ESL Podcast 384 - Accepting Credit Cards

cash-only business - a company that lets its customers pay only with cash, not with credit cards or checks

The store decided to become a cash-only business, because too many customers were writing checks without having enough money in the bank.

nuisance - annoyance; frustration; something that is unpleasant, annoying, and/or frustrating

It's such a nuisance to have to go to the power company to pay my bill! I wish I could pay by mail instead, even when I'm late with my payment.

cash register - a small machine in a business that calculates the total amount of a sale and stores the money that is received from the customer

We should never have more than $400 in the cash register, so that if the store is robbed, the thief won't get away with very much money.

merchant - seller; a company that sells something, especially when the customer uses a credit card

Merchants have to pay a percentage of the sale amount every time a customer uses a credit card.

cardholder - the person who owns a credit card; the person whose name is printed on a credit card

When you buy something online, you have to enter the cardholder's name exactly as it appears on the card.

point of sale - the place within a store, restaurant, or other business where a sales transaction takes place; the place where a customer gives money and receives his or her purchase

Many grocery stores display candies and magazines at their point of sale, hoping to get customers to buy more things while they are waiting in line.

magnetic strip - the long, rectangular, dark-colored stripe on the back of one's credit card that contains information about the credit card and can be read by machines

The magnetic strip on my debit card isn't working anymore, so I need to ask the bank to send me a new card.

to face - to be turned in a specific direction; to be turned toward something or someone

The photographer told the students to face the camera and smile.

expiration date - the date after which something is no longer valid or no longer can or should be used

This milk tastes horrible! I didn't realize that it is already one week after its expiration date when I tried it.

security code - the three numbers that are printed on the back of one's credit card to make it more difficult for people to use one's credit card dishonestly

Every credit card has a 16-digit account number on the front and a three-digit security code on the back.

credit limit - the maximum amount of money that a person is allowed to borrow on his or her credit card; the maximum amount of money that a credit card company will lend to someone

When Jake got a better-paying job, he asked his credit card company to increase his credit limit.

to decline - to refuse; to deny; to reject; to say that something cannot happen or cannot be used

Kelly wrote a very nice letter, politely declining the invitation to Clay's party.

issuing bank - the bank that gives a customer a credit card

We need to call the issuing bank to request a duplicate credit card.

to dispute - to argue; to not agree; to say that something is incorrect

The employee is filing an official dispute against her employer, saying that the company treated her unfairly.

to double-charge - to collect money for something twice; to collect twice as much money as one was supposed to

When I opened my credit card bill, I saw that I was double-charged for the sweater I had bought. Now I need to call the store to get my money back.

chargeback - refund; money that is sent back to a customer by a company, usually because there was a mistake in the original sale or because the customer has returned the thing that was purchased

If you return your purchase within 30 days, the store will give you a 100% chargeback.

to break down - to stop working correctly; to break; to become inoperable

Giovanni came to work late because his car broke down on Main Street.

timesaver - something that lets one do something faster, so that one has more time for other activities

Washing machines are great timesavers because you can wash clothes much more quickly in the machine than by hand.

We'll see about that - a phrase used to show that one does not believe what another person has said, and believes that the truth will be seen in the future

When Jeb said that he wants to become the President of the United States, his friend laughed and said, "We'll see about that!"