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ThatOneGuy308 t1_j2cav0q wrote

Reply to comment by biggsteve81 in ELI5: Why is it that, at some gas stations, it’s cheaper to pay with cash instead a credit card? by tgjj530

Debit cards exist, in case you were unaware. And I suppose physical checks, for the 8 merchants who still accept them these days, lol.

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biggsteve81 t1_j2cclwo wrote

I often do forget about debit cards, since I don't have one. But still those and credit cards are often safer for merchants than cash.

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ThatOneGuy308 t1_j2ckvhk wrote

Ah, I misread and thought you meant cash was unsafe for customers to carry around, lol

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biggsteve81 t1_j2dm2uk wrote

That is actually also true. The number of muggings in the US is down significantly since most people don't carry a lot of cash anymore.

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ThatOneGuy308 t1_j2dmcwe wrote

Makes sense, no real point in mugging someone for their cards when they're just going to cancel them before you get a chance to use them anyway.

I suppose at this point muggings are probably focused on jewelry or small items they could take and sell rather than direct cash, which is probably enough work that it stops a lot of muggers from bothering.

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biggsteve81 t1_j2dnuod wrote

Yep. The tradeoff is that digital crime has increased significantly, since your money can now be stolen by people anywhere in the world.

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logicaltuvok t1_j2ddv4c wrote

Debit cards are still generally authorized on the credit card network and are subject to transaction fees (Visa and MC mostly)

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ThatOneGuy308 t1_j2dh718 wrote

While this is true, the fees for debit cards are usually smaller than the fees from credit companies, so it's still preferable to credit for a lot of businesses.

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