# Why don't vending machines take credit/debit cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303 "2005-02-22T05:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/21 "2005-02-22T17:46:43Z")
Uh, about half the hotels I’ve been to in the past year have had vending machines that take credit cards. In and out, just like at the gas pumps. Of course, you’re paying US$1.50 for a pack of crisps, and US$2.00 for a bottle of sodie-pop; that’s the price of convenience. Normally, I just go down to the A&P and get a baugette, a stick of salami, some cheese, and a bottle of wine if I don’t feel like going out, but to each his or her own. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/22 "2005-02-22T19:10:24Z")
> [@The Mermaid](#): > > The obvious question is why didn’t you explain to someone that you were hungry and needed to take ten minutes to go grab some food? They would have simply took the next person in line and called you when you returned. > > Unless you weren’t supposed to be eating, then I’d say “I’m sorry you are hungry but you can eat when the testing is complete”. > > Or you could have eaten before you went. To be honest, I felt so guilty/stupid about the reason I was there in the first place that there was NO WAY I was going to ask that the staff wait around while I ducked out for a snack. I can be a little Catholic about these things sometimes, that, you know, since it was totally my fault I was there in the first place, I was going to be polite and try to inconvenience them as little as possible. > [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > **Tracy Lord** , a little thought before-hand would’ve saved you the entire exercise. Yeah, that’s what the nurse said, too. :smack: > [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Auburn University had them as far back as the mid '90s. My student ID card had a magnetic stripe on the back that I could use to make purchases with at the University bookstore, the cafeterias, and the on campus vending machines. The charges would then appear on my bursar’s bill. However, AU was an early adopter of this kind of technology, high speed internet connections were everywhere around campus before most people even knew what they were, and the vending machines would only take the ID cards, not regular credit cards. I’m mildly suprised I’ve only seen the vending technology in a few places since I graduated, but most places aren’t going to have both the IT infrastructure and the food service capability of a major university. SOU has the same technology, which is part of the reason why I was so…irrationally surprised/shocked. “What do you _mean_ I can’t swipe this and get some food? It works in the dorms! _Come on!_” But I think that might be the same idea as the “chip” discussed in the thread above, where a set amount of funds is placed on the card and the machines withdraw from that. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/23 "2005-02-22T19:42:21Z")
For fucks sake, can’t people just carry cash around? I know how much you love using your cards and checks even if you’re buying a 99 cent box of tic tacs, but isn’t it wise to carry some emergency cash around just in case? I always have at least 20 bucks worth of cash on my person whenever I’m out in public, and usually some of that is in the form of one dollar bills. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/24 "2005-02-22T19:49:24Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > **kellner:** \*Several years ago a new system using a chargeable chip card was introduced here just to address that problem. It is usually simply an additional feature on the standard ATM/debit card that German banks issue, but specialized cards are available as well. \* > > Yup, they have those “chip cards” here in the Netherlands as well: I had never seen them till I moved here last fall. AFAICT, they are so convenient (for the vendor) because they don’t require a vending machine to communicate with any network. They had them in the AT&T factories in the Netherlands and Madrid back in 1994 when I visited. They are great - not only do they let you charge your coffee, they remember the way you like it, so you don’t have to press five buttons. (And the coffee was a hell of a lot better from these machines than any I’ve ever had in the US, but that’s another story.) My id badge at work is a smart card, and lets me log into our thin clients easily. They were supposed to work in vending machines also, but I haven’t seen any yet. The credit card companies have been playing around with smart cards for ages, but still nothing. We’re so primitive in the US. ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/25 "2005-02-22T19:51:29Z")
> [@Kid\_A](#): > > I’m surprised that with the popularity of debit/credit that something like this hasn’t come onto the market yet. Not everywhere; just in situations where people are unlikely to have cash on them and would like a snack. i.e. Hospitals, Universities at 3:30 in the morning. Here at the University of Idaho, most of the vending machines are fitted with a card reader, so you can swipe your student ID card and pay for your Snickers bar with your meal-plan money. Unfortunately, they’re out of service half the time so you have to use cash anyway. ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/26 "2005-02-22T19:59:54Z")
University of Houston also has the vending machines you can swipe with a Student ID to purchase drinks or snacks… I think you recharge them online; not sure how it works but I saw them when I’ve been up there with the bf. Personally I never carry cash because it seems to have magical ways of disappearing. In case of an emergency I’ve never been able to NOT at least find an ATM; those concerns might have been valid ten years ago but even most fast food places accept some kind of plastic now. When I never have cash on me, it makes me think twice about buying something, and also keeps me from getting things I don’t need to eat out of vending machines, like powdered-sugar donuts and Doritos. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/27 "2005-02-22T20:02:56Z")
Sea-Tac airport has vending machines that take credit cards, and so does the ferry I take to work each morning. I recall that the machines that do this have a stubby antenna pod on the top. No idea whether they are connected all the time, although that seems kind of excessive. Daily polling should do the trick. There are many generations of vending machines in use throughout the country. I suspect that having change will not go out of style real soon, but also that card-reading machines will begin to be rolled out everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/28 "2005-02-22T20:52:27Z")
> [@LeeshaJoy](#): > > Here at the University of Idaho, most of the vending machines are fitted with a card reader, so you can swipe your student ID card and pay for your Snickers bar with your meal-plan money. Unfortunately, they’re out of service half the time so you have to use cash anyway. Ditto Iowa State. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/29 "2005-02-22T23:29:08Z")
They’ve added cell phone data links to some vending machines so that they can send inventory reports back to the company that keeps the machines stocked. That way, the company can be more efficient in scheduling visits to service and restock the machines. It wouldn’t be hard to add support for credit/debit cards. The question would be if increased sales justified the cost of handling the cards. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/30 "2005-02-22T23:33:21Z")
They tried this at the university of kansas, but when the ‘smart cards’ failed **33%** of the time (I was on the student committee deciding whether or not to go with the cards) they got rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/31 "2005-02-23T00:03:46Z")
> [@Nekosoft](#): > > The Pepsi machines at the mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota all have credit card devices, and the bottles still cost $1.25. Coke is going to be rolling out machines in the future as well: > > [http://www.vendingsolutions.com/vending\_news.htm](http://www.vendingsolutions.com/vending_news.htm) Hunh. Didn’t know that, but I go to the mall once a year, maybe. Bernick’s must have a lock on the things - that’s the company that outfits SCSU with Campus Cards (same as all those other colleges). ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/32 "2005-02-23T00:16:11Z")
My lil’ university has this on our all vending machines (California State University Bakersfield). There aren’t any service fees or anything. It’s quite handy since I never carry cash. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/33 "2005-02-23T02:17:28Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > Sea-Tac airport has vending machines that take credit cards, and so does the ferry I take to work each morning. I recall that the machines that do this have a stubby antenna pod on the top. No idea whether they are connected all the time, although that seems kind of excessive. Daily polling should do the trick. Inside SEA, those might be WiFi links (there are at least 3 separate wireless networks in that airport), in which case there’d be no reason not to stay connected all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/34 "2005-02-24T00:38:30Z")
[Here](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7014409/) is a Washington Post /MSNBC story on small credit card purchases. From the article: > [@](#): > > Even American Express Co., whose cards are associated with expense accounts and luxury purchases, teamed up with PepsiCo Inc. to roll out credit card-accepting vending machines last year, mostly in casinos, malls and convention centers. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/35 "2005-02-24T02:08:26Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > They probably are in the case of the London Underground, but a live link isn’t necessarily required… > Of course there’s a slightly elevated risk with this; a newly-stolen card could still be used; someone could spend past their limit etc, but compared to the cost of maintaining a data link to land, or the cost of lost sales from refusing cards, it’s a commercial decision they chose to make. This makes a lot of sense… given the volume they deal with, the few invalid cards aren’t a problem. And thinking about it, anybody trying to _repeatedly_ use a stolen card to spend a lot of money could be picked out by CCTV easily. Re. the kind of cards where you can deposit money in advance: I also ask _why_?! Are coins really that difficult to carry around? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/36 "2005-02-24T15:18:59Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Are coins really that difficult to carry around? _::chuckle::_ You’ve never been to Britain, have you? You go tromping around London and you end up with all these damn pound coins in your pocket. It’s not like having a bunch of dollar bills in your wallet, it’s like having a bunch of Sacacheweia’s in your pocket - except they weigh twice as much! Pain in the ass. The pound is worth more than a dollar, but you will never find a one pound note. It’s a one pound _coin_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/37 "2005-02-24T16:06:51Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > To be honest, I felt so guilty/stupid about the reason I was there in the first place that there was NO WAY I was going to ask that the staff wait around while I ducked out for a snack. There is no reason to feel guilty or stupid for seeking medical care. I’d much rather deal with ten false alarms than one “I didn’t think it was anything to worry about”. In the future just figure on it taking about five times longer than you think it should and plan accordingly. Or you could take a trip to the drugstore before and save yourself a lot of hassle. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/38 "2005-02-24T16:11:48Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The pound is worth more than a dollar, but you will never find a one pound note. It’s a one pound _coin_. I think they still have them in Scotland. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303/39 "2005-02-24T16:24:09Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > _::chuckle::_ You’ve never been to Britain, have you? You go tromping around London and you end up with all these damn pound coins in your pocket. It’s not like having a bunch of dollar bills in your wallet, it’s like having a bunch of Sacacheweia’s in your pocket - except they weigh twice as much! Pain in the ass. The pound is worth more than a dollar, but you will never find a one pound note. It’s a one pound _coin_. Ummmmm…you might want to look at my location :wally [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vending-machines-take-credit-debit-cards/291303.md?page=1)