What do you do if a place doesn't accept credit cards?

[Platinum]

Fingerprint Scanners will be integrated into the all transaction devices. We will even vote electronically (by using our own device) and what not.

[Gunnar419]

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@Platinum wrote:

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@Gunnar419 wrote:

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@Platinum wrote:

Prediction:

Some day in the future the cash will be discontinued as a legal tender. All transactions will be electronic, safe and transparent so that no one is able to cheat any more.

Just my prediction.  

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I also expect that will happen. I just disagree that eliminating cash will make us more SAFE. Ask anybody who recently shopped at Target about that or ask any of the millions who've had their data stolen through hacks or some corporate or government idiot losing track of a laptop computer or an old hard drive.

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The technology will advance. All electronic transactions will be safe in the future.

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You say that ON FAITH, not evidence.

Technology will advance. So will the technology of cracking and spying. Human nature (including stupidity and carelessness) will not advance. It will always be there.

[Gunnar419]

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@Platinum wrote:

Fingerprint Scanners will be integrated into the all transaction devices. We will even vote electronically (by using our own device) and what not.

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Fingerprint scanners can ALREADY be spoofed, and very easily in fact.

OF COURSE we'll do interesting things with technology in the future, but so will information thieves.

[Platinum]

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@Gunnar419 wrote:

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@Platinum wrote:

Fingerprint Scanners will be integrated into the all transaction devices. We will even vote electronically (by using our own device) and what not.

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Fingerprint scanners can ALREADY be spoofed, and very easily in fact.

OF COURSE we'll do interesting things with technology in the future, but so will information thieves.

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True on fingerprint scanners.

Maybe IRIS SCANNERS will work better. And yes, thieves will always exist. But I still beleive that non-thieves will be safer in the future because of the advanced technology.  

[enharu]

@platinum, fake cash is often a lot easier to detect than fake cards. Plus, it's a lot more work and much harder for one to actually forge currency notes.

On the other hand, anyone who picks up a random credit card on the street, or stole one, can use it. Some customers would even file chargebacks on the pretense the card was stolen simply because they had a bad dining experience.

In both scenarios, the merchant is screwed. But not every tom, dick, or Harry can become a counterfeiter just because he wants to.

And fingerprint / iris / other biometric scanners are just too intrusive. If your SSN is stolen, you can have it replaced. On the other hand, you cannot replace your biometric info if some hacker is to get their hands on it.

[enharu]

To add:

@platinum, nothing is unhackable. Certain companies have once claimed their software / platform were unhackable, and all it did was to invite droves of hackers to prove those companies wrong, and they did. Just ask the NSA as well about how they managed to hack into different encrypted communication lines and servers throughout the world.

Technology development can help minimize such risks, but it's never going to eliminate it.

[Platinum]

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@enharu wrote:
@Platinum, fake cash is often a lot easier to detect than fake cards. Plus, it's a lot more work and much harder for one to actually forge currency notes.

On the other hand, anyone who picks up a random credit card on the street, or stole one, can use it. Some customers would even file chargebacks on the pretense the card was stolen simply because they had a bad dining experience.

In both scenarios, the merchant is screwed. But not every tom, dick, or Harry can become a counterfeiter just because he wants to.

And fingerprint / iris / other biometric scanners are just too intrusive. If your SSN is stolen, you can have it replaced. On the other hand, you cannot replace your biometric info if some hacker is to get their hands on it.

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In order to gain access via Iris Scanner you will need real eyes. Hackers getting their hands on your biometric info are powerless here.

[enharu]

@platinum, your assumption is only true if such scanners are unhackable or cannot be spoofed.

People sell fingerprints info overseas the same way as credit cards and SSN info are sold. They can open up loan accounts with stolen identities, which one would assume identity thieves should have been powerless, since they couldn't physically produce those fingers.

[blondy250]

I have a hard time thinking of a place that doesn't take CC (Peter Lugers steakhouse cash only), in fact 95% of the places I frequent take AMEX. I'd definitely stay away from anyplace that didn't take CC, unless it was some fantastic restaurant.

[Platinum]

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enharu wrote:
@platinum, your assumption is only true if such scanners are unhackable or cannot be spoofed.

People sell fingerprints info overseas the same way as credit cards and SSN info are sold. They can open up loan accounts with stolen identities, which one would assume identity thieves should have been powerless, since they couldn't physically produce those fingers.

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True. I agree with you enharu. These futuristic scanners will work extremely well and give us peace of mind only if they become unhackable. I beleive they will.  

Nice discussion here. OP sorry for going off topic partially.