I just worry that it's too much information on one card. You forget that card at a restaurant, and the person who has it has all the info they need to conduct transactions online without the card present. In particular, the info that licenses have displayed which credit cards don't is the home address, which is used as a major part of most card verifications.

I'd done some looking for a client on being able to scan drivers license info. From what I could find out, unless you are a law enforcement officer, it's illegal to use the magstrip data from a Texas Drivers License.

So, either that has changed (yeah!) or the are operating illegally... Please let it be the former...

Good grief. Talk about one-stop shopping for identity theft.

Besides, I already have two cards in my wallet that refund either 3 or 5% per gallon depending on where I buy gasoline. At any price over $1.00/gallon, I'm still money ahead of this program.

This is really frickin' cool. I hope it works out for all of us. Credit card processing fees are much higher than the actual cost of approving a card which is fractions of a penny per transaction. It can't possibly cost more than that. I know there are administrative fees and what not, but still, it can't cost nearly as much as they're taking in.

Hey NPC and Consumerist, thank you for helping us help you help us all!

I'm not a big fan of ACH debits. They're essentially an electronic check, so you have none of the usual consumer protections you get with a credit card. And if you have a dispute with the vendor, they have essentially unfettered access to your checking account and can clean you out.

Shell has something similar now. shellsavercard.com
It has a pin and they get their money by an electronic check to your checking account. They have a special card for it though. Right now it's $.05/gallon until the promo period ends. Afterward it's $.02/gallon. Saw it at the gas station this weekend.

There are quite a few credit cards out there that give 3-5% cash back on purchases at gas stations, so they're going to have to do a lot better than 3 cents per gallon.

As for the identity theft angle, it says no info is stored on the card. So presumably NPC simply links your driver's license number to your bank account info. While people who directly get access to NPC's systems might be able to get both pieces of information, assuming this system is designed right, nobody (including the gas station) is going to be able to get any more information from your license card itself than they already do today.

@SacraBos: Can Texas liquor stores scan DLs to verify age? I know that some stores here in Arkansas scan them for that purpose.

@huadpe: Ah Ha, but I have "Verified by Semen". A new company that...well, you probobly get the idea.

@Wormfather is Wormfather: Do they make shopping fun again?

All my private ID info and a link to my bank account?
What could possibly go wrong?!!!!??!!!?1!!

Tying your bank account to your drivers license just doesn't sound very secure. No thanks. I can probably save more by just driving less.

@Wormfather is Wormfather: Win! Ew, but win.

@jeffbone: Same here. This goes for the cash discount places too.

NO NO NO

@SacraBos: Texas Transoprtation Code §521.126:

(e) The prohibition provided by Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to a financial institution or a business if the information is accessed and used only for purposes of identification verification of an individual or check verification at the point of sale for a purchase of a good or service by check.

Maybe they're interpreting this as an exception?

As Norm McDonald used to say...

It's all part of the plans for a major, major disaster.

Nope, no way, no how. Not gonna do it. Can't make me.

@jeffbone: i was just about to write the same post

@shadowboxer524:
I work retail for a large corporation and when a customer wants to apply for credit or write a check we can swipe the DL and get the info off it such as Name, address, and age, and DL #. According to the license itself, the only information contained when scanned is the same info as what's printed on the front. (In MI.) I'm just surprised our POS machines were updated to accommodate such convenience. (IMO)

I am no tin foil hat wearer, but, this sounds like the test of some sort of Big Brother system to track people's financial transactions.

None of your information on your DL can be used much against you, unless you live in a state where your DL # IS your SSN, in which case you're kind of SOL to begin with. The people panicking about "BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL MY INFO!" please consider the fact that 1) If a criminal wants to get ahold of your private information, there are a ton of easier ways to do it than physically confiscating your DL (and really, they'd rather have your credit cards), and 2) no information is stored on the ID card that isn't already there, as the article stated, geniuses.
If you're that paranoid about Fraud/ID theft, be proactive and get some protection in place. I'd bet your CC company offers some kind of coverage, if not your bank. Wouldn't recommend lifelock though (and if you've been a consumerist reader for a few months, you probably already know why). In addition, as most consumerists know, you can put a fraud alert on your credit bureau reports for free, which would alert you to any changes/hits to your report.

Or you could just use cash, everywhere, forever, and never worry about it, ever.

@Triborough: If you don't think your transactions that you make today on your credit card can be correlated back to you by the merchant, without DL info, you're sorely mistaken.

Wait until you find out how much information there will be on a National ID card. It's the only card you will need for ANY type of transaction. Maybe not initially but I'm eventually that, that one ID card will contain everything there is to know about you. I say no to the whole thing and would give up my citizenship in order to do so.

@smallestmills: It'd be a pretty easy feature to add. The mag stripes on driver's licenses follow the same standard as the mag stripes on credit cards, so the existing readers could handle them. It was probably just a software update.

@deadspork: The driver's license part doesn't worry me, but the ACH part sure does.

@jeffbone: Why does everyone advertize this as though those $100 yearly (or more) AMEX fees are immaterial? Lets see - $25 to fill up, 3% cash back ($0.75). ~134 fillups a year to pay for that fee, thats roughly a fillup every 2.75 days.

Obviously, you use the card for other things, and thats great. I'm just saying, those cash back things arent just free money.

@JGKojak: win

@scottywz: @shadowboxer524: There was a "Opinion" by the Texas AG that allowed bars/etc to use it for age testing, but sounds like they codified a little more reasonable expansion of that. Good to know!

So what happens if you default on a payment and suddenly your drivers license is suddenly invalid...

this is very evil, nwo, nanny state, big brother, 1984 etc

@scottywz: Sounds plausible. If this company creates an account for a person, swiping the license is just to verify the individual so the company will authorize the funds...

@nffcnnr: "All my private ID info..."

Like what? Your height? Your eye color? Whether or not you wear glasses? It's not like your DL contains your SSN or anything on it.

@deadspork: Isn't there a federal law that prohibits SSNs for DL#s? I could have sworn that one was passed 5 years ago or so. Are states that currently use SSNs in the process of switching over?

Actually, REAL ID does not add any additional personal information to your card. It simply links all your currently existing government records together (i.e. citizenship status, driving record, etc.) with a common key. Basically your DL number will be the primary key for your records at all agencies, whereas right now, each agency has their own key (SSA has your SSN, state police use your DL#, etc.)

The only mandated information that must be on the national ID card is name, DOB, gender, address, DL number, a photograph, and a signature.

The difference is that the national ID card will require a standard process for obtaining, instead of having each state dictate what paperwork is necessary. For example, Virginia residents need to provide proof of citizenship, proof of legal presence, and proof of residence to get a DL. In PA, at least when I had a DL, you only needed legal presence and residence. National ID will require all three documents nationwide (which would equate to SSA card, birth certificate, and a utility bill).

Everyone has misconceptions that national ID will have your fingerprints and retina scans on it and other biometrics, or some hokey stuff like that. REAL ID is the Microsoft Vista equivalent: all misconceptions without people actually knowing what it entails.

Did you know that almost every state already meets the REAL ID standards for what must be on the card? The only problems is that each state has to redo how it gives out cards and how other state agencies keep track of your records. It won't change for YOU at all.

@Davan: Please don't just post 'win'. If you want to express agreement, please do so with some insight into the post or some original response, otherwise it's just junk/spam.

@Davan: Not all AmEx cards have fees. I have a Blue Cash card with no yearly fee, excellent cash back rate.

@David Brodbeck:
Eh, technology. I usually just chalk it up to magic.

@themicah: Yeah, no way is 3 cents a gallon enough to persuade me to switch to this. At the height of gas prices, I was getting 20 cents a gallon on my credit card. If they can beat that, I'd consider it, but they won't be able to.

@Davan: The AmEx Blue card has cash back and no membership fee.

@SabreDC: Fingerprints, retina scans, biometrics, + RFID is all hokey stuff?! It's coming my friend. There will be a day when you will be forced to have a RFID or similar device embedded under your skin without your consent.

@David Brodbeck: I agree that this is a Bad Idea. Everyone always complains about debit cards being insecure, but ACH lets all hang out.

@SabreDC: The biggest misconception about Real ID is that it serves some legitimate purpose.

@GTI2.0: I do know that, but this takes it one step further by being integrated with something government issued.

@orlo: It does serve a legitimate purpose - pork!

@Davan: sorry, I wasn't clear. I have the Costco-branded AmEx which is essentially free with membership. Others here have pointed out similar alternatives.

Your point is well taken, however, one should look at the total cost of card ownership before getting fixated on cash-back deals (Discover, call your office...).

@kaptainkk: Yes, and we'll all have flying cars and teleporters by the year 2000.

@orlo: It serves many legitimate purposes. It puts a true relational database behind government record keeping, making it much more efficient. Do you know how much time is wasted if the state police pull over someone with a stolen tag to try and find if that person is a citizen or an illegal alien? Have you ever had to transfer a license from one state to another? When I moved from PA to VA, I had to sit for a cumulative 12+ hours in DMVs waiting. The transfer process takes so long because VA, for example, has to create you in their system with the necessary bookkeeping procedures. Wouldn't it be much more efficient to just click a button and transfer your old records to your new state?

@SabreDC: some states used to use the social security number as a drivers license number. i have heard that was changing but i don't know if it's taken effect everywhere yet

@SabreDC:

I don't care how easy it makes it for the government I won;t participate in it. I don't trust them enough and neither should you. This is how we lose our liberties, one small piece at a time. They just keep getting eroded. What happens if a lot of people like myself refuse to be "included" in this national ID effort? What then? It's bullshit that the government is okay with invasion of our privacy and it's even more ridiculous that you are fine with it. The line must drawn somewhere and I'm drawing it here.