Pay the Taxi Driver

If you give them your postcode they all have satnav.

I hate using taxis mainly because you never know nowadays where I live if you will get a local as all the taxis have merged into something called Nearby. If you phone you can find that you’ve been allocated someone who has come from a distance ,say an airport, and doesn’t know the locality,then you have to explain how to get where you are going.

Aldom

mabon2

Oh, for goodness sake use a contactless what's the problem.

Rude and unthinking yet again.

It really does not help the OP.

To be fair to mabon contactless card payment has been generally available in the UK for over 10 years.
During the pandemic, several banks raised their contactless payment limits.In the United Kingdom, the limit was increased from £30 to £45 in March 2020.
Contactless payments were recommended as a safer payment method compared to Chip and PIN card payments and cash transactions.
It was later raised to £100.
So I can see why she might be surprised that OP has had no experience of it.

My dh is still a cabbie and he prefers that he’s paid in cash unless it’s a regular account job .
A few of the other cabbies have card readers where you tap and go . But the charges the cabbies pay for using them are extortionate.
Most fares are usually cash only .

mabon2

Oh, for goodness sake use a contactless what's the problem.

Rude and unthinking yet again.

It really does not help the OP.

By screen I mean taximeter usually displayed on a mobile device or meter and displays along with your trip’s pickup and drop off details during the trip.

Check prices Uber and some others have surge pricing so the price changes depending on demand and time. I prefer to support local companies.
No extra charge for in car card readers (goes to the drivers own account usually not the company so it’s the same as a cash payment in that respect)but the driver may try to ask for more if he prefers you to pay in cash, but the price is what is displayed on the screen that’s what you have to pay unless you wish to pay more to the driver and he can take that with the card reader also but only the agreed price not a made up one. Pay what’s on the screen. Check what is being charged on the reader before you present your card and say something if it is not the price on the screen as the driver may have made a mistake inputting the amount as it’s not automated.

Just check the amount before you tap, Caleo!

rosie1959

mabon2

Oh, for goodness sake use a contactless what's the problem.

Obviously the OP does not understand contactless or she would not have asked not everyone is completely confident with technology. I even had to explain contactless to my DH who had a high powered computer based job

Thanks for sticking up for me! I make no excuse for my ignorance and have always found people who are happy to inform me.

JennyCee

Caleo, as someone here has already suggested, why not get your sons to start up an Uber account for you? They are clean and normally dont take too long.

I don't even know what an Uber is, but thanks. Really I have no need to go out and my enquiry was because I like to know what I should do if and when.

mabon2

Oh, for goodness sake use a contactless what's the problem.

Obviously the OP does not understand contactless or she would not have asked not everyone is completely confident with technology. I even had to explain contactless to my DH who had a high powered computer based job

Oh, for goodness sake use a contactless what's the problem.

We use taxi to airport and return. Over £100 so can't tap. Have to insert pin

Caleo, as someone here has already suggested, why not get your sons to start up an Uber account for you? They are clean and normally dont take too long.

I have every sympathy with those who aren't familiar with technology. I worked all my life with technology so am not scared of it and thought I was pretty well up with it, but it changes so often that nowadays I am getting behind. My DH has done our grocery shopping for some years, so it was only fairly recently that I needed to pay for something in a shop using "chip and pin". I told the cashier that I'd never done it before and she kindly showed me how to do it. Of course next time I had to do it I used a different card and the symbol was in a different place! But now I have the confidence to do it again.

I'm very active in our local u3a and believe me, many of the members don't have credit cards, don't use online banking, don't have smartphones and have never bought goods online.

I've yet to try using apps on my phone, though. Next job!

If you can find your PIN number that would be useful. Sometimes if the card hasn’t been used for a long time the bank card is blocked until the pin goes in. Anyway have enough money to pay and you don’t have to worry.

If you use your card for a taxi or if you do go shopping, make sure you can remember your pin because, as others have said, sometimes you do have to insert the card into the machine and use the pin as there are random checks by the card companies.
We use the pin so seldom now it's easy to forget it.

Otherwise, if you're concerned, make sure you carry enough cash with you just in case.

Please ask a friend to help you ,go shopping with your friend and ask them to show you how to use it. Clearly you are unfamiliar with using your card. Perhaps your best plan is to pay with cash.

I paid cash and the taxi driver was quite happy with that. I don't do contact less so I would have used a PIN with my debit card.
For peace of mind I would ring up the taxi firm and ask. Of course, they prefer cash as so many taxi drivers have unfortunately been robbed of their takings. Good luck with your journey.

On the two occasions I have used a taxi in the last 12 months, the driver didnt have a card reader. Luckily, I had thought to ask about payment methods when I rang to book, so I was prepared.
What would have happened if I hadn't asked in advance, and hadn't had any cash, I don't know!

Caleo would it be possible for one of your sons to take you to a shop, cafe etc to show you how to use the card a few times?
The process will be the same in a taxi.

I use uber or a local mini cab company, where I book and pay online via the app. It’s great as you can track your driver and know the drivers name and the make and reg of their car .

And this is the symbol as it appears on my card.
It's on the back this time, which confused me at first!

youtu.be/afdS8huaSrI?si=JJiVGr3k7tkTgaTA

Caleo this short YouTube link explains how to "tap and go."

(Press the white triangle in the middle of the screen to start).

Caleo - kindly, I am surprised at the questions you are asking and I’m a little concerned that perhaps using a credit card when you are out and about may not be right for you. Your question regarding taxis and the glass divider suggests to me that you haven’t used a mini cab or taxi for some time. Why are you now thinking of using one?