# Are There Vending Machines That Take Debit/Credit Cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326 "2010-12-07T20:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/1 "2010-12-07T20:28:01Z")
Obviously inspired by **[this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=588359)**. I stopped and thought about it and one of the very few reasons why I even have cash is to pay for things in the various vending machines we have at work (Gotta satisfy my junk food cravings dontcha know). If the machines took debit/credit, I’m not sure I’d need cash at all and I know plenty of people don’t need cash because they’re better at resisting the temptation offered by those cruel temptresses (vending machines, ya pervs). So, do such machines exist? If not, why not? If so, where? EDIT: And if not, what’s stopping them from being being implemented? I know the machines located on the outside of buildings would have a hard time getting the phone connection that the in-store swiping dealies require, but what about the vending machines located inside office-type buildings? Surely they could order up a phone jack to plug them into, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/2 "2010-12-07T20:29:12Z")
Yes, there are. I’ve used soda machines that took debit cards. Come to think of it, I’ve used snack machines that took debit cards, too, in a hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/3 "2010-12-07T20:55:48Z")
Absolutely. There are several at the two universities I’ve attended (standard snack/drink machines) and of course many at airports. They even have iPod vending machines at airports nowadays, and those definitely take CCs. Where have you been? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/4 "2010-12-07T20:57:00Z")
Shit, maybe I’m not paying enough attention to nonworkplace vending machines. \>\_\< ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/5 "2010-12-07T20:57:32Z")
Everything in our cafeteria takes credit cards…of course, I work for a credit card transaction processor. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/6 "2010-12-07T21:19:05Z")
The machines at my office do but don’t work half the time (connection problems). Also, they initially debit your account $5 then put the amount less your purchase back withing a couple of days. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/7 "2010-12-07T21:22:14Z")
I’ve seen drink and snack vending machines at malls around here that took plastic since at least 2003. Our university had them in the student union since at least 1994. However, these are the exceptions and not the rule. Most vending machines I see are the dollar and coin type. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/8 "2010-12-07T21:33:52Z")
The ones at my office don’t (and that’s also a reason why I carry cash), but I’ve seen vending machines that take cards at airports and hotels. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/9 "2010-12-07T22:24:50Z")
I’ve only seen two, one was at an amusement park (because who cares about interchange fees when you’re charging $5.00 for a bottled soda), and the second was (where else?) inside Visa’s headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/10 "2010-12-07T23:11:28Z")
I saw one recently, I’m trying to remember where. Vending machines with card readers aren’t common in Canada, perhaps because we have commonly-used high-value coins. Even ones with banknote readers aren’t common. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/11 "2010-12-07T23:54:24Z")
I see credit card readers on higher-value vending machines; soda machines that dispense bottles, rather than cans, or snack machines that vend meal items, not just snacks and gum. All of them around here seem to have the tap-and-pay mechanism for RFID-equipped cards. Maybe 20% of the machines at my university have them (with no real rhyme nor reason for placement), and they’ve started appearing at Wal-Marts and such, too. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/12 "2010-12-07T23:56:18Z")
The parking meters in the Sydney CBD take CCs. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/13 "2010-12-08T00:27:37Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > The parking meters in the Sydney CBD take CCs. So do the ones in Toronto. A while back there was a bit of a scandal because the machines were accepting charges without validating the card, and the parking authority decided that they could eat the losses due to the small number of cards that were affected. Of course, once the word got around, everybody started to do it, and the machines had to be updated pretty quick. > [@Student\_Driver](#): > > I see credit card readers on higher-value vending machines; soda machines that dispense bottles, rather than cans, or snack machines that vend meal items, not just snacks and gum… I remember where I saw the machine: at the Invista Centre, a four-pad hockey arena in Kingston, Ontario. It was the kind that sold sports drinks and energy drinks at $3 a pop. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/14 "2010-12-08T00:30:34Z")
I saw some at the court house when I was on Jury duty this past summer. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/15 "2010-12-08T01:15:16Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > I see credit card readers on higher-value vending machines; soda machines that dispense bottles, rather than cans, or snack machines that vend meal items, not just snacks and gum. All of them around here seem to have the tap-and-pay mechanism for RFID-equipped cards. Maybe 20% of the machines at my university have them (with no real rhyme nor reason for placement), and they’ve started appearing at Wal-Marts and such, too. Oh yeah, I’ve seen vending machines that sell really expensive things, like iPods and portable DVD players, in airports and Macy’s. They take credit cards of course. Who would want to pay for an iPod in nickels? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/16 "2010-12-08T06:31:52Z")
On the subway system here in Stockholm, you can buy snacks from the vending machines via text messaging. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/17 "2010-12-08T07:31:04Z")
Not only have I seen vending machines that take EFTPOS/Credit cards, I saw some a few years ago that you could send a text message from your mobile phone (provided you were with a specific carrier) and the purchase price would be added to your phone bill and the machine would dispense your product. Haven’t seen any of those around for a while, though, so I’m guessing they were largely experimental and that it didn’t work out. ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/18 "2010-12-08T12:00:46Z")
Every vending machine around my university campus takes debit cards, but only because they were originally modified to accept “Dining Dollars”, a program which puts money on your student id specifically for food. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/19 "2010-12-08T13:51:29Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Oh yeah, I’ve seen vending machines that sell really expensive things, like iPods and portable DVD players, in airports and Macy’s. They take credit cards of course. Who would want to pay for an iPod in nickels? I could see them being in airports, but in Macy’s? I suppose it’s a way to sell merchandise while safeguarding against in-store theft, but that seems a bit odd. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326/20 "2010-12-08T13:56:13Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > I could see them being in airports, but in Macy’s? I suppose it’s a way to sell merchandise while safeguarding against in-store theft, but that seems a bit odd. I saw such an iPod vending machine at a Macy’s in San Francisco a few years ago and though “Interesting idea”. Look at it his way: iStuff is pretty self-explanatory. If you want an iPod, you know which one you want, they cost the same everywhere (more or less), and if you want to know anything specific about it, you’ll look it up on the internet. So, instead of paying a salesguy to hang around on the offchance someone wants an iPod or whatever, they can put it in a vending machine and find something more constructive for the salesguy to do. Or maybe not have him there at all, which is less good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-vending-machines-that-take-debit-credit-cards/563326.md?page=2)