Is A Debit Card Really That Bad?

[arontius]

.....Grrr, spent several hours this morning trapsing from one end of the County to the other, passing out checks for services needed at June Faire. At one end of the County was Del's for the hay. When I gave them the first check, they took the deposit and gave us the rest. Don't ask me why. So I had to run a second check to them this morning. At the other end of the County was the Party Store for the table and chair rental.

.....Normally, I would just put these things on a credit card and get reimbursed by the Barony. But this last year we deliberately cut up cards and reduced the remaining considerably (by choice). So I had no room to put anything on them. I suppose I could have called the credit card people and had them raise the limits right there, but did not want to do so.

.....So, I understand the reasoning behind why the SCA Financial Policy is to not allow for debit cards. It would be incredibly easy for someone to clean out an account pronto. And there are a lot of 'hacker' issues with which to deal.

.....But a debit card is so useful. And it is not right, or even always the best idea, to put the liability for funds transfers on the back of the populace.

.....So, the SCA set up ACCEPS to allow for credit card use to pre-register for events. Would it be possible for Corporate to set up some financial pool from which they issue out debit cards to branch exchequers? They could set all kinds of limits to these cards. From who could use them, to how much could be taken out each day. I could see all kinds of restrictions put on them. But for an exchequer to have this ability would make a lot of things go faster and easier when paying for event services.

.....From a security aspect, it even makes more sense for all major purchases to go through ONE person (the exchequer) instead of letting autocrat teams make many purchases that the exchequer then has to review before reimbursement.

.....Now, I realize I'm glossing over issues here. But the SCA needs to get itself into the Twenty-First century financially.

.....O.K., done pontificating. Back to work.

.....Aaron / Arontius.

Comments

[gwen-the-potter.livejournal.com]

Certainly would make getting the Flames printed easier...

[manyra.livejournal.com]

That's the newsletter for DL right?

I remember thinking the same thing when I did the Avantgarde. Now I'm wondering is can the branches set up accounts for printing - newsletters, posters, gate sheets, event books, etc? I set up one for the bookstore I worked at and it didn't require a lot of paperwork.

I could also mention a pre-paid copy card but it depends on the quality of printing you want and what stores are in your area.

Sorry Arontius - doesn't really add to your initial post.

[jjjlllvvv.livejournal.com]

If you are going to be spending money on behalf of your barony you can and should request an advance [receivable] if using your own funds is going to inconvenience you. When finished you return funds, and receipts equal to the advance in a timely fashion.

Advances.

[arontius]

That was what I was delivering all over the County this morning was checks written as advances by the Barony. What I was musing over was doing the same thing electronically via a debit card, or some other electronic method.

Just musing...

A.

Re: Advances.

[jjjlllvvv.livejournal.com]

Ah, my reading abilities suck, but I was trying to suggest that given an advance then you could deposit and use your own debit card, or whatever, for the transactions. Regardless, I think the SCA's aversion to the use of debit cards, is based as much on the desire for double signatures, as on the fear of someone emptying the account, which of course can happen now, since AFAIK they are all pretty much single signature accounts even if the checks say something different, and hence any legal signatory can go in and empty the account. Of course debit cards can be used by unauthorized people, perhaps more easily than checks.