[rescue] several second lag...

[joshua d boyd]

On Sun, Aug 05, 2001 at 03:15:33PM -0400, Ken Hansen wrote:
> Get a PayPal Mac card, and use it for purchases (or a Mac card that can be
> used as a Visa - many banks offer these types of cards - called Visa Check
> cards, IIRC).
> 
> You have no excuse young man!

OK, so these visa check cards.  Every points that out.  Here is the
problem.  With a visa check card, when the money is taken out, it is
gone.  It is like someone stealing and forging one of your checks, but
easier to do.  So, when someone rips you off (happened to friends already
for really large amounts of cash) it is you that eats the loss, not the
bank, like with regular credit cards.

Now, what has recently come to my attention is that on an increasing
number of web sites, something called electronic checks can be used, where
you enter info off of a real check like rounting number, and other stuff,
and the web site can use that check without having it in their
posession.  As far as I can tell, there is nothing keeping the check out
boy at local stores from picking out a small check and using it's
information to buy large items on the web.  And I rather suspect that it
also has the same effect of you eating losses rather than banks (assuming
that you have the money in your account to cover the check).

So, in light of that, maybe it is time to break down and get a real credit
card after all.

-- 
Joshua D. Boyd