Old-school credit card machines

Actually I'm not even sure if they're proper "machines" or just tools! But the DCA US club still uses those old-timey manual imprint credit card machines. I don't usually buy drinks at the clubs except at DCA--- usually if I've got club time on the way home, I know I'll be driving so I stick to water/coffee in the club and limit drinking on the plane-- just wanted to see if they use these old dinosaurs everywhere or if DCA just has one because it's close to the Smithsonian.

Surely you don't mean the old-school imprinters with the carbon copy and all that?

I thought taxicabs were the only things in the US that still use those things with regularity.

Yes that is exactly what they us at the US club in DCA. And it wasn't just an "off" day when the normal machine was broken; I actually noticed that about 4 visits ago, so it's been there for months. Maybe the normal card reader machine has been broken for months?

I had a cabbie once put my card on the roof of the taxi, cover it with the carbon slip, and rub a pen barrell back and forth across it furiously to make the imprint. I guess San Francisco takes "going green" to the extreme

Anyway--- any dinosaur machines in any other clubs?

I saw something like that in a history book about 20 years ago.

I've seen these in stores like Nordstrom, Lucky Brand, etc. for times when the CC system goes down or they need a special record (e.g., pay at A during a sale, pick up at B on a later date because A doesn't have the right size). Have you seen them used often at DCA, or was it a one time thing?

I remember them at CompUSA and always found it odd that a store selling the hottest new technology would ring up your purchase with these dinosaurs.

Seen them on my last 4 or 5 visits to the club, didn't notice before but don't always buy a drink to use a card.

A lot of lounges that take Priority Pass run the PP card through one of those.

1-800-MATTRESS delivered a mattress from Los Angeles to San Diego then took out a piece of paper and No. 2 pencil and proceeded to make a rubbing of my credit card. California is either very green or very behind the times.

On topic, I haven't seen one of those slider machines anywhere for years.

Last place I saw an imprint machine was at Gallagher's in EWR last year.

My dad collects everything that is connected with credit cards and he has one of these, too. Yea I know my dad is a freak x)

Some day someone will invent a magnetic strip so the card can be read, and we can get rid of these machines.

I haven't seen those in other clubs. But I'm always nervous about getting a drink at the US Club, granted I'm usually there in the mornings, but I don't think the woman working there actually knows how to make any cocktails.