4 ms·

Coming from Canada: my last experience with the stripe, >3-4 years ago, was more like: pull out the card. Swipe it (it doesn't work), Swipe it (it doesn't work)

by wcarss 5y ago

Coming from Canada: my last experience with the stripe, >3-4 years ago, was more like: pull out the card. Swipe it (it doesn't work), Swipe it (it doesn't work), Swipe it slowly (it doesn't work), wrap a garbage bag around it and Swipe it slowly (it doesn't work), Swipe it one last time -- hey, it works! Then, physically sign my name on some piece of paper with a gross pen they had lying around. vs my last 100 contactless payments: pull out the card, tap. Almost instant happy beep. I once actually got stuck at La Guardia because of the chip/stripe divide. I hadn't thought to get enough US cash out in advance, and all I had was my Canadian CC and Debit cards. I'd used nothing but the chip on the CC for > a year and didn't realize the magnetic stripe was completely worn off! I tried several money-changers and ATMs there, and even called my bank -- no options at all. I finally found $5 CAD in my backpack and changed it to USD for bus fare, then caught a local bus to a nearby actual bank, where they were finally able to use my ID and the card number to authorize an advance. It was a heck of a day.

kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
The stripes used to be embedded in the plastic and much more durable. Now we get cruddy surface printed stripes that aren't a reliable backup.
koolba 5y ago
> ... wrap a garbage bag around it and Swipe it slowly (it doesn't work), ... Garbage bag? You mean one of those paper thin plastic bags that many big cities in the USA have all but banned? Does that actually help with the mag strip being read or was that a joke regarding the cards being complete garbage?
- Spare_account 5y ago
  It's a real-world solution that is widely-known but not widely understood. https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ycw61/eli5_why_does_putting_a_plastic_bag_or_receipt/cfjckl8/ https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ycw61/e... No idea if this explanation is legit, but I can anecdotally confirm that the trick has permitted a purchase in one case in my own direct experience.
Denatonium 5y ago
Some US chip-enabled ATMs still insist on reading the magstripe first, and then tell you to reinsert if the card tells it that it's a chip card. If the ATM doesn't swallow your card, you can often swipe ANY chip-enabled card and then insert your preferred card when it tells you to reinsert.

by wcarss 5y ago

kevin_thibedeau 5y ago

The stripes used to be embedded in the plastic and much more durable. Now we get cruddy surface printed stripes that aren't a reliable backup.

koolba 5y ago

> ... wrap a garbage bag around it and Swipe it slowly (it doesn't work), ... Garbage bag? You mean one of those paper thin plastic bags that many big cities in the USA have all but banned? Does that actually help with the mag strip being read or was that a joke regarding the cards being complete garbage?

Spare_account 5y ago
It's a real-world solution that is widely-known but not widely understood. https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ycw61/eli5_why_does_putting_a_plastic_bag_or_receipt/cfjckl8/ https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ycw61/e... No idea if this explanation is legit, but I can anecdotally confirm that the trick has permitted a purchase in one case in my own direct experience.

Denatonium 5y ago

Some US chip-enabled ATMs still insist on reading the magstripe first, and then tell you to reinsert if the card tells it that it's a chip card. If the ATM doesn't swallow your card, you can often swipe ANY chip-enabled card and then insert your preferred card when it tells you to reinsert.