How many ice cream vans take credit cards?

[Simpo Two]

I ask because I've just had a mailshot from my CC company that says:

'Get more from your summer spending by earning cashback rewards on everything from ice creams to last minute breaks...'.

Eh? I can imagine the look on the man's face when I ask for a £1.80 '99' and wave a credit card at him...

But the envelope they used for the mailshot was 'carbon neutral' which was nice. I don't know how they can tell the difference - it looks like an ordinary envelope to me. Maybe it's made out of silicon. Hey ho.

Not a very impressive effort from the 'Head of Customer Service'.

[Simpo Two]

Something like a Lobster card would work, if you can just touch it or wave it over something, but I can't see anyone entering a pin number and whilst juggling four 99s and the queue piles up as the terminal says 'conecting...'

The only people that would get richer would be the banks.

[Simpo Two]

Lobster is my take on Oyster

As for 'contactless' in general, out here in Essex, 70 miles from the smoke, I've never seen or used contactless. It's all terminal and PIN as far as I can tell.

[Simpo Two]

Mr Will said:

If you've got one of their cards with what looks like a wifi symbol on it then you've already got a contactless card.

Both mine have that.

Mr Will said:

Touch the card against the pin terminal instead of inserting it

I just never thought of that... blimey, soon I shall be up with the trendy London set paying £3 for a cup of coffee whilst sitting on an aluminium chair in the street booking my pizza on a smartphone. Shudder!

NB I am certainly not going to pay using a bloody mobile phone!

[Simpo Two]

I suppose I COULD pay for an ice cream with my mobile phone (if I remembered to take it with me).

'A £1.80 99 please'

(splurt)

'That'll be £1.80 please'

'Can I pay for that with my mobile?'

'What kind is it?'

'It's a Noksung Andromeda 6.3 with GP3 and XPR and an app which allows you to fk up photos'

'Yeah, alright'.

The deal is struck; I get my ice cream and he gets a Noksung Andromeda which he can rechip/unlock yada and flog on eBay.


In reality my phone is not even smart. I expect he'd tell me to clear off and stop wasting his time.

[Simpo Two]

snobetter said:

A slight aside, ice cream vans around here (S. Devon) don't sell decent coffee, it's like being back in the 80's with a styrophome (spl?) cup of awful hot brown liquid. I'd be quite inclined to stop on my travels if I saw an ice cream van with a decent coffee advertised.

You'll be needing a coffee van sir...

[Simpo Two]

There's your niche buddy