So I have to turn this over to a bartender to keep behind the bar when I go out and drink? If I forget to grab it before I take a cab, now I'm out $100 and ALL of my credit cards. No thanks.
In theory, your phone will alert you that you forgot it. Also, you'll still have the original cards at home.
Is that system still popular? I've started lots of tabs in the last few years, and it's always been purely an oral conversation - they only get my card at the end when I'm settling up.
Still happens quite a bit here in Chicago, they'll take your card and sometimes your ID when starting a tab.
I find the lower quality the bar, the more stuff they want to keep you from skipping out on a tab.
Sure. If you are a regular they probably and some small bar they won't need anything, but if you head to a large nightclub with hundreds of people they'll want a card to keep behind the bar while you have your tab open.