On 2/22/2013 2:57 PM, sf wrote:

> You've had a lot of things for years. The thing I liked best that I
> saw on my very first trip to Europe was that waiters had a handheld
> credit card machine, took care of the transaction on the spot and your
> credit card never left your sight. We've never seen waiters here use
> them and have no idea why it hasn't caught on.
>
About 15 years ago, I took my daughter on the train from London to
Inverness. She really enjoyed the trip (the weather was good, so the
scenery was visible), but what really impressed her was the dining car
with its white tablecloths and attentive waiters who treated her like a
grown-up - and when the bill came, the waiter whipped out one of those
card readers. "But it's a _train_! How can they authorise your card on a
_train_?"

I really hate having my card disappear from sight, as happens in US
restaurants.