Restaurant requesting my card to keep behind the bar.

RobM99

Never experienced this -  ever!

eskbanker

jbrassy said:

Even so, if someone carried out fraudulent transactions on your card, you can always claim it back from your bank. I've never had an issue doing this. I think people over-react to the issue of fraudulent transactions. The only fraud you really need to worry about is push-payment fraud where people ask you to transfer money to another bank account as this is irreversible. 

Personally I'd say it was the other way round!

If you knowingly hand over your card out of your possession in a restaurant and it's used for a transaction that you didn't authorise, you'd probably have significant difficulty persuading the bank that you weren't responsible, especially if it was sticking a few drinks on contactlessly (PIN-authorised use would be even harder to challenge) over and above at least one transaction that was authorised by the cardholder.

On the other hand, APP scams should be reimbursed by banks who've signed up to the voluntary CRM code (most of the majors), except where the account holder has been negligent....

born_again

Does make life interesting.
Worst ever seen. 2 customers got given each others cards. Resulting in them both claiming fraud on spending afterwards. Thankfully easily sorted when it was noticed that both their last genuine transactions were the same retailer & day, and that the reps were sat close to each other to discuss that they both had chip/pin fraud. Accounts compared & thankfully everyone saw the funny side.
Except for the retailer who got it in both ears by the customers 

MattMattMattUK

Ebe_Scrooge said:

MattMattMattUK said:

They can legally request it yes, there is no law against it. It is also entirely pointless as if you left the premises and they charged your card then that would constitute fraud.

Would it be fraud, as long as they only charged you the correct invoice amount?  Is that any different to a hotel or car hire company charging you for damage after you've left the hotel/returned the car?

But it's a very valid point that handing over the card will almost certainly breach the T&Cs of the card.

Completing a pre-authorised transaction is different to using the customers card independently. So if the restaurant pre-authorised £100, then completed that transaction for the bill of £90 that would be perfectly fine, if they used the customers contactless card to charge a £90 transaction then that would be fraud as the transaction would not be authorised by the cardholder and the card would have been presented by a third party eg. a staff member, knowingly allowing a card to be used/presented by anyone but the cardholder would be a breach of their merchant agreement. 

Marchitiello

Running a tab in a local pub (at least in and around London) by leaving your Card with them is pretty regular process for as long as I can remember  

MalMonroe

I've been asked for my card before but I said I didn't want to do that, thanks. It wasn't a problem. Nor should it be. I don't like the idea of my card being 'behind the bar'. There have been quite a few instances where my restaurant and pub bills have been incorrect (usually to my detriment) and I like to keep tabs (pun intended) on where my money's going. 

Just because they ask doesn't mean you have to comply. If that means that they don't want my business, I'm more than happy to take it elsewhere.

It's your choice, not theirs.

Martico

Pubs (where punters tend to move around) - normal if you yourself ask to open a tab.
Restaurants (where you never move from the initial table) - not normal.

Marchitiello

MalMonroe said:

I've been asked for my card before but I said I didn't want to do that, thanks. It wasn't a problem. Nor should it be. I don't like the idea of my card being 'behind the bar'. There have been quite a few instances where my restaurant and pub bills have been incorrect (usually to my detriment) and I like to keep tabs (pun intended) on where my money's going. 

Just because they ask doesn't mean you have to comply. If that means that they don't want my business, I'm more than happy to take it elsewhere.

It's your choice, not theirs.

The only choice to be made is if a tab needs to be open.

Opening a tab and leaving one card behind the counter has been the norm for at least 20 years (I remember going out on company events where we would cover few rounds of drinks through the open tab), and it was particularly the norm when Pubs had min transaction value to be able to use the card (so one or two pints was not enough, thus you would open a tab and after 2/3 rounds close it). Nowadays, you can pay with a card each rounds without minimum spend virtually everywhere, so opening a tab behind the bar would be probably only usuraio for group/corporate events or similar). 

All this talk of taking your business elsewhere when it is simply a normal request for be able to be extended credit by the Pub (customer request). If that request would not be made, then the customer could simply pay as he goes (assuming no min spend required to use a card) 

Penguin_

It's fairly common down this way but I live in a touristy place, however the majority of places use something like this What is the CardsSafe card/box storage system? so you put your card in & you get the key.

superbigal

The UK for you.  So many untrustworthy shysters.  Mainland Europe so much more relaxed about running up huge Tabs without fear of the punters doing a runner.