Page 92 - Waiter-Learner Manual (ENGLISH).indd

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE - LEARNER'S MANUAL

Charge cards require holders to repay the total amount charged on a monthly basis.
Generally, there is no limit to the amount, which can be charged against such cards.

Commonly used charge cards are:
American Express Diners Club

Charge cards may come in different colours (American Express or Amex is issued in blue,
silver, gold, platinum and black) but the design and symbols on them are the same.
All credit and charge cards have the name of the owner stamped in raised print on
them together with a unique card number and expiry date. These are all important
details, which must be checked for security reasons. Credit card fraud remains a real
problem internationally so great care should be exercised when accepting payment by
this means.

There is a procedure for accepting most credit cards:

• Is the card acceptable to the restaurant? -
will the restaurant display which cards from
the above list they are willing to accept?
• Phone for authorisation - this is a
procedure to verify that the card is valid.
It is increasingly common for this to be
undertaken by means of a "swipe machine"
which is computerised and will obtain authorisation for you - it will display an
"accept" sign when the card has been checked. Both these procedures are
important to counter fraud.
• Has the card expired? If the date is after that printed on the card, it should not
be accepted.
• Is the card in the same name as the guest? It is not acceptable to use a card
unless it belongs to you and the signature on the card is that of the person
using it.
• Is it on the credit card stop list? Card companies regularly issue lists of lost or
stolen cards
• It may be necessary to check whether the card is on that list although the
checking procedure (above) should indicate whether there is a problem.
• Does the signature match? This is a vital check to avoid fraud.
• Return the card, top voucher and copy of the bill to the guest. It is important
to complete the whole transaction openly in front of the guest because many
cardholders are very concerned about fraud.

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