[TomDavey]

I hugely dislike the POS terminal for exactly this reason: "The waiter brings the POS terminal and you pay at the table."

The experience I dislike goes like this: The server gives you the hand-held terminal and then stands watching you, tapping his/her foot impatiently, while you hurriedly verify the check, then calculate a tip amount under the server's scrutiny. I guess I'm a wimp. With the server's eyes on me, I feel the pressure to tip generously, no matter how poor the service or the overall experience.

By contrast, I find the traditional system, where the server would drop off the paper check for you to examine on your own time, to be private, un-rushed, and less prone to error.

After three decades of paying my restaurant checks without a POS terminal, I've never encountered any monkey business during the brief time the server is in possession of my credit card. Is "restaurant credit-card fraud" really a thing?

[winnie_ua]

In my country they bring in the receipt first, and let you take a look at it. Perhaps negotiate with your peers who pays what amount and so one.

And than in 10 minutes waiter arrive with hand held POS.

[lxgr]

It does happen, but thanks to the chip rollout, the value of a skimmed magnetic stripe read is falling drastically.

No idea if there is non-negligible fraud in the form of staff copying down the card number and security code for online payments fraud, though.

[oneeyedpigeon]

Some places, the waiter leaves the POS with you and collects it after a minute. Those are good places.