Clubbing without credit and debit cards on your person
59
Pennsylvania
Several have said they only bring cash and ID. No credit cards or debit card.
Curious as to why? Spending discipline? Concern of loss or theft?
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25 comments
You also open yourself up to unwanted charges using a card at a club.
If I do take anything out it's so I won't lose it. Several times at Desire I've given them my health insurance card which stuck to the back of my drink card. Thankfully they've always returned it.
1 - Reduce risk of loss (I won't lose important items if they fall out of my wallet/pocket, or if my wallet is lost/stolen). I was recently at a club, and sat down on a sofa. I noticed an object on the sofa (it was dark). It was a wallet, which I took to the bar area. Later that night, a PL came in panicked. He had lost his wallet....the one that I had given to staff. He was able to retrieve it, but if neither me nor staff had been honest, it would have been gone.
2 - Privacy. I don't want to have someone get a glimpse of my name/address in the event a card becomes visible.
Yes...a bit overzealous, and my wallet could be stolen from car while parked at club, but that's the stance I take.
I wouldn't use an ATM card or credit card at a club, even if in my possession, due to privacy/tracking risk and risk of padding the bill.
I can go to my bank ATM the day of a club visit for free. I don't club (or haven't really traveled lately anyway) in other states so always know I could go back later. I know the prices since I usually hit up the same club. If visiting a new club, I do my research (mostly here) as much as I can-at least to know the prices of dances. Cover and drinks aren't really going to break me, although drink charges (minimums) are a pain for sure a especially since I don't drink alcohol. Happy and safe 4th to all!
As you mentioned spending discipline is an issue for a lot of people. I have heard from several people who lost track of how much they had charged, usually while intoxicated, at the club until they check the next day.
Some people are also concerned about being ripped off by the club employees over charging them. This seemed to be a bigger issue 10+ years ago but I still hear of it happening occasionally.
If a PL is married and their spouse either doesn't know or doesn't approve of their clubbing it leaves a clear and obvious paper trail for their spouse to find.
Some PLs are also focused on ensuring anonymity when clubbing because of wanting to protect their reputation. These PLs never use their real name in a club and avoid clubs that scan IDs and won't use a credit/debit card because that links their real name to the club.
For me personally, it started after an incident where I either lost my wallet or it was stolen during a night of bouncing around between clubs. When I got back to the hotel I reached for my wallet because that's where I had put my hotel key and my wallet was gone. I immediately called and canceled all of my debit and credit cards and luckily none of them had been used, but it was a pain in the ass being stuck out of town on business for the rest of the week without an ID, credit cards or my debit card. Luckily I had enough cash left over from the club to get by but it was a real inconvenience. Since that trip I have only taken what is absolutely necessary into a club just in case.
After that I just never looked back. For about 20 years now I've been cash and carry only. It also provides the added benefits of better spending tracking and, since I don't run a tab, the freedom to walk out the door at any time without having to wait for the bartender to cash me out.
Some girls I have an arrangement where I PayPal or Venmo the gratuity after the encounter.
Never lost my wallet in a club. Misplaced my cellphone a couple of times but found it pretty quickly.
Never used my debit card in a club. Used a credit card to run a bar tab several times when I knew I'd be hanging with a girl who likes to get her drink on. These were with bartenders I've known for years, no issues. As mentioned though I've sometimes had more of a delay than I like to close out the tab.
Everyone rolls a little differently.
I've always used a card and even when I'm drunk it still has a limit. I've never had a problem but it depends on the club too.
I have lost my eyeglasses, more than once. As I have cut back on drinking I have become less liable to depart without them.
Having an additional requirement (a rotating code on your phone) that is mutually exclusive from and additive to the first (your password) can in no way make anything less secure. That's like saying that requiring two keys to open a door makes the door less secure. What it does is make it more difficult for the owner to get in, but that's not less secure, it's more secure. It ensures that if your password is stolen or sniffed out in some way, that the attacker must physically have your phone in order to log in. This is much more secure in every way.
Cash is different. I don't trust myself not to spend every single dollar, so I only take the amount of cash that I'm willing to spend. Any cash I have over that amount, I leave at home in my piggy bank.