Debit Poll

More then half of Americans believe that merchants should not have the right to require the use of a PIN when making purchases with a VISA or MasterCard debit card. Nearly 60% say they would opt to sign for debit card purchases, instead of using a PIN, if they were rewarded with points or air miles. According to CardWeb.com’s ‘Online Poll’, 56% are not aware of the cost to the merchant for signature versus PIN debit card transactions. More than 15% of consumers say the cost for a PIN transaction is the same as a signature debit card transaction. More than half are not aware of any differences in the legal rights between signature and PIN-based debit card transactions. When it comes to using debit cards, 34% say the prefer to use PIN only, while 33% say they use signature only. The poll, conducted in August and September, comes in advance of an anti-trust trial between major retailers and VISA/MasterCard over acceptance of off-line debit cards which require significantly higher transaction fees than on-line debit cards. The trial is expected to get underway next year. Wal-Mart is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.