These days, where getting the fraud message out is difficult enough, leaving your actual card with a stranger is a real step back.
Pre-authorisation should be as standard.
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It will depend upon what reasonable lines of enquiry exist, the value of the theft/fraud, whether it’s part of a linked-series and the victim’s wishes.
If no CCTV exists and the value is relatively low, an investigation is unlikely to be in the public interest.
Frustrating for everyone involved but, with dwindling resources there must be some objectivity.
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In Herts and Essex I have had barstaff keep it in an empty glass, in one bar in London the barstaff kept them in her cleavage!
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The local bar/restaurant puts it behind the till, and you get a thing to wave around with a number on it to get further rounds.
Never had a problem with it… it means the entire thing is one transaction instead of multiple individual rounds.
Am I alone here? I would NEVER give my card to someone to “put away” anywhere!
When I set up a tab, they take a scan of my card as collateral. There’s no question of me physically giving it to them to put anywhere. The idea of that happening is abhorrent. Just like the idea of bilking on a payment.
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I’ve never seen that, or do you mean a pre-authorisation?
My local takes the card, puts it in a folder and give the customer a wacky races card to use for the evening.
(Well, not to me anyway as we had a habit of stealing these to collect the set)
When I was in Australia last, there were a few pubs that would require photo Id (driving license) as well. They’d attach the debit card to the Id via an elastic band and put it in a glass behind the bar.
Yeah, preauthorisation or something (I don’t know the terminology, only the result). Never taken my card. Cold. Dead. Fing… Is that beer?
Perhaps I’ve just not gone to the right pubs as I’ve rarely had that experience, I’ve usually been given a card/number and not had to give my card at all, or card/number having given my card.
I’m 40 and this is the first time I’m hearing of barbaric behaviour such as holding a card hostage. Granted, I don’t do tabs often (usually end up with a really bad headache the next day, not sure why).
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Snap, 40 here… I tend to tab a lot, as I find it more convenient.
My local, for a long time, had a 5 pound minimum use for card or they’d add a ‘service charge’ so if I’d start the night off on my own, it’s either tab it or buy the pints in twos, which leads to a whole host of other ‘issues’ 
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I’m pretty sure the police has better things to do either way, but from a legal standpoint, is there anything that requires you to pay when the cashier simply asks for a card (ie. a piece of plastic) in exchange of some merchandise (the drink or food)?
To me it doesn’t look like any contract has been signed that ensures there are sufficient funds on the card, or even if the card is real (and not a piece of plastic that looks like a card), or if the card is associated to an active account, so it could very well be that any “fraudsters” that leave the plastic without paying would actually be in the right from a legal point of view.
The right solution is of course to simply authorize every purchase on the card, or authorize up to a certain amount (like petrol pumps) and limit the tab to that amount. I really have no sympathy for idiots who try to get away from maybe like 1% of the total amount in card fees by taking a piece of plastic and hoping (because nothing actually proves it’s an actual bank card with funds on it) there are enough funds on it.
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Contracts don’t have to be signed. And have a read of the Fraud Act.
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By ordering the drinks it’s a verbal contract but this whole thing is absurd.
They should do a pre-auth for the maximum amount of the tab then adjust down at presentment. I know that’s how at least some bars in Canada do it. I don’t know any other countries.
Holding a card is insane for everyone!
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Or have an app to deal with that 
This is basically what’s happened pretty much any time I’ve opened a tab at any bar/pub that doesn’t work on trust (in the UK). Many many times.
Is this handing over a card a London thing or something?
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Not sure, but all the bars I went to in Rugby (small village in Warwickshire) happily took my card for each drink without asking/offering me to leave my card behind, which was better and meant both parties of the transaction were protected. 
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Couple of pubs I’ve been to in Devon do this… one pub takes your card and starts up a tab in the usual way, but another I’ve been to takes your driving licence if you wish to start a tab. Which to me makes more sense, as it’s got your full name and address, plus a photo of you, and most importantly they’re not free to replace
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I asked Barclaycard Merchant Services to turn on the pre-auth feature on the terminals we rent from them for our pubs, and they refused on the grounds that we are not running hotels.
Perhaps you have only experienced card pre-auth in hotel bars?
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Barclaycard Merchant Services
Barclaycard
I think that you have your answer right there; if you were dealing with a proper company it would’ve been better. 
Ok, which of the UK’s acquiring banks should I be using instead?
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