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So, for reference, I'm a guy who has multiple cards. I have two debit cards and a credit card. The credit card is a credit card (and I mostly use it for compa

So, for reference, I'm a guy who has multiple cards. I have two debit cards and a credit card. The credit card is a credit card (and I mostly use it for company purchases that get reimbursed). The two debit cards correspond to two different checking accounts. I have a "main" checking account that my check gets deposited into, and another account that I use for, mainly, online purchases or recurring subscriptions like netflix or anything where I am worried about card security. I transfer money into the account, then make the purchase, never leaving more than a hundred bucks or so floating in the account. That way, I limit my own pain in the event that someone gets hacked or my card gets leaked online - I'd much rather not be able to pay netflix than not be able to pay rent. At one point, I also had a home depot card when my wife and I were fixing up our house in preparation to sell it. I have a wallet that functions effectively as my phone case and wallet in one, and reducing the number of cards I have to carry around to - potentially - drivers' license, one payment card, and clipper card would be fantastic.

talmand 9y ago
If you use your main card at a major retail store it has just as much chance of being involved in a hacking incident as the online card.
reubensutton 9y ago
On the London transport network you've been able to pay at the barriers with a contactless credit card in the same way as you would use an Oyster card for a couple of years now. It's weird that other transport networks haven't adopted it yet
- jahnu 9y ago
  Such a system has been in use in Singapore for more than 15 years. Vienna does away with all of this fuss by simply doing random checks, issuing on the spot fines for fare evaders, and not having to manage the expense of turnstiles etc.
  - srssays 9y ago
    How do you pay for tickets in Vienna then? I kind of like the barriers, if you are on the station platform, then you have definitely paid. For me, the stations that don't have barriers are more stressful, as you run the risk of forgetting to tap your card (or the tap not registering) and incurring a maximum fare.
    - thaumasiotes 9y ago
      Maximum fare?? The fine for fare evasion should be well above the maximum fare.
      - pacaro 9y ago
        Or, looking at it from a different perspective, the fine is maximum fare by definition. Then you can pay the posted fare or decide whether the expected fare based on fine x probability of capture
      - robjan 9y ago
        In London, the barriers automatically charge the maximum fare if you forget to touch in or out of the system. It helps because you can jump the barrier to get into the system but you never know if ticket inspectors/security will be present at the station where you plan on alighting. The penalty for being caught jumping the barrier is significantly higher.
        thaumasiotes 9y ago
        Caltrain (the heavily dysfunctional system serving a minor portion of the San Francisco Bay Area) is similar, but a little less convenient -- Tag in and forget to tag out, you pay the maximum fare. Forget to tag in, hope you don't get checked. There is no option to tag out without having tagged in. (Although I've seen this happen to someone, and he was just given a warning.) Get checked without having tagged in, pay $400, which is about 30 times the maximum fare.
      - MandieD 9y ago
- richev 9y ago
  It's being trialed in Sydney http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-new-opal-commuters-to-trial-swiping-of-credit-cards-to-pay-for-trips-20160415-go7o5e.html http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-new-opal-commuters-to-trial-sw...
- tacomonstrous 9y ago
  That's how it works in Chicago.
slavik81 9y ago
It's a good idea to carry a couple cards. About a decade ago, I took a sudden flight to a small airport in Colorado due to an emergency at work. When I arrived, I had nothing but a Visa, and a few dollars Canadian. I was frustrated to find that I couldn't get food or call my work, because Visa wasn't accepted anywhere. The highlight was trying to make a call on a payphone and talking to the operator. When I asked if I could use my credit card to make a call, she listed off MasterCard and a half-dozen credit cards I'd never heard of. "How about Visa?" "No, sorry." I will forever remember the janitor for lending me his cell phone and getting me out of that mess. After that, I made sure I carried multiple cards.
- bigiain 9y ago
  This. I ride not-particularly-reliable motorcycles. My personal philosophy is to always have access via at least two different financial institutions and their computer networks to sufficient debit/credit funds to get myself and a possibly broken bike home from the most remote place I could possibly end up on a trip. (I did once end up having a tremendously fun weekend in Melbourne thanks to a broken down bike and a weekend long outage of my then only bank's ATM network - but it would have been even more fun with more than the cash in my pocket and relying on friends for somewhere to sleep until a branch opened on Monday morning...)

talmand 9y ago

If you use your main card at a major retail store it has just as much chance of being involved in a hacking incident as the online card.

reubensutton 9y ago

On the London transport network you've been able to pay at the barriers with a contactless credit card in the same way as you would use an Oyster card for a couple of years now. It's weird that other transport networks haven't adopted it yet

jahnu 9y ago
Such a system has been in use in Singapore for more than 15 years. Vienna does away with all of this fuss by simply doing random checks, issuing on the spot fines for fare evaders, and not having to manage the expense of turnstiles etc.
- srssays 9y ago
  How do you pay for tickets in Vienna then? I kind of like the barriers, if you are on the station platform, then you have definitely paid. For me, the stations that don't have barriers are more stressful, as you run the risk of forgetting to tap your card (or the tap not registering) and incurring a maximum fare.
  - thaumasiotes 9y ago
    Maximum fare?? The fine for fare evasion should be well above the maximum fare.
    - pacaro 9y ago
      Or, looking at it from a different perspective, the fine is maximum fare by definition. Then you can pay the posted fare or decide whether the expected fare based on fine x probability of capture
    - robjan 9y ago
      In London, the barriers automatically charge the maximum fare if you forget to touch in or out of the system. It helps because you can jump the barrier to get into the system but you never know if ticket inspectors/security will be present at the station where you plan on alighting. The penalty for being caught jumping the barrier is significantly higher.
      - thaumasiotes 9y ago
        Caltrain (the heavily dysfunctional system serving a minor portion of the San Francisco Bay Area) is similar, but a little less convenient -- Tag in and forget to tag out, you pay the maximum fare. Forget to tag in, hope you don't get checked. There is no option to tag out without having tagged in. (Although I've seen this happen to someone, and he was just given a warning.) Get checked without having tagged in, pay $400, which is about 30 times the maximum fare.
    - MandieD 9y ago
richev 9y ago
It's being trialed in Sydney http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-new-opal-commuters-to-trial-swiping-of-credit-cards-to-pay-for-trips-20160415-go7o5e.html http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-new-opal-commuters-to-trial-sw...
tacomonstrous 9y ago
That's how it works in Chicago.

slavik81 9y ago

It's a good idea to carry a couple cards. About a decade ago, I took a sudden flight to a small airport in Colorado due to an emergency at work. When I arrived, I had nothing but a Visa, and a few dollars Canadian. I was frustrated to find that I couldn't get food or call my work, because Visa wasn't accepted anywhere. The highlight was trying to make a call on a payphone and talking to the operator. When I asked if I could use my credit card to make a call, she listed off MasterCard and a half-dozen credit cards I'd never heard of. "How about Visa?" "No, sorry." I will forever remember the janitor for lending me his cell phone and getting me out of that mess. After that, I made sure I carried multiple cards.

bigiain 9y ago
This. I ride not-particularly-reliable motorcycles. My personal philosophy is to always have access via at least two different financial institutions and their computer networks to sufficient debit/credit funds to get myself and a possibly broken bike home from the most remote place I could possibly end up on a trip. (I did once end up having a tremendously fun weekend in Melbourne thanks to a broken down bike and a weekend long outage of my then only bank's ATM network - but it would have been even more fun with more than the cash in my pocket and relying on friends for somewhere to sleep until a branch opened on Monday morning...)