Ticket counters not accepting cash?

[crescent-zephyr]

Amtrak is not a party in the car attendant "tips" transaction, so I doubt it has an opinion on the matter. It is upto the attendant . whatever he/she wants. Maybe some prefer Bitcoin, who knows?

I would absolutely love it if I could paypal or Venmo my attendant. I hate keeping up with cash just for tips and have been known to order wine in the dining car just so I can tip on my credit card! Haha

 

[jis]

In FL, E-ZPass only works on roads in the Orlando area that are managed by the local Expressway Authority (E-PASS). It still won't work on roads elsewhere in the state, or on those in the Orlando area that are managed by the Turnpike Enterprise (SunPass). They keep saying they're working on it, but the promised dates keep slipping by with no change. Many toll roads in the Orlando area have some sections that are E-PASS and others that are SunPass, on the same road.

The currently offered portable E-PASS transponder, called UNI, works on both SunPass & out-of-state E-ZPass roads.

I just use a SunPass in Florida. E Pass and SunPass are interoperable, i.e. they work on each others territory. I have no reason to get yet another EZ Pass or equivalent, since I have my original from when I lived up north.

 

[bms]

Usually when I buy from the Cafe Car, the LSA rings up my Amtrak Mastercard and there's no place to tip. I give a dollar if I have one and there's a cash tip area, but it's certainly happened that I was coming back from the West Coast and didn't have cash on me.

Other times, I order from the LSA and do tip on the card, so I'm not sure why it is different from trip to trip.

 

[Cal]

Are LD trains accepting cash now? The Pacific Surfliner cafes are accepting cash.

 

[neroden]

That line if thinking was "shot down" back in the 1980's when apartment complexes quit accepting cash due to theft risk - it was upheld in court.

Wrong. me_little_me's analysis is exactly correct.

If you have already received the goods or services (so, you've incurred a debt), and did not specifically contract to pay in another form (gold, Bitcoin, Tesla stock, whatever), then you can offer to pay your debt in cash and they have to take it or forgive the debt.

If you have not recieved the goods or services yet (which is *always* the case when buying train tickets) then they can refuse to take cash. (No, you can't get around this by getting on the train without a ticket and then trying to pay for a ticket. For that, they can just throw you off the train.)

Most apartment complexes bill for rent BEFORE the month for which the rent is. If they billed AFTER the month you were present -- billing in arrears -- then they would have to take cash. But they don't. So, if you fail to pay your rent on time, and then later offer cash to cover the *debt* you incur, they have to take it or forgive the *debt* -- but they can still evict you for not paying your rent on time.

When you start looking into it, you'll discover that there are relatively few circumstances under which you generate a *debt* by receiving goods or services, legitimately, before paying for them. Sit-down restaurants are one. Construction contractors and repairmen are another. I can't think of a third common example. Almost all businesses have moved to pay-up-front, and most of those who haven't (in the business-to-business sector) specify form of payment in their contract (which overrides the legal tender laws).

 

[neroden]

Even the language that would appear to allow payment of taxes in coinage is not as iron-clad as a literal reading might presume. It's true, the IRS will allow you to use cash to pay your taxes, but they are free to set the terms of that--which includes having to register specially to do so, having to pay before the tax deadline to allow for processing of the cash, being limited to paying a maximum of $1000 a day, and being charged a daily processing fee for each cash payment.

All of that was seriously disputed in court and much of it was thrown out in the lawsuits by the marijuana businesses (who did not have access to checks or cards or wire transfers). Result of the cases: Nope. The IRS has to accept cash payments without charging extra fees or creating extra hassle. The IRS figured out they were going to lose and backed off. The marijuana businesses show up and hand over their large piles of cash at a scheduled date at a specific location to the IRS person authorized to accept it. No daily processing fee. No maximum.

 

[neroden]

There's still places around here that are cash or check only - the check part still surprises me, as I'd expect that to have a high level of risk (bounced, invalid, or stopped checks.)

Around here it's usually cash or *local* check; apparently the risk with local checks is low.

 

[tricia]

Thinking of Amtrak's substantial number of Amish customers: Might accepting cash be required as a "reasonable accommodation" of religious practice?

 

[TheVig]

Thinking of Amtrak's substantial number of Amish customers: Might accepting cash be required as a "reasonable accommodation" of religious practice?

Amish will use a non Amish person such as myself to buy their tickets for them. Give me the cash, and I buy the tickets on my card. They don’t typically participate in the religious grievance industry or align themselves with various acronym protest groups.

Their ways might be a little strange to us. But I have found doing business with them quite enjoyable.

 

[MIrailfan]

Cash is my primary method of payment.

 

[CTANut]

I saw an Amish passenger buy cafe car food with a credit card. However, at the fast food restaurant that I work at, the Amish tend to use cash.

 

[me_little_me]

I saw an Amish passenger buy cafe car food with a credit card. However, at the fast food restaurant that I work at, the Amish tend to use cash.

Like everyone else, there are those that strictly practice what they believe, those that try hard but compromise somewhat, those that pretend and those that believe in name only. It happens in everything - from religion to vegetarianism to being "green" to ...

 

[joelkfla]

There are many communities of Amish people, and there is a great amount of variation of customs and acceptance of technology among the different communities. According to the website AmishAmerica.com, credit card usage is acceptable and common in many Amish communities.

Blanket statements about all Amish people are usually misguided. It's not that some are breaking the rules, it's that the rules differ among different groups.

 

[plane2train]

I don't see why in this day and age we can't go cashless. You can buy a Visa Vanilla card with cash and use it for transactions quite easily. You don't need a credit score to get one. However, there are many times when cash does come in handy: at bars so you can control how much you spend on booze (I've seen some huge bar bills), quick transactions at convenience stores and maybe the post office to buy stamps. The airlines have installed machines where you can buy a card to pay for a plane ticket, and I don't see why Amtrak couldn't do the same for those few that really want to pay cash for their $356 ticket.

 

[bratkinson]

I don't see why in this day and age we can't go cashless.

This past April, while aboard train #174 from WAS, the Wifi wasn't working. As a result, the cashless lounge car was 'out of business' for the duration. Only after numerous complaints and a new onboard crew at NYP, they FINALLY got it fixed about Stamford. Or, perhaps, they took my advice and simply converted their cellphone to a single user Wifi hot spot like I did to use my laptop.

I would anticipate the same lack/spotty of Wifi service found on western LD trains and the Capitol Ltd WAS-PGH will be a limitation of the 'cashless' craze aboard Amtrak.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

This past April, while aboard train #174 from WAS, the Wifi wasn't working. As a result, the cashless lounge car was 'out of business' for the duration. Only after numerous complaints and a new onboard crew at NYP, they FINALLY got it fixed about Stamford. Or, perhaps, they took my advice and simply converted their cellphone to a single user Wifi hot spot like I did to use my laptop.

I would anticipate the same lack/spotty of Wifi service found on western LD trains and the Capitol Ltd WAS-PGH will be a limitation of the 'cashless' craze aboard Amtrak.

You can set satellite credit card machines to store the credit card data and complete the sale when it has signal.

This was standard practice for me when working for a tourist railroad.

 

[Cal]

This past April, while aboard train #174 from WAS, the Wifi wasn't working. As a result, the cashless lounge car was 'out of business' for the duration. Only after numerous complaints and a new onboard crew at NYP, they FINALLY got it fixed about Stamford. Or, perhaps, they took my advice and simply converted their cellphone to a single user Wifi hot spot like I did to use my laptop.

I would anticipate the same lack/spotty of Wifi service found on western LD trains and the Capitol Ltd WAS-PGH will be a limitation of the 'cashless' craze aboard Amtrak.

I've made purchases with a credit card on Western LD trains through areas without service. If they couldn't do that, the Cafe wouldnt be open for much of the trip.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't see why in this day and age we can't go cashless.

I don't see how my decision to pay with cash impacts you in any way whatsoever.

The airlines have installed machines where you can buy a card to pay for a plane ticket, and I don't see why Amtrak couldn't do the same for those few that really want to pay cash for their $356 ticket.

This is apparently due to a law that forces US airlines to flag and report cash sales which does not apply to Amtrak.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I don't see why in this day and age we can't go cashless. You can buy a Visa Vanilla card with cash and use it for transactions quite easily. You don't need a credit score to get one. However, there are many times when cash does come in handy: at bars so you can control how much you spend on booze (I've seen some huge bar bills), quick transactions at convenience stores and maybe the post office to buy stamps. The airlines have installed machines where you can buy a card to pay for a plane ticket, and I don't see why Amtrak couldn't do the same for those few that really want to pay cash for their $356 ticket.

The ticket counter at the new train hall at NYP has the machines that convert cash to a credit card. It’s off to the side so is not noticeable. Don’t know if there’s a sign near the counter to let people know it’s there.

 

[WWW]

Understand that there is always the issue of security of money and it being legit !

This is apparently due to a law that forces US airlines to flag and report cash sales which does not apply to Amtrak.
Isn't that amount amounts over $10K ?

Side note ATMs are not very useful as they limit the amount of daily disbursements and even maybe further restricted by the card holder to
his own device. Debit cards may also have fine print restricted uses.

One could pre-load a debit card or other financial card in advance to pay expenses in route.

Other than that - what is wrong with taking "LEGAL TENDER" at all times as long as it is not in pennies nickels dimes and quarters ?

 

[PVD]

You have to count it, safeguard it, arrange for it to be deposited in a bank, and have enough on hand ahead of time to make change.. Those are some of the reasons businesses often try and avoid cash. Plastic has costs of its own, for sure, but the difference is not as great as people think.

 

[me_little_me]

I don't see how my decision to pay with cash impacts you in any way whatsoever.

This is apparently due to a law that forces US airlines to flag and report cash sales which does not apply to Amtrak.

No, rather that those paying cash, particularly for one-way flights, are suspected of being possible terrorists or drug runners or money launderers or doing something suspicious ala those carrying more than $10K in cash across the border and those making $10K+ deposits at banks.

 

[jis]

No, rather that those paying cash, particularly for one-way flights, are suspected of being possible terrorists or drug runners or money launderers or doing something suspicious ala those carrying more than $10K in cash across the border and those making $10K+ deposits at banks.

Indeed, $10K is a different issue from cash purchase of tickets. A $10K+ transfer even electronically is supposed to be reported and recorded specially by the banks. When I used to transfer money to my parents, if it was a larger than $10K block, I had to put in extra paper work as I seem to recall.

Cash purchase of tickets was supposed to be for untraceability, some thing that various nefarious folks pine for apparently, and hence are supposed to be reported to the security systems like CAPS II and such for tracking and tracing, and usually it will earn you an SSSS on your boarding card if not an outright denial of boarding, depending on the security level active at the time.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Cash purchase of tickets was supposed to be for untraceability, some thing that various nefarious folks pine for apparently, and hence are supposed to be reported to the security systems like CAPS II and such for tracking and tracing, and usually it will earn you an SSSS on your boarding card if not an outright denial of boarding, depending on the security level active at the time.

Yes, anyone wishing to purchase a plane ticket in cash is clearly a criminal and should be searched.

Just like my luggage had to be searched because it was suspicious that I would want to travel from Chicago to Salt Lake City on the Zephyr. Land of the free and all

 

[Devil's Advocate]

No, rather that those paying cash, particularly for one-way flights, are suspected of being possible terrorists or drug runners or money launderers or doing something suspicious ala those carrying more than $10K in cash across the border and those making $10K+ deposits at banks.

You're missing the point. United Airlines does not care if you want to pay with cash. United Airlines only cares that your decision to pay with cash puts them in a position where they must flag your purchase and can be fined if they fail to report the details of every cash sale in a timely fashion. As a result United Airlines (and many others) now prevents you from paying with cash to avoid the liability altogether. The government's pretense that paying with cash equals terrorism, trafficking, and money laundering is exposed as nonsense by the fact that airports are allowed to sell you a piece of plastic that avoids extra scrutiny but nets a tidy profit for another previously unnecessary middleman.