UK english /American english question. Do you "wipe" a credit card?

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Doggie

Doggie

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Finland
Helsinki, Finland
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Khoira
My fellow english speakers, please confirm my english knowledge... My girlfriend works as a receptionist at a hotel, and when she asks the customers creditcard she asks if she can "wipe" the creditcard through the scanner... (wipe is the literal translation of the finnish word which we use at this situation)

I have tried to tell her that there has to be a other word or expression for this situation, but she insists that it's correct and that "thats what all the others use too..."

To my knowledge you wipe err.. um, well atleast not your creditcard. Which one of us is right? Are you usually asked to hand over creditcard so it can be wiped through the machine?
 
I have always heard 'swipe'.

If anyone asked me if they could wipe my credit card, I'd be amused. Or maybe scared. 'Wiping the credit card' may have the connotation of 'wiping out your bank account' :lol:
 
Yeah, they "swipe" my credit card and then I "wipe" the bill clean on pay day. Or atleast keep telling myself I will.
 
Swipe.

Wipe would imply erase, as in remove the data from the magnetic stripe.
 
Swipe here aswell.....
 
Hey Doggie, where did you get that "wipe" from?
 
Don Vito
Hey Doggie, where did you get that "wipe" from?
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The finnish word used in this situation "pyyhkäistä" translates literally "wipe" ..thats where she got it. Not me :)

Thx all, swipe was the word I was looking for.
 
Sure you weren't looking for spyyhkaista?

;)
 
On some receipts, it even prints out that the card was "swiped".

On an ironic note, "swipe" is also American slang for "steal".
 
With a Finnish accent, I'm sure us American tourists will automatically think you are trying to say "swipe." Both as a habit, and non-native english speakers tend to have an accent, so we would think the s is difficult to pronounce of something like that.
 
Duke
On some receipts, it even prints out that the card was "swiped".
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The merchant gets a better rate from the clearing house for swiping a card instead of keying the number. The mag stripe includes some security information verifying the card, which is not possible to key in.
 
It's mostly chip & pin in the UK, cards rarely get swiped now.
 
Duke
On an ironic note, "swipe" is also American slang for "steal".
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Same here in the UK too..

Mark T
cards rarely get swiped now.
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They still do here in East London :sick:

I've never heard the term 'wiped' used for anything other than accidentally erased, like when you use your SnapFax as a cardholder (very bad idea).
 
They still use Shillings up in Barnsley.

I've never used my card and it being swiped.

Also Duke we get sometimes uses swipe in a steal sense. My bag got swiped. I think it's a London thing though....
 
No it's not a London thing, it's pretty national to say swiped as in "he swiped her handbag".
 
Touring Mars
Same here in the UK too..


They still do here in East London :sick:

I've never heard the term 'wiped' used for anything other than accidentally erased, like when you use your SnapFax as a cardholder (very bad idea).
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Your in the Whitechapel area aren't you? I'm from Walthamstow originally.

The only places I've seen that still swipe are petrol stations. I think if you enter your pin incorrectly they swipe your card and ask you to sign.
 
When wiping, please use something other than my credit card.
 
Mark T
I think if you enter your pin incorrectly they swipe your card and ask you to sign.
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They did when chip and pin was first introduced, however since Feb 2006 any business that uses chip and pin can't validate a card through a signature (the credit card company will not pay them).

A limited number of businesses can still use a signature, a few charity shops, small retailers, etc for example. They are getting fewer and fewer.

Info - http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/reflib/Retailer_Post_14_Feb_FINAL.PDF

Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
They did when chip and pin was first introduced, however since Feb 2006 any business that uses chip and pin can't validate a card through a signature (the credit card company will not pay them).

A limited number of businesses can still use a signature, a few charity shops, small retailers, etc for example. They are getting fewer and fewer.

Info - http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/reflib/Retailer_Post_14_Feb_FINAL.PDF

Regards

Scaff
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Except all Shell petrol stations, who haven't yet worked out how to Chip'n'Pin.

But take cash to Shell. Trust me.
 
Touring Mars
I've never heard the term 'wiped' used for anything other than accidentally erased, like when you use your SnapFax as a cardholder (very bad idea).
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So what do you do in the bathroom, with the paper and your posterior? 💡
 
there may also be some floor 'wiping' at the lan.....
 
Famine
Except all Shell petrol stations, who haven't yet worked out how to Chip'n'Pin.

But take cash to Shell. Trust me.
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In the days before chip and pin I can't honestly remember a single garage ever checking on the signature of any card I've presented; and they wonder why they have a major problem with card fraud in fuel stations.

:indiff:

Scaff
 
Scaff
In the days before chip and pin I can't honestly remember a single garage ever checking on the signature of any card I've presented; and they wonder why they have a major problem with card fraud in fuel stations.

:indiff:

Scaff
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My dad purposely altered his signature in the run up to Chip and Pin to see what the big deal was.

He wasn't questioned once despite missing letters, changing letters, and even writing a different name (though fairly similair in appearence). Scary stuff.
 
daan
So what do you do in the bathroom, with the paper and your posterior? 💡
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You could think of that as erasing . . . . . :yuck:
 
sorry to bring up this topic for a simple question but what is chip and pin.

seeing that its only in the U.K. i have no idea what you guys are talking about,
 
TEAMDiablo3
sorry to bring up this topic for a simple question but what is chip and pin.

seeing that its only in the U.K. i have no idea what you guys are talking about,
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UK AND Europe. Cards have a small chip in them which is read by a specific chip-reader, and users must input a 4-digit PIN to verify the transaction.
 
TEAMDiablo3
sorry to bring up this topic for a simple question but what is chip and pin.

seeing that its only in the U.K. i have no idea what you guys are talking about,
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It's not only in the UK. I used it in Australia in 1990... It was called EFTPOS at the time (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale). I can't honestly remember if it was in use when I was there in 03.
 
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