Restaurants and cafes have always been known as places for unsafe use of credit cards. Breaches of credit card security have been quite frequent, since you had to give your plastic to the waiter so that he could process it. After thousands of cases when customers' personal info was stolen and sold to fraudsters, a method for protecting credit card payments has been developed.
A device for preventing ID theft at restaurants has already been widely accepted in Europe. The pay-at-table system practiced in the form of credit card scanners brought right to the customer's table. The device looks very much similar to card terminals used in stores. In order to pay the bill, you only have to swipe the plastic as usual, without giving your card to the waiter, thus keeping the procedure under your control.
The new system seems to provide advantages to restaurant owners as well as all categories of customers, including those who are in the habit of using credit cards at restaurants for the sake of earning points and cash back from
rewards credit cards.
Consumers will not have to wait as long as before and worry as much as before, when they gave their credit card to the waiter and he disappeared with it for another 15 minutes. People will become more loyal to plastic payments in restaurants. The saving time factor is also beneficial for restaurant owners who also will be glad to see the flow of visitors going faster.
Another advantage of the pay-at-table system is the possibility of processing a wider range or plastic money:
credit cards, gift cards, debit cards with PIN codes (processing of the latter costs much cheaper than dealing with a credit card). Larger revenues are guaranteed for the restaurant entrepreneurs.
Security aspect of implementing the new pay-at-table device is probably more important than time and money saving factor. Credit card number will now be safe from copying and skimming. No more suspicious glances at waiters, no more sparing your nerves! Now you take the personal control over the process.
In spite of all the evident advantages, the pay-at-table system device has not been accepted everywhere. Some restaurants look at the system in hesitation, being unsure whether they should spend their money on this gadget and use it on a regular basis.
Anne Sparks, author of
credit related articles and financial consultant, publishes her works in the Web and mainly works for www.Credit-Land.com, site for about
credit card applications search and financial advice.
