[WillowTheWhisp]

I suppose however hard you try there will always be some unscrupulous person who will beat the system. This has to be more secure than the old/existing system. I have more than one card and can only manage to remember the pin numbers for the two which I use most. (In order to draw cash from ATMs) but I'm sure that as I get used to using the numbers it will be easier to remember them.

EFTPOS actually means "Electronic Funds Transfer at Point Of Sale" also known as EPOS (Electronic Transfer at Point Of Sale) and refers to the method currently in use here where a card is swiped through a machine as opposed to the older system where the cashier had to fill in a form which was then placed on top of your card in a contraption which had a piece they pushed back and forth resulting an the card image being impressed on the paper(s) (usually in triplicate). These were then included in the till in much the same way as cheques and sent through the bank clearing system. Your account was not debited until it reached your bank. They often had to phone the bank to verify that funds were available over a set amount (which could change on a day to day basis so that potential thieves didn't get blase about how much they could possibly get away with)

Now your account is debited immediately the card is swiped - hence the bit about not being able to accept the transaction if you don't have funds in the account. That's true up to a point (unless you have an agreed overdraft limit) but only if you are using a debit card. If you are using a credit card (the one where you borrow money and pay it back) then it will be accepted up to your credit limit.

I still think cards are safer than cash. If cash is stolen it's gone but at least with a card you have chance to phone up and put a stop on it.