How to Spot a Terrorist

[tommyg]

I had it happen to me once I went to another
hotel down the street they took the cash fast.
Remember this the Credit Card company gets a cut of the
charge from the hotel. I guess the hotels like to cut their profits.

Here is a good one: I went to a bank and wanted a money order
they would not sell it to me because I did not have an account in their bank.
They told me that it was for security reasons. I went to a post office
in the same building they sold me a money order no problem.

Here is another expierence I had. I lived in New Hampshire for eleven years.
Due to the cold I would wear a tight fitting insulated cap during the winter. A security guard at a bank
told me to remove my hat because it interfered with their facial recognition system.
I took off my hat and and did my banking.

A few weeks later someone went into the same bank with tree branches
taped around his head and robbed the bank.

The robber was caught a short time later and went to Concord ( New Hampshire's idea of Huntsville)

[Thomas]

...some hotels won't accept cash...demand a credit card...I've found this twice...

I wonder if a prepaid credit card aka gift card credit card would work?

[tommyg]

i tried to use a prepaid gift card at a la quita they took it without batting an eye

I use visa prepaid gift cards when I shop online
when I get what I ordered I go online and see how much is left on the card
then I take the card to a gas station and buy the exact amount in gas that is left on the card
If the merchant gets hacked the identity thief can only get the amount of money on the card
the thief gets no usable info. You can't possibly loose any more than there is on the card.
Look at the card fee as an insurance fee Good Protection.

[Mel]

...some hotels won't accept cash...demand a credit card...I've found this twice...

Did you show them the statement on the money stating that "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private."?

[chasfm11]

It's because the bureaucratic Elite establishment is more afraid of us than they are of actual terrorists.

There, I fixed it for you. The current administration is simply the latest and worst manifestation of the misguided. Considering Mayor Bloomberg, and all of the CA and IL loons, they aren't all in D.C. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that there are more than a few of with the same misguided view of terrorists in Austin.

[Thomas]

...some hotels won't accept cash...demand a credit card...I've found this twice...

Did you show them the statement on the money stating that "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private."?

IMO (I don't know legally): There is no debt if a service has not been rendered yet, and a business has a right to refuse service.

[clarionite]

In one of my prior jobs I traveled quite a bit. I was on the road 60% of my time or more. Enough that my wife sat down with me and asked why we bothered sharing a house anymore. That was a wake up call and I started looking for another job the next day. That's not really where I was going with this, but... I spent a lot of time in hotels. And I can only remember two times when I had an issue with Cards / Cash. Once, my wife had taken both of our cards out for something with the bank. When she put them back in, she put them in the wrong place. Hers in my wallet and mine in her purse. When I tried to get a room in Vero Beach Florida, the clerk asked for ID, and then refused to accept the card. He was such a horses rear about it that I went to the ATM, withdrew cash and stayed at another place. Another time, I think it was in West Virginia, but it might have been Nevada, I got a little bit of flack about paying with cash. They said it was because of incidental charges to the room. I asked what kind of charges they expected. They said movie and phone charges. I explained I had a cell phone and wouldn't be making any charges on the phone, turn off the ability to make charges. Same for the TV. I was there for business and would be too busy. That settled it, and they let me pay cash.

Now this was after 9/11, but I found that other job in 2004, so it's been a few years since I've traveled heavily. I stay in hotels 3-6 times a year now. Mostly for vacation or a conference now and again. So things might be changing.

[Ameer]

...some hotels won't accept cash...demand a credit card...I've found this twice...

Did you show them the statement on the money stating that "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private."?

Are you also willing to leave a cash deposit?

[koconcept]

I shop at sams club buying in bulk suits me as I hate the grocery store lol. I like flashlights and have more than I care to count. Hmmmm. These people are rediculous this would label pretty much every I know a terrorist.

[RoyGBiv]

i tried to use a prepaid gift card at a la quita they took it without batting an eye

I use visa prepaid gift cards when I shop online
when I get what I ordered I go online and see how much is left on the card
then I take the card to a gas station and buy the exact amount in gas that is left on the card
If the merchant gets hacked the identity thief can only get the amount of money on the card
the thief gets no usable info. You can't possibly loose any more than there is on the card.
Look at the card fee as an insurance fee Good Protection.

FYI... I recently discovered American Express Prepaid cards...
They are a bit of a pain to sign up (online, not terrible, but not as easy as walking into Kroger and buying a VISA gift card)
The good news is that they are both re-loadable and guaranteed by AMEX. If your account is hijacked and the money stolen from your balance, AMEX will make you whole just like a regular credit card. There is no fee to get the card and no fee to refill it (from your linked bank account). You control when any money goes on the card, or you can have it auto-transfer from your bank account when you reach a specific level. I just started using them for my business, to manage expense account cash for an employee in Mexico. Cheaper than wire transfers, cheaper than Western Union, and insured by AMEX. The only hiccup is that AMEX is not as widely used as VISA/MC... But I really like to features of the card so far... Works just like a debit card, but with the protection of a credit card....

[74novaman]

Add this to the "returning vets, people who talk about the constitution, gun owners" list of potential terrorists homeland security put out and its clear who they see as the threat...and its not someone shouting Allahu Akbar.