How do you feel about pay at the table?
 

It's pretty common outside the US (where they bring a machine to your table and run your cards) but I haven't seen it in the US yet. A couple places try to do the tablet at the table thing though and that concept seems fine to me. However, a common complaint I've heard about waitstaff bringing the card machine is that it feels weird to have someone standing over your table while they process your payment. Thoughts?

How do you feel about pay at the table?
 

It's common in most other countries that use the chip and pin system, since the terminal has to be handed to the cardholder for him/her to punch in his pin.

Yep, though it's possible that those won't come here in large numbers because the US is chip and signature. The thread is mostly to see how people feel about pay at the table as a concept in general; is it something that American FTers are okay with in general or is there a preference for letting the waiter/waitress take cards away? Are there non-American FTers who hate the portable card machines, even?

With my chip and pin cards all the restaurant staff look the other way and wait until I am done. With my US signature cards they just leave the paper for me to sign. Aside from the physical presence albeit not starring at me, I don't find a difference between the two. Actually, until this thread I never gave it much thought.

H

This thread seems to be more about whether the credit card leaves your sight or not.

In terms of paying at the table, I find it much more comfortable than paying the bill at a cashier near the door.

If I'm hosting an important business dinner and wish to make a good impression, I'll discretely leave the table to settle the bill or even arrange this in advance with the restaurant, and expect them to get it right or else.

How do you feel about pay at the table?
 

This is standard in Europe thanks to chip and PIN and the use of mobile terminals. It's good because the card never leaves your sight.

You guys will get used to it. :p

How do you feel about pay at the table?
 

This is one of the things i really like when traveling. i wish we (usa) would switch to this, but i don't see it happening on a broad scale anytime soon. However, the Chili's by me does have machines on the tables so you can pay the bill on your own when you are ready.

Our Chili's has the system too. I quite like it just for the convenience (not really worried about card security). You can also order dessert if you want it.

Certainly in the UK, I'd think something dubious was going on if my credit card disappeared during payment. However, I've no objection to a cashier by the exit for settling up, particularly in restaurants with lower staffing levels. That wait between receiving the bill and settling can be incredibly irritating, particularly if one of the chip+pin machines runs out of battery.

Actually, there's a restaurant I go to sometimes in Copenhagen which takes this to an extreme. Restaurants in Denmark tend to have absolutely minimal waiting staff (people don't come cheap over there), and this particular one gives you a smart card as you enter. You then seat yourself, and order directly from the bar or one of the chefs at different stations round the open kitchen. It all goes on the card.

At the end of the evening, you pay on the way out - your choice if it's all paid by one person, or split however you want.

Vapiano perhaps? It's a German-owned chain that has good Italian food. They do the card and station model.

Agree it really doesn't have anything to do with security, but as you said the convenience is nice (re-order drinks also)...and i suppose it does have the added benefit of your card not disappearing, even if that isn't the main reason it was implemented.

How do you feel about pay at the table?
 

As a Canadian I don't know anything else. I guess this doesn't happen in the US...?

It's like the metric system, why aren't you there yet? We're all waiting!

I agree. I've had my card cloned twice in the last 5 years. Both after trips to the US and both times the cloned card was used in the US. As the only times the card was out of my sight was in restaurants I'm sure that's when it happened.

Sadly, I agree. It probably would be different if banks didn't decide to go chip and signature but now that they have, there's not really any sort of justification for most places to spend the additional money on the portable card terminals. For the few foreign cards that come in, they can just walk those cardholders to the staff station to enter the PIN (or possibly reject the card altogether and ask for another form of payment, but that's against Visa/MC rules).

Tourist areas might get those terminals though because that would be a lot of people to have to walk to the staff stations. The larger chains too, but they'd use those table side tablets to reduce staff costs more than anything else.

We will be moving to chip and pin soon enough. I expect to see this more in the US. Personally I am all for it - I never liked the idea of just handing out my card and letting someone take it for a while. One of the reasons why credit card theft is high in this country. We are trying to catch up!

Metric, on the other hand, that is a different issue.