Debit or Credit?
I was manning a register during a busy period. The customer scanned her card through our machine and then waited while I continued ringing her items. Since it was a small transaction, I didn't need to see/hold the card, though I got a glimpse of it. When I finished with her items, I prompted her, "Is that a credit?" since our machines don't know the difference between a credit and a debit unless we tell them.
"No, it's a discover."
Well, that would be considered a credit!
Other customers with bank cards have NO IDEA how they work. I ask, "Credit or debit?" They respond:
- "I don't know. It's an ATM card." OK....debit.
- "The bank gave it to me." Right. Do you want to use it as a debit or a credit? "What's the difference?" It depends on your bank. Some banks charge depending on how you use the card. "Well, which is cheaper?" It varies. Bank A charges each time you enter your PIN. Bank B charges a percentage of the sale if you use it as a credit. Bank C doesn't charge at all. "I use Bank D. What's their policy?" I don't know.....I've never had an account at Bank D. {That is, of course, poor customer service to not know Bank D's policy.}
- "Debit." Sure. {Hit appropriate button.} Go ahead and enter your PIN. "PIN? I don't have one of those!" So it's a credit? "No! I don't want to use it as a credit." : 0 Well, you have two choices: debit.....or......credit. "Can't you just bill my office?" No.
3 comments:
Wow - preach on. This is all quite familiar with me. With our credit card machines, if it's credit -- you can swipe the card; it asks for the last four digits of the card and THEN the amount. If it's debit, then it asks for the amount first and then you have to verify if the correct amount is being charged. This causes sooo much confusion among cashiers because they'll take the last four digits of the card as the amount being taken out of the card. Uhh -- yeah, that sucks.
I'm so glad I live in the UK. Our banking market is so competitive that we don't have any of those problems.
Credit or debit card - it gets entered in the machine (to read the chip) and we enter a PIN.
I pay no charge for the debit card (as long as I have money in the bank) and nothing for a credit card unless I withdraw cash or fail to pay the bill in full at the end of the 56 day interest-free period.
However, I do have all the inconvenience of carrying two cards from the same bank, one debit, one credit!
Many banks in the USA give their customers one card that is a debit/check/ATM card, depending on what you want to call it. But it also has either a Visa or Mastercard logo on it, thus can also be used like a credit. As I understand it, using it as a debit results in an immediate deduction from the account, while using it as a credit gives a 2-3 day float.
If a customer uses their card as a debit, then later returns the item, they get a refund in cash. If they use it as a credit, it gets refunded back onto the card (which sometimes takes 2-3 days to show up in the account).
Very few customers understand the difference between using the same card in different ways.
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