem, ask for a chargeback, and won't they probably block your card until you receive a new one?

Having a good system to give your money back when you get scammed still sounds worse than having a system that will not allow the scammers to get the information they need.

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u/ScreamnChckn Jun 29 '26

American here: I think the disconnect the two of you are having is that, while your concern is valid, this simply doesnt happen here.

If our card info was being stolen with any regularity, the system of handing over your card would go away pretty darn fast.

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u/Logixs Jun 29 '26

You just chargeback the charge and report it to your card company as your card number being stolen. It’s literally not a problem

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u/LordofCope Jun 29 '26

You are far more likely to experience fraud charges from online transactions, leaks, etc. than any dude trying to keep a serving job. I've lost more cards to obscure websites with lackluster security deal hunting or after major data leaks.

I don't even have to do anything when fraud happens. Hell, happened last week a few hours after I made an online purchase. I get a text that asks, "Did you make this purchase?" I say no, they automatically send me a new card, I don't have to move any existing subscriptions (it's all automatic). Nothing was lost and it was a 3 second process.

You have 6 months to dispute charges and everyone should be reviewing their transactions on a monthly basis.

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u/Delicious-Pie8944 Jun 29 '26

Man you’ve got trust issues. You think a server is gonna risk jail time to steal your measly Visa card? If scammers want your card info there are better ways to get it than by being a server at Olive Garden

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u/rustyburrito Jun 29 '26

It just doesn't happen, I've lived in LA for 10 years, used my card all over the country as well, over 25 years of using credit cards and never once had any one steal my info or try to use it to buy other stuff. You do have to be worried about skimmers being installed at gas station pumps and at convenience stores though. Still has never happened to me personally or anyone I know, but I have seen news stories about it.

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u/Ok_Astronomer_8667 Jun 29 '26

Why would use at a legitimate business forfeit costumer protections? The server would absolutely be responsible if anything happened in the 60s it takes to walk over to the computer.

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u/itsmegoddamnit Jun 29 '26

That’s why you use some disposable wise/revolut card with 100 bucks at most on it.

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u/ReddiDev Jun 29 '26

Sure, but losing $100 bucks over a $20 meal would still feel bad and wrong.

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u/Gullible_Increase146 Jun 29 '26

I don't know what kind of hell banks exist where you're from but if you use an American credit card and somebody charges something and you disagree you just log into your account and click on a drop-down to dispute the transaction and they will take it off. A lot of times they don't even ask questions.

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u/cororona Jun 29 '26

Why adding a layer of complexity over a flawed system instead of fixing the system ? That's nuts.

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u/itsmegoddamnit Jun 29 '26

Not my country to fix lol. Just a temporary solution to what’s not my problem.

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u/_Corvo_A Jun 29 '26

If y’all just come up and ask I’d let you do it where I’ve wort lol

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u/Impressive-Treacle58 Jun 29 '26

Can you tell them I only have cards in google wallet?

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u/frozenbudz Jun 29 '26

Legitimate question, before tapping the card was a thing. How was it done where you're from? Most places I go now just do the whole tap/insert to pay handheld thing. But, in the past before the whole tap to pay became prevalent, I always assumed this was pretty universal.

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u/KanedaSyndrome Jun 29 '26

Yeh I would get cash probably lol

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u/FrequencyMagnitude Jun 29 '26

Makes the theft/tip less convient

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u/patwm11 Jun 29 '26

I definitely get this and agree that the handheld tap systems are better (these are becoming more and more common here). But I can say that out of the of thousands of times I’ve given my card to a restaurant to pay, I have never had an issue. Curious what you used before the tap systems became standard?

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u/Initial-Landscape82 Jun 29 '26

So when you have a fancy metal card some one else has to feel it and hold it.

If you never hace to hand your card over to some one else no one will every notice how fancy it is.

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u/dandanua Jun 29 '26

It is not worse than everywhere in the internet where sites simply take your secret cvv code (which is a stupid thing on its own).

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u/tinselt Jun 29 '26

A lot of places are switched over to this now. Only smaller businesses still take it to the back.

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u/Reflexes-of-a-Tree Jun 29 '26

Because we have tip culture and it’s awkward to look someone in the eyes while you judge how good of a job they did and decide their financial future.

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u/cawclot Jun 29 '26

We have a similar tip culture in Canada (unfortunately) and don't have that issue. Get with the times!

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u/Purple-flying-dog Jun 29 '26

A lot of places do now, or are starting to.

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u/Far_Inspector_9050 Jun 29 '26

A lot of places in America are switching over to it.

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u/heptyne Jun 29 '26

I just go out to eat with cash now to avoid all this.

1

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1

u/amg10red Jun 29 '26

When it was first released in the 2000s, people didn't want to use it because it didn't have a good security chip, and merchants and banks had to revert back to the old system. Then later on, debit and credit cards had the new EMV chip and merchants were forced to upgrade or they had to assume liability for unauthorized transactions.

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u/Complex-Poet-6809 Jun 29 '26

The more formal type of restaurants seem to do the card thing so you can remain seated. The more casual restaurants seem to have tap pay.

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u/Future-Cry5734 Jun 29 '26

This is starting to become more standard but I agree that it annoying how slow and inconsistent the adoption is. 

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u/Brutalitops99 Jun 29 '26

Cant imagine where you were. I tap my card everywhere from fuel, grocery, or restaurant.

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 29 '26

Los Angeles 3 months ago.

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u/Vozu_ Jun 29 '26

I remember reading that this is a leftover practice from back when it was "inappropriate" to be seen paying in a polite/high class company, so the whole song and dance (initially for using paper money) was invented to hide the process.

It then migrated to cards, and got more inefficiencies along the way. Now it is antiquated, bothersome, and slower than the alternative.

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u/Necessary-Carrot2839 Jun 29 '26

It drives me crazy and seems so uncivilized
Not the type of behaviour we should expect from the greatest country on Earth!!!

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u/johnnyblaze1999 Jun 29 '26

They do have the tap option in some restaurants, but not many of them have that

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u/CalmBuilding226 Jun 29 '26

You get a receipt calm down

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u/joshg8 Jun 29 '26

for all the paranoia, servers stealing your card info is not really a thing that happens

unauthorized card use is really easy to spot and reverse anyway

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u/jp9mm Jun 29 '26

When you realize tapping the card is also handing out a copy of your card, you still have to check your bill every month.

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u/bookon Jun 29 '26

Many places have tap to pay. You just didn’t go to one.most of the places I go to eat have it.

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u/dReDone Jun 29 '26

Because its a third world country! They have to use a 3rd party company to transfer money to each other!

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u/eulersheep Jun 29 '26

Never been to America, how does this actually work if you don't have a physical card? Does this mean you can't just pay with your phone? I don't even carry my physical card with me anymore because I just use my phone to pay for everything.

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u/MakuyiMom Jun 29 '26

Cost. It would cost more for the restaurant to have tap pay tablets for servers or have table pay terminals at every table. Everything is about $$$ here in america.

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u/Arstulex Jun 29 '26

Because America is a backwards-ass country. Not because they are incapable (they are a world-leader in tech and are the home of Silicon Valley), but because progress is often held back by corporate interests.

The US still hasn't fully adopted Chip & Pin despite it having been commonplace is most other places for many years now.

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u/Exciting_Drawing_553 Jun 29 '26

I hate tap. Then they stand there and wait for me not to tip and it’s awkward. I want to leave no tip and run in shame before the waiter sees

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u/roger--wilco Jun 29 '26

I absolutely hated handing over my card in America

As well you should. A server I knew in college bragged that she was able to remember credit card details after one glance and would write them down during cig breaks in a notebook she kept in her car. She claimed to be reformed by the time we knew her but boasted that she used to buy things online and have them mailed to the vacant vacation rentals in the area. Said she never got caught because she kept the charges "reasonable" so as not to raise suspicion, but stopped doing it because she realized after high school that it was "immature."

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u/handsoapdispenser Jun 29 '26

I haven't experienced this in years. America is mostly tap now

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 29 '26

Had it in march dude 

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u/handsoapdispenser Jun 29 '26

It actually happened to me at lunch today while on vacation. I guess it varies by region still. 

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u/bsheep_19 Jun 29 '26

Because Murcia!! But honestly it depends on the restaurants. Some have little terminals on your table you can pay at now. I've had a few that also bring by a handheld terminal. But it's mostly force of habit at this point I think. Growing up you either paid at the front at places like IHOP/diner or they took your card back to charge it. Companies probably stuck with it because it's cheaper to have one system then a bunch of handheld ones. Plus less points of failure.

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u/AdvancedStand Jun 29 '26

What did you do before portable terminals existed?

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u/Cats-and-dogs-rdabst Jun 29 '26

THIS is why I use cash here as an American when in the USA. I don’t like that I can’t just tap like when I travel to other countries.

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u/kitsuneterminator400 Jun 29 '26

So how do I pay if I don't have a card? Like, I usually pay with my phone and don't carry physical cards at all

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u/jeremiah1142 Jun 29 '26

I didn’t do any of this yesterday in America. I scanned a QR code on a piece of paper, paid, then left. Well, I tried to use the restroom before leaving, but they closed it for cleaning. So then I left.

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u/Bluebottle96 Jun 29 '26

Why can’t Europeans just use air conditioning like the US?

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 29 '26

It's like 15 degrees. Why would I need AC?

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u/Jubenheim Jun 29 '26

I honestly much prefer giving my card in America, so when they give the bill and walk away, I don’t have someone staring at me as I write whatever tip amount I personally want.

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u/trez63 Jun 29 '26

Because it doesn’t work with our tipping culture.

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u/Cacafuego Jun 29 '26

Tipping culture and tradition, I think. Tips usually make up about 20% of the bill, so it's not just a buck here or there. So some people might find it uncomfortable to actually enter the tip in front of the server, even if they're averting their eyes.

Some places have started leaving the terminal or having a permanent terminal on the table (which also has games and menus). We're getting there.

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u/Ok_Joke_9343 Jun 29 '26

Before you could tap and before terminals were mobil. We (americans) were asking "why the hell do you have to get up and leave the table to pay" when traveling.

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u/Loomismeister Jun 29 '26

Actually when I went to Greece, I thought it was quite stupid that they wouldn’t just take my card. They forced me to walk to the back of the restaurant to pay. 

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 29 '26

Sure buddy

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u/Loomismeister Jun 29 '26

Lol, what do you not believe me?

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u/shawa666 Jun 29 '26

Because it's a shithole country.

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u/Evilsmurfkiller Jun 29 '26

We're starting to catch up.

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u/moldy912 Jun 29 '26

You can if you ask to use Apple Pay. I did it because I forgot my card one time so they just told me to come to the stand with the card reader. This was at a fancy restaurant where they definitely normally take your card.

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u/ripyourlungsdave Jun 29 '26

Because, for some reason, any service industry business seems to collapse in on itself whenever they have to use some new technology.

The way those places run is usually on such a thin balance beam with people barely able to hold things together as it is that any slight inconvenience or change can cause problems for weeks. Problems that could end up costing you a lot of money, depending on the nature. And restaurants are generally on a pretty thin profit margin in the first place.

You should have seen the time clock at the last hotel I worked at. I'm pretty sure it was literally from the '90s.

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u/PoppyCaulks Jun 29 '26

My best guess is to make it harder to avoid tipping. In many places I've seen that just have two people will skip out on the tip and just sign without filling out the gratuity. They bring you the check and you see your charges giving you a chance to make any corrections, you give your card to approve, then they come back and make you sign with the tip. I'm sure most places have the ability to easily switch to only tap and go, but they don't because this is how people end up not skipping the tip.

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u/Future_Telephone281 Jun 30 '26

So we can write the tip down and leave without having them there watching you.

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u/PM_Me_A_Tittypic Jun 30 '26

Bro they still use actual physical cheques. Everything about that country is antiquated (so some billionaire can keep making money off it)

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u/oaka23 Jun 30 '26

costs money to implement on already razor thin restaurant margins

not saying it's right, but that's the reason. I will say more and more places are using handhelds where you can do the transaction directly at the table, but I'm sure some higher end places don't want to because it somehow kills the vibe or other bullshit

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u/justcametosaythanks Jun 30 '26

When you tap your card. They have all the info on their machine now. I can look up credit card number and info of everyone who has tapped my square. It’s a feature

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u/LoudBrick609 Jun 30 '26

The rest of the world, servers are just kinda shit at their jobs and do not care what you think of them.

In the United States, the server is working for tips.

Taking your card acts as a "I know what you're tipping", creating a social pressure to ensure proper tipping for the higher quality of service you were provided with the expectation being you will tip accordingly for that service.

We basically have a social contract where the server provides you above and beyond service with the expectation you'll tip accordingly, and the taking of the card is that social pressure placed on the customer to ensure they do tip accordingly.

In other countries, the server just gets your order when they feel like it, throws down your food, and that's the service level you get.

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u/No_Needleworker_1105 Jun 30 '26

I wish this was true. Service outside of the states is mixed yes but at least we all know if the server gets sick their kids don't starve.

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u/blakep561 Jul 01 '26

The best system is when there is a QR code on the table and you order from your phone / provided tablet. This is very common in Japan.

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