If you’re Canadian, you’re probably experiencing a network outage right now.
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Credit transactions can be queued and processed at a later time in batches. Real-time authorization methods like the chip require communicating with the credit processor right then, but something like a card swipe does not. Of course the vendor doesn’t actually get to know if you have available credit right then and the credit company won’t know about the transaction until the batch is processed, but the sale is generally worth the risk.
Best practice is to process credit batches every day but some establishments have been known to take a week or more to settle pending transactions, which customers might get peeved about since the transaction will suddenly pop up well after the event.
Debt transfers though are direct withdrawals from a bank account. Immediate communication is required to know there is money in the account and to move it, queuing them up isn’t possible.
As an aside, debit cards are way riskier than credit and you are a madman if you use them regularly.
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