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Comment by crazygringo | Hacker News Reader

> ATM cards with their current security are too dangerous to use... We no longer use ours. They stay in a secure place in our home.

Um... how does he get cash out of the bank then? Does he wait 10 min in line and write himself a check at the cashier's every time? Can you even do that anymore, without using your ATM card and PIN to verify your identity?

And are people ever on the hook for fraud? I get that debit/credit cards have problems, but I don't see why any individual person would stop using them. Is anyone ever not reimbursed for fraud?

Occasional fraud is like the occasional car accident -- sometimes somebody will hit your car, and you'll have to file an insurance claim, and it might take a few weeks to resolve. Sure it's annoying, but that doesn't mean you decide never to drive a car again.

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I don't have an ATM card either, and it's not that bad. Yes, there's maybe a 5 minute wait to speak to a teller on occasion, but all it takes is a photo ID (and sometimes my bank issued credit card, depending on what I'm doing with the funds) to access my money. And I go to the bank to get cash maybe a few times a year, pull out a grand or two, and keep it in a safe at home until I need it (going every week or two would be lame).

You're right that fraud is going to happen, it's part of life. The difference is, when you use a credit card, your money hasn't gone anywhere. If it's a debit card, that money is no longer in your account until (if?) the fraud gets resolved. I know first hand how much of a pain it can be to lose thousands of dollars for a few weeks while things get sorted out, which is why I switched to credit cards. That, and the free money they pay me. Mmmm, delicious free money...

> Um... how does he get cash out of the bank then? Does he wait 10 min in line and write himself a check at the cashier's every time? Can you even do that anymore, without using your ATM card and PIN to verify your identity?

I go to the credit union around the corner from my office, most of the time is spent walking to and from the CU. The line never takes more than 3 minutes. Usually there's no one in line.

My bank is essentially only online, no offices, certainly not just around the corner (I think the closest is >100 miles away). What then?

Many options:

1) Paypal check (can be used directly at Walmart and other places).

2) Pay-online-&-pick-in-store services.

3) Online buying; Amazon, ebay, etc.

4) Online groceries: Safeway, Walmart and others have this service.

5) You can buy a prepaid credit card so they can't steal more than the amount you charge in it but still can use it in ATMs and stores.

Get a new bank? Only transfer money into the debit account when you're going to withdraw that amount right then? Or don't use cash if you can avoid it?

> Um... how does he get cash out of the bank then?

Perhaps he meant "random" ATM machines at gas stations, in the mall, or wherever and instead only uses the ATM at his bank's branch. Which hopefully is more closely monitored since they are attached to or inside the building

That being said, I withdraw cash maybe twice a year. If you aren't getting credit card rewards, you are doing it wrong :)

Almost all the banks in my area have drive-thru lanes. You can drive in, write a check made out to "Cash", send it through the pneumatic tube with your ID, and get your cash. It's nearly as fast as an ATM.

I use cashback on discover card. Lets you take extra cash when you checkout at participating stores (grocery). No extra charges. I rarely use my ATM card.

I can't speak for him, but I haven't had to take cash out of an ATM in years. The last time I used an ATM, a few months ago, was merely to ensure that my card still worked. It turned out that it had expired a year before and I hadn't noticed.

I just don't spend cash that often. I used cards for almost everything. A little bit goes a long way like that.

I use CC whenever I can or iPhone Passbook for Starbucks, etc. but many places will not take CC for purchases less than $10, eg to buy a coffee or a muffin in the morning at some smaller non-chain shop. Often I get cash at grocery store debit with cash back and don't use the ATMs.

Requiring a minimum charge is barred by the merchant's contract with the credit card company. By that contract, they are not permitted to do so.

Most people don't know this. I usually just leave the items I was going to buy on the counter if they tell me there's a minimum. Most of the time they'll change their mind and take my card, after first trying to slap me with a $0.50 surcharge that I decline.

No longer true in the US: http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus78-new-rules-electr...

"A PCN cannot stop you from setting a minimum dollar amount for accepting credit cards for payment as long as the minimum is the same for all credit card issuers and PCNs, and isn't more than $10.

What's new about that? PCNs sometimes prohibited merchants from refusing to accept a credit card as payment if the customer's purchase didn't exceed a certain amount. For example, if you accepted credit cards at all, the PCNs or banks might have said you had to accept a credit card for even the most minimal purchases"

Yea, I use cash whenever possible.

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