Shell stops taking cheques, Are we getting closer to the credstick? Options

[DrJest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/mone...box/4233002.stm

Note the comments towards the bottom of the article about "cashless stores". We may indeed be drawing closer to the use of the credstick or equivalent.

[Aku]

it doesnt surprise me, especially with the premiums that stores pay for checks, just for the "privilage" to take them. not to mention the time hassle of having a person write them. While it's true thee are check writers available, mosr retailers (even major ones) dont use them, and alot of times, for othe ones that do, the person is in the process of writing it before the cashier even says anything.

[weblife]

Hehe, you are not exactly on the "cutting edge" over there. Cheques are out of the question in several EU countries.

Notable exception, that I know of, are Ireland. They use cheques for everything.

Cashless banks, where you can't get money except in the vending machine are the order of the day here in DK.

You have your card, charge by the bill and hardly ever need to have more than a handfull of change for the odd offline hotdog stand or similar.

Nothing new there. The "new" part would be if I could transfer money to another person just by holding my card near theirs and typing/saying an amount.

The amount of actual cash in circulation have been dropping nicely over the last few decades. With Netbanking taking care of fx the above situation where I need to give money to another person.

[hyzmarca]

[hobgoblin]

hmm, only news i can see here is that they are refusing to accept payment by check totaly.

but hell, only person i can recall seeing using a check these days are my dad. and thats atleast 10 years ago. today its all done by debit card.

heh, some companys here in norway have even stopped sending bills. rather you get a email message telling you to go to your online bank and confirm the bill.

in contrast i recall reading someones rant about how hard it was to set up a similar service account in the US. but then its sounded like he wanted to chrge the bill on his credit card and had to input all kinds of info about himself to do so. talk about overcomplicating stuff. it allmost sounded like the web site was not connected to any bank or credit card company :eek: but was acting as a third party service provider.

sure the US invented the net but hell if they know how to use it :P

[Kesh]

I think we're going to end up bypassing credsticks entirely, and go on to using cell phones. There's already a system in Japan, I believe, and probably offers more encryption than what you can fit into a card.

[Snow_Fox]

I do not know of anyone in the US who uses a check. several chains issue their own credit cards that send you a bill at the end of the mnoth for what you bought, but at the pump? A check? Never.

[Supercilious]

In Washington checks are used for damn near everything.

Although I always pay in cash.

[Birdy]

To add to Weblife:

German EC (EuroCheque) cards are "electronic money" since the 1980s. The correct (and recommended) way for the seller is to have a terminal with a connection (either permanent or dial up) to his bank. The card has a magnetic strip that's read than the user enters a PIN, both send to the bank and compared. If they match, money is transfered immediatly. This system is used in fuel stations, book shops, clothing stores and some food stores

A (far less secure) alternativ is for the cash register to print a bill and for you to countersign. Sadly most food-stores still use that system.

As an add-on the newer (mid 1990s) cards have a smart chip similar to the one used in reloadable telefone cards. You can download money to the chip on special terminals (again with PIN and link to a bank) and than transfer that money on a terminal at the sellers place. The early seller terminals and chips had a lot of problems and the system is currently considered "dead" also when it worked, it was quite nice for paying small amounts of money.

So basically: If they fix the chashcard functions (Actually done, just make the sellers use them) and discontinue the less-secure alternative, we already have the credstick here in germany.

Birdy

[Sicarius]

I can count on one hand the number of times I use cash in a given month. 90% of my purchases are Debit Card. The only checks dealt with are the ones given to me, by my stone age company, that refuses to direct deposit. That check gets immediately mailed to my bank, which has no real world location. (like a regular bank, with money, they have offices obviously.) Bills are paid online.

Which actually makes cash a real commodity for me, I try to avoid using it for anything except those things were they ONLY take cash.

[Aku]

Cirdy: that sounds like our check card here state side. My mom is one of those people STILL writing checks though, and i dont get it. I find they're harder to keep track of (as far as when they're depositied by the receiver) and in stores especially, they just take way toooooo long to write out. I'm the kind of person that RARELY has more than prolly 40 dollars on me (except for recently, because i was moving, and didnt kept cash on me from my paycheck because i didnt get a local bank at that point so i just chased my checks at my parents bank). Ofcourse now, i'm waitering, so most of my money is going to be in tips, but even still i'll be depositing it in the bank that day or the next if i work a late shift.

oh, and i think, design wise, we are getting closer to the credstick. y newest bank sent me a second check/visa card that is mini that fits on a keyring... i dont think i'm going to use it though, i misplace my keys enough, and having my check card on there makes me uneasy.

[Cray74]

[Penta]

In my life (as I have no credit cards yet), being a college student...

I mostly get checks from relatives at birthday/holidays. Checks, for me, are a pain; I have to depend on parents cashing them due to my lack of mobility.

At school, I most often use my school's ID card/debit account to pay for things on campus. Unfortunately, most stores in the area do not accept said card, so I need to keep $40-50 on hand. Similarly, that cash also gets used for things like pizza, etc.

Things that concern me with the SR concept of credsticks:

1. Losing the damn things. Let's get real, most people are forgetful. Credsticks seem to be just the size as to be easily lost, *constantly*.

2. Security. Now, with credsticks, what if you get mugged? You're totally screwed. They didn't just take your money, they took your identity, too.

3. Shit happens: Things happen to electronics all the time. We've all had credit/debit cards become demagnetized, get scuffed up, etc. Or IDs get beaten up beyond recognition. Or whatever.

Now, if that ordinary "Shit happens" sort of thing, well, happens...What the hell do you do?

[hobgoblin]

figures that i would get yet another foot in mouth moment...

thanks for proving that the US isnt as backwaters as it could look like cray74.

i wish i could track down that rant i recall reading but i dont know where i found the link...

[hahnsoo]

[nezumi]

[ShadowDragon8685]

You've also got to realize, in the Dystopian future of Shadowrun, decisions are made, by and large, for how they will faccilitate gameplay. I'm pretty sure playing Joe Wageslave would be problematic at best. Shadowrunners stealing his credstick, applying their 1337 6 in Electronics to it, racking up bills in his name, etcetera.

As someone said previously, it'll probably go straight to cellphones for what we know in SRun as Registered credsticks, though it's entirely possible, likely even, that Certified Credsticks or something similar, will exist. They are, after all, a lot easier to manage than rolls of paper and coins. the downside, of course, is that forgery is simple.

[Kesh]

"Cash cards" already exist, and some form of that will likely be the replacement for certified credsticks.

[hobgoblin]

if we go cellphone for coin replacement maybe the phone will have to "call home" ever so often to report on the latest movements and where it came from if coming in.

thing is with all kinds of frauds, to keep it low profile.

if you get hold of another persons credit card info the last thing you should do is max it in one go. use it as if it was your own card and the owner may never notice it ;)

and the same deal with phone cash. do not drop 10000+ onto it in one go. 50 here, 100 there maybe and hopefully noone will pick up on it :P

hmm, i know some university areas use cash cards for internal cash. i wonder if any IT student have tryed cracking them :P

[nezumi]

[hyzmarca]