Originally Posted by
pinniped
* Because statistically, that's close enough to a correct assumption that it doesn't make sense to invest in more elegant technological solutions. Almost 100% of their business is from Americans. The manual workarounds are good enough for border towns, stations near international airport rental car facilities, etc.
* To be honest, they don't particularly care, but they always will sell you gas. They can almost always scan your card inside, pre-authorize for $75 or $100, and enable your pump. (I've never had them ask for a pile of cash when I've had to do this.)
* No one. Nothing really to be angry about... Really???
* The machines are nearing ubiquity, although I've noticed that there are a lot that will ask my ZIP Code for Amex but not Visa/MC.
* Lots of good advice in this thread...I'd always heard 00000 worked.
* Don't know...
Americans run into this exact situation in other parts of the world where Chip & PIN is the standard. Train station kiosks are a prime example. Some stations have a guy who will sell you a ticket manually, some don't. At least most major gas station chains are open 24 hours a day with someone available to process your card manually.
Thanks,
pinniped....
'Bout time somebody introduced some common sense into the discourse. Although we in the US are not really playing "tit for tat" with those dastardly "chippers and pinners" across the waters, I have noticed the inconvenience of my US cards not working at some Uropean automated vending devices.
The "inside the store swipe" may be inconvenient to traveling Canadians, wandering Zipcodeless about the US, but even we, Zipcodes and all, may encounter similar a**backward" inconvenience in our travels here.
Last week, I had to fill up in the tiny hamlet of New Ulm, Texas, one ancient "station" and domino parlor, two old style "no card at all" pumps, where I had to leave my CC in the hands of the teenage clerk, while I filled my monstrous SUV's maw, ever a'gape for gas. At least I didn't have to hand pump gas up into an old glass cylinder a'top the pump..... (And I didn't need to ask for the key to the "restroom" out back. There was no door.)