I've used credit cards in fast food restaurants before, but only when I was out of cash and unable to get to an ATM that wouldn't charge a fee.

Are you kidding? I love being able to use my credit cards everywhere. Thanks to Consumerist, I have a great rewards card, and I also pay off my balance each month... that's a net gain for me, plus the convenience of not carrying cash and being able to defer the expense should an emergency arise.

Not everyone who uses a credit card frequently is a dunce.

I'm hungry ... and now I want a cheeseburger.

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Burger King is my favorite of the big fast food chains these days.

For some reason I had visions of credit card fraud, charging thousands of whoppers.

I use my debit card at every fast food chain I visit. I don't know of a place that doesn't take them anymore. It's just a sign of convenience really. I don't carry cash for anything except the few bucks I keep in my car for tolls, and except for the odd split check at a restaurant I haven't really had any problems with it.

I'm more intrigued by the free wi-fi. I was under the impression that fast-food joints were slowly shrinking their interior seating, playing bad music through shitty speakers and generally not giving a crap about the customer on purpose. I read somewhere that McDonalds and Taco Bell chose the colors in their restaurant seating areas because they made people feel uncomfortable and want to leave after they were done eating. Free wifi is antithetical to that idea. Plus, does it take so long to eat your value-meal that you need to check your email? Do you really have to snipe that ebay auction from the drive-thru?

I don't think they're really marketing to the broke here, they're marketing to people like myself and Fluiddruid who don't carry much cash around.

I think it's great that they accept them. Plus, those who are already $10,000 in debt aren't going to be put out over $11 for a couple of combo meals.

Kudos to that BK franchise for a humorous and eye-catching sign--AND also for free wi-fi!

@B: Why would you go out of your way to get cash if you had the credit/debit card option? For me, this is a convenience thing.

Haven't fast food joints accepted cards for years? Or maybe just in the areas I have lived? Or is the point here to stimulate discussion on the concept of charging fast food, rather than report on something that's been going on for the better part of a decade?

I don't really eat fast food anymore, but I will use this as a forum for a pet peeve. (pulls up soapbox)

Whenver one of these places has a credit card machine and it isn't working, please put up a visible sign on the counter so people in line who don't have cash will not stand there for 5 minutes for nothing. That happened to me twice.

(puts soapbox away)

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you were using an ATM and it gave you an out of service errror, would you tell the people waiting in line behind you that it isn't working, or would you just stuff your card in your wallet and let the poor dopes behind you stand in line for nothing.

Good stuff. I finished paying off all the pizzas I charged in college and grad school just shortly after my 35th birthday!

@public enemy #1: I used to tell people the ATM was broken, but they never listen. So I stopped. I'm not wasting my breath on people who would be stupid no matter what.

I can just see some BK employee with $10,000 credit card debt making that sign after someone asked him to loan them a dime (so they could pay for their dollar burger) for the tenth time that day.

@joemono: They're taking issue with the fact that the sign is appealing to people that have no money - not with people that have money and want the convenience of a card.

@youbastid: I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the sign...it's certainly a sign o' the times though.

I use my debit card when I run out of cash....I'm not always near my bank and there's no point to paying $2+ fees to get cash when I can use a debit card and get cash back.

Not news at all. I've been charging my subway sandwiches (and other healthy meals) for years now.

I know BK has had credit card acceptance for a while.

With the way Bush is ruining the country and the banks are ruining the economic infrastructure, it is no surprise that people have no money to even for $1.00 hamburger.

I bought a whopper with my debit card today for lunch. It was delicious, and not having to deal with change is always a nice thing.

This just gave us an idea: there should be a "Biggest Loser" show for personal debt.

That would be interesting assuming whoever actually produced the show didn't screw it up.

Yeah, if this sign were just about convenience it'd just say, "Don't have any cash?" or "No cash?" before the "We take cards" part.

This is news? The burger king has been accepting credit cards in my area for years now. I use my debit card as a credit card all the time. Everywhere I rarely use cash. saves money, time ect.

@shadow735: @DMDDallas: HellLOOOOOO RTFA. It's what the SIGN SAYS.

Given the typical American, chances are that even the most debt-ridden person will paid off the Whopper before they've worked that Whopper off their ass.

@Rectilinear Propagation:
How do you get that nifty quote box thingee?

@DeeJayQueue: "I was under the impression that fast-food joints were slowly shrinking their interior seating, playing bad music through shitty speakers and generally not giving a crap about the customer on purpose."

No. That was the 80s.

@johnva: I find paying with cash to be faster than paying with credit.

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

@B: I don't, at least at places that let you swipe the card yourself (like groceries). You can usually swipe it before they're even done entering the transaction (something that from observation a lot of people aren't aware of). Then it's way faster for me than counting out cash and waiting for them to make change, because I can be paying while they are still doing something else.

Just about every franchised store seem to take credit cards. There's been only one franchise store in my neighborhood that's cash only and that place doesn't see too much business from me anyhow.

Whether I'm in Boston, New York City, Orlando or New Orleans, it seems like every Burger King has only one credit card terminal, which is located a small walking distance from the register. Really wish they'd have a credit card terminal at the POS like every McDonald's does.

Yeah, old news. The "Free WiFi" on the sign is something I've not seen before, though.

@stinkingbob: oh here we go again with this nonsense ...

McD,s Wendys, White Castle, Dunkin Donuts.... EVERYONE accepts credit and debit cards now. How is this new?

@public enemy #1: generally, I watch the poor dope in front of me. ;) but in the event he gets the last $20 (leaving me nothing) I turn around and say it's empty.

@DMDDallas: Phew! I'm glad your charging HEALTHY meals! I was worried there for a second!

@azntg: Do you live in Bosnewyorlandorleans?

"This just gave us an idea: there should be a "Biggest Loser" show for personal debt."

There already is (kinda)! [www.aetv.com]

You get to feel all schadenfreude-y about grown adults who have to get their in-laws to hold onto their checkbooks, PLUS admire a bald man's sassy western-style shirts.

@macinjosh: Ahaha. I live in New York, visit Boston frequently and in love with New Orleans. Odd combo, I know.

put me in the category of folks that have been charging their #2 w/ cheese, pickles, onions & bacon only (large please, with a coke), for quite some time.

my only complaint is that instead of a pocketful of change, i end up with a pocketful of receipts. seriously. 3 receipts for one burger. is this really necessary?

Our local BK has been taking credit cards for some time. However, in the last week or so, I noticed they started asking "cash or credit" when I order at the drive-thru. After a couple times, I asked why they started asking and if there is a price difference. They said it amounts to "about a penny per item" for you to charge. So, can anyone confirm? Are they now charging more for using a credit card??

I don't get using debit cards.
- No rewards
- Less fraud protection
- No 'warranty' protection, etc

Why not use a CC, keep the $$ in the same debit account and pay off your credit card at the end of the month with the same money?

I only have an AMEX, don't really want a second card, and for a $4.36 meal I don't think it matters much.

I WANT A WARRANTY ON THAT BURGER PLZ.

I ALWAYS use credit cards for all my fast food transactions. American Expres Costco card and Chase freedom Visa/Mastercard both offer 3% cashback on fastfoods restaurants. Its a no brainer

Uhh...consumerist, this may come as a shock to you, but what you see/hear in advertising might not always be entirely accurate or otherwise designed to reflect reality.

One of the big things you want to watch out for - many fast food places won't give you a receipt when you pay. I went through a Wendy's once, used my bank card to pay for a $2.99 meal, and found a $29.99 charge on my card. Getting it fixed took over a month, as the store declared that I needed the receipt they never gave me to prove that the transaction they had no record of actually occurred.

This was more interesting (distressing) 5-6 years ago when this was the exception rather than the rule.

@SpdRacer: Precisely what I was thinking. This is the everyday norm. Why is it even posted here?

Not really interesting. I'll be interesting when BK can scan your brain, find out you're craving a Whopper, and automatically charge your card through its RFID chip.

Sure, the sign is kind of "in your face," but it's no different than buying anything else with a credit card when you don't actually have the money for it.

Get your BK Rewards MasterCard now, and get 10 free Whoppers!

Sweet free wifi! I'd think that would be the bigger issue with this sign.

@macinjosh:

How do you get that nifty quote box thingee?

@hegemonyhog: That's why you ask for a receipt after they swipe your card. I find simply saying "Receipt please" after you hand over your card to be very effective.

And if you can help it, avoid paying with a debit card for that very reason!

"This just gave us an idea: there should be a "Biggest Loser" show for personal debt."

I hope you call your Consumerist lawyer so you can collect royalties when someone swipes this idea, because it's a good one.