What info do CCs give to merchants?

[Suddenlyy]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I buy gas, no matter what card I use, the kiosk asks for my Zip. Next time I buy, I'll type in a fake zip, just to see if it's mandatory information. Interesting article.

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OP, ive always wondered this information too. 

mrkite, please follow through with that and reply back here if the fake zip code worked or not!

[lg8302ch]

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@pdxmike wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I buy gas, no matter what card I use, the kiosk asks for my Zip. Next time I buy, I'll type in a fake zip, just to see if it's mandatory information. Interesting article.

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It's interesting, because online orders can use the address verification system, and even prepaid cards can require a zip code to match against, but apparently it's a privacy right in some states to refuse a zip code to a physical retailer. It would be interesting if you can enter a blank zip code field or 00000 at the gas station.

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Nope it does not work but you can have the lenders add a "fake US billing zip" and then the cards work at US gas stations even if your real billing address is out of the country

[Callandra]

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@pdxmike wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I buy gas, no matter what card I use, the kiosk asks for my Zip. Next time I buy, I'll type in a fake zip, just to see if it's mandatory information. Interesting article.

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It's interesting, because online orders can use the address verification system, and even prepaid cards can require a zip code to match against, but apparently it's a privacy right in some states to refuse a zip code to a physical retailer. It would be interesting if you can enter a blank zip code field or 00000 at the gas station.

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AVS works for US/Canada but my company does a lot of business overseas and either AVS isn't supported or it's hit-or-miss (like for the UK).

Back on topic, when I worked at Nordstrom, we had to ask for customer's zipcodes (although we could bypass it if the customer refused). Most people think it's for CC approval but in their case, it was for marketing as they could pull the name off the card when they swiped it. Gas stations you really do need to put in your proper zipcode or it'll be declined. 

[pdxmike]

I wonder why a gas station would be different? Your card is physically present and nothing's being shipped to you. Why AVS?

Edit: Oh yeah, self-serve. There's no signature or potential ID check.

[bdhu2001]

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@pdxmike wrote:

Apparently Staples and Sears provide Level 3 (items purchased) data to Amex. I'm not sure if other stores or card networks use Level 3 for everyday consumer purchases. (Airlines report it, I believe.) But I'm interested in what data is flowing the other way, from the CC to the merchant. I know if I buy things with a loyalty card, the merchant can develop a profile on me (remember the article about Target knowing a girl was pregnant before her parents did?), but what if I spread my purchases across different cards and don't provide contact info? Can they still put the puzzle pieces together and know my darkest secrets, like that I'm a freak who buys ice cream in the winter?

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Okay, being a person who previously walked in the rain to get "Thrify's" ice cream, I think freak for ice cream in the winter is a bit much.  Of course people eat ice cream in the winter.  If they didn't ice cream would be a seasonal purchase.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I buy gas, no matter what card I use, the kiosk asks for my Zip. Next time I buy, I'll type in a fake zip, just to see if it's mandatory information. Interesting article.

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It'll decline. At least it does at Chevron stations. I've fat fingered it a couple times and typed in the wrong one.

[Anonymous]

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@pdxmike wrote:

Now that I think about it, a store once gave me a refund without a receipt by having me supply the debit card I purchased it with, so they apparently keep a record of all items purchased with every card ever. Maybe their data is card-specific, but doesn't group a customer's various cards together unless they use a loyalty card, provide a zip code, or otherwise provide something more than a name to help uniquely identify them. Maybe. I mean, they can't just lump together all the Michael Smiths and Maria Garcias, but maybe Izzabella Navahasadin is being tracked.

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the credit card slips have a date, batch and transaction number you can credit from the slip without the card, advanced systems can do it from the card number (usually only if it was the last purchase on the card at that merchant) without the slip and some save everything and can tell you every item and date purchased with any given card, this is particularly true if you have a membership with the merchant.  Sephora knows every item I have ever bought and what i used for payment as well as date, store number.... but they let you return anything you bought there pretty much ever if you dont like it (plus birthday gifts and points gifts), which makes it worth it to me for them track that information.