Greggs: can't process debit cards?

[Dr Lobster*]

we decided to pop into a greggs the bakers "restaurant" to ingest a popular savory snack on the way home - however, after a long wait in the queue (and after our food had been prepared) we were informed that the store was didn't take debit/credit cards (we had no other means to pay).

is this the same in all greggs? i find it hard to believe that perhaps the biggest chain of bakers in the country doesn't process debit cards.

i don't know about you, but i never carry any more than a couple of quid in change around with me (unless i have a specific reason), i pay for almost everything with plastic because it's easier. i can understand them having a minimum transaction value for cards (like you can't pay for a 80p bag of rolls on your card), but when you go in for a bite to eat with 3 or 4 people with drinks that's going to be 15-20 quid.

anyway, i left the food and had this instead:



yummy yummy. loads better than a jacket potato.

[marksi]

That's a big sausage.

I noticed today that there is a sign as you enter the Victoria Square car park in Belfast (that charges £2.20 per hour) that from the 1st November they will no longer accept UK Maestro as a means of payment. Seems very odd to start rejecting the most common means of card payment.

[Pete]

That's a big sausage.

I noticed today that there is a sign as you enter the Victoria Square car park in Belfast (that charges £2.20 per hour) that from the 1st November they will no longer accept UK Maestro as a means of payment. Seems very odd to start rejecting the most common means of card payment.

Loads of online places stopped accepting Maestro when they implemented a thing called 3D secure (one of those stupid double password shite things). Perhaps they've been causing trouble elsewhere too. I note several former maestro banks have moved over to Visa Debit for their debit cards recently.

[Jovis]

Visa Debit? That has 3D thingy too.

[steddenm]

Visa Debit uses Visa SecureCode, like MasterCard.

Am suprised Amex don't have anything like this.

Oh and the reason a lot of places aren't accepting Maestro (UK) anymore is because it's slowing re-branding as MasterCard Debit.

[DVB Cornwall]

I doubt UK Maestro will last much longer ... virtually all banks have switched to VISA Debit now.

As for Greggs, All local bakers (even those with small cafes) don't accept cards in Cornwall.

[marksi]

Visa Debit uses Visa SecureCode, like MasterCard.

Am suprised Amex don't have anything like this.

Oh and the reason a lot of places aren't accepting Maestro (UK) anymore is because it's slowing re-branding as MasterCard Debit.

I don't believe that. A "rebrand" would not be the cause of companies refusing to accept a card. After all, if they're just rebranding then the cards and systems are the same after as before. (And isn't it only a short time since Switch became Maestro?)

I hate SecureCode. With a passion. Presumably in 6 months it won't be secure enough either and we'll need to enter the 3 digit "security" number on the back of the card, the valid to and from dates, the SecureCode password and something else. Then another password.

Why don't these people realise that if they make systems so complex that people have to write down the passwords then it is inherently less secure than if they didn't have to write them down? Or do they not care and are simply in the business of covering their own arses?

"Well I'm sorry that your account has been hacked but we're not responsible as you wrote down the 23-character password (which must contain upper and lower-case letters and at least 3 non-sequential numbers which may not be your date of birth)".

[Pete]

Those three numbers on the back are a waste of time too. The card companies clearly can't be arsed to come p with a good system so instead are just trying to shift fraud on to retailers by these half arsed measures.

Also whilst visa debit *can* use SecureCode, the issue with Maestro was they were making it mandatory for retailers, hence even Google Checkout dumping it.

Cafe Nero is another place that doesn't do cards. Bloody annoying it is, worse than those annoying shops that give minimum spends. Take the bloody hit and you'll get more custom, it's not as if cash itself is free to deal with given the hassle and charges involves with that too. Idiots.

[Nick Harvey]

All local bakers (even those with small cafes) don't accept cards in Cornwall.

Same in Wiltshire. The local chain, Reeve, don't accept cards either.

[cwathen]

I hate SecureCode. With a passion. Presumably in 6 months it won't be secure enough either and we'll need to enter the 3 digit "security" number on the back of the card, the valid to and from dates, the SecureCode password and something else. Then another password.

I hate SecureCode and it's ilk because apart from the added inconvenience (which shouldn't be discounted - online shopping is supposed to be quick and easy, not something which forces you to jump through an ever growing series of hoops and criteria just to buy something), to me being forced to type your personal details into some popup from an external site is a security risk waiting to happen.

If you're entering your card details into a reputable website which you have directly accessed, over a secure connection using a computer which you also trust to be secure then that surely is all the security you need.

Frankly, I feel very uneasy about being forced to use this 'extra security' and opted out of it for as long as possible - I have no way of knowing where that popup has come from, and whether it's the genuine card validation system or whether I'm inadvertantly giving my personal details to some third party.

[DVB Cornwall]

One company I use lets you control access to Secure Code, if the card used doesn't use the system the transaction is processed as it used to be. If however the card does need it the RETAILER advises the customer that it is required and then on their site offers the link to Secure Code. Automatic transfer is specifically (deliberately) not implemented. The decision to access it is then with the customer. It's up to the customer then as they can try an alternative card if they want to.