[neatoincognito]

From my observations, the fastest cash transaction will outpace the fastest credit transaction by a wide margin

Nearly every modern point of sale self-swipe card terminal will allow you to swipe, insert pin, and sign electronically before the cashier can finish scanning your items. The only step left once that has completed is to approve the transaction total with the push of a button. I wish more people were aware of this, and then card transactions would be faster.

[stellar678]

I'm not sure I've ever seen one that lets you sign before the cashier is done scanning. Wouldn't that defeat the whole premise of signing "I agree to pay the amount above in full"?

You can do everything up to that point - 'what type of card is this', etc... And many places are going signature-free below a certain transaction size, so I suppose all interactions can be handled in those cases before the 'total' key is hit.

[Splines]

In my experience, you can get as far as needing to hit "I agree to pay" and scribbling on the touch screen.

Entering in/scanning your customer loyalty number and pulling out your credit card and scanning it (and pressing credit/debit) is what I've been able to "preload".

One other neat thing I've noticed is that at my Costco gas station, I can pull the pump out and select my gas type while simultaneously scanning my costco + credit card. I usually try to time myself with the person in front of/behind me to see if I can start my pump faster than them. I usually win :)

[danio]

All the POS card readers that I've seen (UK maybe it's different in US?) don't display insert card until the cashier has finished scanning the items and pressed total. On the occasions that I have tried putting the card in before the machine asks for it, the transaction usually ends up having to be redone.

[dangrossman]

I never pay debit, even though it'd be faster, because all bank card reward programs I'm part of only apply to credit transactions. I value the discount the rebates equate to over the time saving of not having to sign for each purchase.

[misterbwong]

I think people are aware of this but many (e.g. my mom) like to watch all transactions and are wary of swiping anything before they're sure the amount is correct. They assume that swiping is a commitment to pay.