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None of this is comparable lock-in. You could buy checks from hundreds of different vendors and none had any lock-in on you. You could use a different vendor ea
by jjav 7mo ago
None of this is comparable lock-in. You could buy checks from hundreds of different vendors and none had any lock-in on you. You could use a different vendor each time if you wanted. By certain type of card I assume credit cards, which can also be had from thousands of different banks.
Also, credit cards are free to get and checks cost a few pennies.
Not remotely comparable to being forced to buy a phone to get to a game.
- ryandrake 7mo agoEvery bank and credit union I've banked with provides free checks, a free debit card, and no fees for ATM cash withdrawals. If my bank gave me a free smartphone, I might be OK with using it for commerce. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if I have a strong opinion on that one.
- crazygringo 7mo agoPlenty of people can't get credit cards. Plenty of people can't even get bank accounts. It's absolutely comparable lock-in.
- jjav 7mo agoWhile acknowledging the frustration of someone who can't (always support cash, the ultimate zero-lock-in solution!), it is disingenious to call them comparable. Bank accounts and credit cards can be had for free, and if you can't get one from one place there are literally thousands of other places to try. (Also I'm not sure how one can't get some bank account? I grew up very poor and still had a bank account in my teens. Credit cards, indeed, can be much more difficult. But these days pre-paid cards exist which is a way in.) In contrast, there are only two choices for phone platforms and neither is cheap and both require a recurring nontrivial monthly expense. So no, not at all comparable.
- crazygringo 7mo agoBack accounts require social security numbers or equivalents often. I've lived abroad and had an impossible time opening a bank account. Credit cards require things like proof of income, a certain credit score, etc. A cheap Android and a cheap MVNO plan costs almost nothing, the equivalent of about 3 hours of minimum wage per month.
- 9rx 7mo ago> You could buy checks from hundreds of different vendors Likewise, last time I was at the mall there were dozens of smartphone vendors in that one place alone. > Also, credit cards are free to get and checks cost a few pennies. There are plenty of zero-down smartphones available too. Nothing is free, of course. > Not remotely comparable to being forced to buy a phone to get to a game. Nobody was talking about comparisons, but if you really find it necessary to take us off-topic, Ferrari has long required you to first buy lower-end Ferraris if you want to buy higher-end Ferraris. That predates smartphones as well. Rolex, Hermès, etc. have all done similar things. Needing to buy things in order to buy other things is nothing usual in the world of luxury items.