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Will smartphone ownership become a de facto requirement?

Started by hbelkins, September 27, 2021, 04:09:01 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Regarding work phone issues described above.  I just get around the problem by bouncing work calls to my personal cell. 


hotdogPi

Quote from: Rothman on September 27, 2021, 09:34:11 PM
Quote from: 1 on September 27, 2021, 09:21:25 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 09:18:46 PM
Regarding cash vs. plastic, after a lull in the notices, I've again started to see signs about a coin shortage with preferences for people to pay with plastic instead of legal tender.

If you pay exact change, they would probably appreciate it even more than paying with plastic, as it means they have more coins (and small bills) to give out as change to those who don't follow the signs.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 09:18:46 PM
I'll try, although to be honest, it's become a habit anytime I type those words so the social media nags don't affix meaningless nags or "fact" checks.

I'm not aware of any automated fact checking (other than one user-created bot on Reddit several years ago that infamously ranted against the fish parasites myth when seeing "selfish parasites"). It would seem way too prone to false positives.
He's talking about the Facebook tags to posts that lead you to credible sources about vaccinations and COVID.  If you mention either, Facebook provides the links to fight misinformation about them.

Any mention seems a bit excessive, but it might be necessary, as only tagging the false ones would be hard to figure out by an AI in the example below:

Should be flagged: Ivermectin works
Should not be flagged: Why do people think Ivermectin works?
Should not be flagged: People have been protesting outside hospitals with signs saying Ivermectin works
Should not be flagged: Ivermectin works poorly
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Scott5114

Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 09:32:57 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 27, 2021, 09:28:30 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 09:18:46 PM
Regarding work requiring smartphones: If it's a work-provided device, are you allowed to use it for personal reasons? Could you, for instance, put an event ticketing app on it and use it if that app served no work purpose?

It really depends on how strict your employer's policies are. I think most allow a reasonable amount of personal use. I know a lot of companies are also switching to BYOD so then it becomes irrelevant.

A major problem with that is that if you use your personal device for work reasons, it becomes discoverable in any legal actions. I occasionally had to do work stuff after hours from home on personal equipment years ago, but once work devices were issued to me, I keep all my work stuff off the stuff I own.

That, and the fact that if an employer wants you to have a device to do work functions on, they need to pay to get you that device. The whole purpose of getting a job is to make money, not to have some new reason to spend money. (I don't need a boss for that–I'm already married.)
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Duke87

Quote from: cabiness42 on September 27, 2021, 09:28:30 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 09:18:46 PM
Regarding work requiring smartphones: If it's a work-provided device, are you allowed to use it for personal reasons? Could you, for instance, put an event ticketing app on it and use it if that app served no work purpose?

It really depends on how strict your employer's policies are.

Indeed. My father, who works as a doctor for the local hospital, is allowed to install any app in the App Store that he wants on his work-issued phone, and he uses the phone as his personal cell as well because he looks at it as "hey work is paying for my phone, why should I pay for another one?"

On the other hand, there are other employers who keep their work-issued devices locked down tight and make it so you can't install anything on them other than specific approved work-related apps. If you work for one of these companies you can't realistically use your work phone for personal stuff, they straight up won't let you.

The other pitfall of using your work phone for personal use is that your employer then owns/controls your phone number... so you'll need to get a new number when you change jobs, inform all your contacts of such, update all your online accounts that use your phone number for 2-factor authentication, etc.




Regarding the original question, I don't think it's very common to actually be required to have a smartphone, some places just decline to advertise the alternatives in order to try to push everyone into downloading their app.

MLB, for example, makes it sound like you need the MLB Ballpark app to get into a game, but you don't actually. The ticketmaster website is able to generate the QR codes necessary to scan you in so you can get in without using the app (I have done so myself, even). In theory this also means you could print out said QR code rather than bringing it on your phone, and it would scan - so you could get in without using a smartphone, at least so long as the person at the gate doesn't decide to give you a hard time about it. FWIW, I have witnessed someone get into a ballpark with a printed out screenshot this year, though have not attempted this myself.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

vdeane

It's also worth noting that bringing your own device means that your employer now has a say in how that device operates.  That's certainly not my cup of tea.  I won't even run Windows 10 in part because I don't even want Microsoft doing that (this is incidentally why streaming media can be touchy on Linux - the copyright holders don't like that Linux allows users to be their own IT admins, whereas Microsoft and Apple are more than happy to usurp user control to enforce DRM restrictions and whatnot).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Scott5114

Quote from: vdeane on September 27, 2021, 10:36:20 PM
It's also worth noting that bringing your own device means that your employer now has a say in how that device operates.  That's certainly not my cup of tea.  I won't even run Windows 10 in part because I don't even want Microsoft doing that (this is incidentally why streaming media can be touchy on Linux - the copyright holders don't like that Linux allows users to be their own IT admins, whereas Microsoft and Apple are more than happy to usurp user control to enforce DRM restrictions and whatnot).

Of course, Linux being how it is, chances are there's either check boxes buried in the Edit Preferences dialog, or flags that can be set in the program's RC file, for "Ignore DRM" and/or "Spoof user agent"!
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

J N Winkler

Quote from: hbelkins on September 27, 2021, 04:09:01 PMIn that thread, someone mentioned needing some kind of electronic proof of vaccination. One day last week, I saw a news story that was accompanied by a photo of some sort of device scanning something on a smartphone in Europe for proof of vaccination.

So my question was; are we getting to a point where owning a smartphone is going to become a requirement to participate in society?

We may very well be headed in that direction, but I am not aware of a vaccine-verification program that requires possession of a smartphone.  In France, for example, the proof is also issued in paper form (similarly to CDC cards here in the US), so that can be used as an alternate to a covid app on a smartphone.

Quote from: CoreySamson on September 27, 2021, 04:50:11 PMIt sure seems like society is heading that way. I sure hope it doesn't become like how credit cards are putting cash out of business (figuratively). You see, I don't like credit cards very much. I don't trust myself enough to pay the credit card bill on time every month when I go off to college (not that I can't discipline myself to do it), so I would rather just pay with cash, checks, or maybe even a debit card so I don't fall into credit card debt. The problem with that is that someday if I buy a house when I'm older, I'll have to provide a credit score so I can apply for a good loan rate. But if I don't have a credit score because I'm not using a credit card, then I'm going to get cheated of a good rate (even if I'm responsible borrowing money outside of credit cards) because I don't have a credit score. Correct me if I'm wrong about this.

There are two related but separate problems here--billminding and building a credit history.

In order to have a credit score, you need to have a credit history.  Credit cards help build one, but so do store cards, car loans, and so on.

But in order to have a good credit history, you need to show that you consistently pay bills in full and on time.  Personal finance 101 is to use a credit card for the float only--in other words, don't spend more with the card in a given billing cycle than you have available in the bank to cover the bill when it comes, so that you can pay it in full.  People sometimes think they have to pay less than the full amount (sometimes the minimum payment, sometimes an amount between the minimum and the full outstanding amount), and later pay it off, so that they can show the credit rating agencies that they can carry a balance from month to month.  That is a myth:  failure to pay the bill in full every month only invites the agencies to think that you are living beyond your means and are therefore a poor credit risk.

Paying bills on time is indeed one area in which young (and not-so-young) adults can stumble.  It helps to have one place where all bills are kept before they are paid, and get in the habit of sitting down to pay them and handle other household finance tasks (such as balancing the checkbook, updating a Quicken transaction register, etc.) on a regular basis, say once a week.  Some people are very disciplined about opening a bill on the day it arrives in the mail and writing the amount and due date on the outside of the envelope as a reminder.

Autopay can be a good solution if you are sure you will have enough in the source bank account to meet expenses without it going into overdraft at any point (e.g., your bills are predictable and you can cover this month's with last month's income), but you do still have to monitor your account for surprises (e.g., a big water bill from a leak in the supply line between the street and your house).  You should also assume that cancelling an automatic payment (e.g., to stop a gym membership you aren't using) will be a two-step process--terminating the contract with the payee and cancelling the payment mandate with your bank.

Quote from: CoreySamson on September 27, 2021, 04:50:11 PMEssentially owning a credit card has become so ingrained in our society that not owning one puts you at a disadvantage. For example, some Chick-Fil-A's have gone cashless, meaning if you don't have a credit card, you won't be able to pay for a meal there. Walmart's recently been phasing out traditional registers in favor of self-checkout lanes that only accept credit cards, so if you're paying with cash, then you'll have to suffer through either a longer line at the manned checkout or maybe not even being able to pay at all (I've heard at night Walmarts now don't have anyone manning the registers).

For years now it's been difficult to rent a car or check into a motel without a credit card.  Even with a debit card, it can be difficult to buy fuel at the pump due to temporary holds placed on your funds. While preloaded cards and the like ensure the unbanked (6% of US households) aren't completely cut off from the plastic world, a credit card is still worth having for enhanced fraud protection.  If the credit limit is high enough, you basically never have to worry about fiddly stuff like $50 holds as a result of refueling your car.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

1995hoo

Quote from: Duke87 on September 27, 2021, 10:34:51 PM

....

MLB, for example, makes it sound like you need the MLB Ballpark app to get into a game, but you don't actually. The ticketmaster website is able to generate the QR codes necessary to scan you in so you can get in without using the app (I have done so myself, even). In theory this also means you could print out said QR code rather than bringing it on your phone, and it would scan - so you could get in without using a smartphone, at least so long as the person at the gate doesn't decide to give you a hard time about it. FWIW, I have witnessed someone get into a ballpark with a printed out screenshot this year, though have not attempted this myself.

I know that at Verizon Center, at least, screenshots and printouts haven't worked for several years, and the mobile ticket tells you that in big letters, but people persist in trying and it always holds up the line.

I added my ticket to tomorrow night's preseason hockey game to the Apple Wallet on my phone. I see it doesn't have a QR code, though. I'll be interested to see whether the code populates tonight (24 hours before game time) or whether they have a new reader system.




Regarding a vaccination-proof program, if you go somewhere that uses CLEAR (same company that runs the express lane to skip the ID checkpoint at some airports), you have to use their app (which is free for the medical record feature), although I've heard sports arenas that use them may offer an alternative for people who don't have smartphones.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

webny99

Quote from: J N Winkler on September 28, 2021, 02:22:46 AM
But in order to have a good credit history, you need to show that you consistently pay bills in full and on time.  Personal finance 101 is to use a credit card for the float only--in other words, don't spend more with the card in a given billing cycle than you have available in the bank to cover the bill when it comes, so that you can pay it in full.  People sometimes think they have to pay less than the full amount (sometimes the minimum payment, sometimes an amount between the minimum and the full outstanding amount), and later pay it off, so that they can show the credit rating agencies that they can carry a balance from month to month.  That is a myth:  failure to pay the bill in full every month only invites the agencies to think that you are living beyond your means and are therefore a poor credit risk.

I agree with this 100%. In addition, you're likely to incur interest on any outstanding balance if you don't pay in full every month.

When you start thinking about a credit card differently than a debit card because you don't *have* to have the money right then and there, that's when you start running into issues with living beyond your means. Then debt and interest can pile up very quickly, so it's best not to ever go down that track to begin with.

hotdogPi

I've never understood the point of having a credit card if you have a positive amount of money. Why not just take it out of what you have and avoid paying interest?
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

webny99

#35
Quote from: 1 on September 28, 2021, 08:15:42 AM
I've never understood the point of having a credit card if you have a positive amount of money. Why not just take it out of what you have and avoid paying interest?

It's mainly for:
1) convenience
2) building your credit score, as has been discussed in this thread

Also, most (all?) cards don't accrue interest as long as you pay in full every month.

Max Rockatansky

I never really used the credit card points thing myself.  I tried it a couple times but I would sometimes forget to pay everything off before the interest hit.  That was enough to dissuade me from the practice.  My wife is big on paying on credit card and paying them off.  She has to constantly monitor the activity of those cards which seems like too much work versus accumulating maybe $100-$200 dollars in rewards annually.

SectorZ

Quote from: 1 on September 28, 2021, 08:15:42 AM
I've never understood the point of having a credit card if you have a positive amount of money. Why not just take it out of what you have and avoid paying interest?

- Faster to use
- Can use any self-serve cashier station, many do not accept cash
- Can keep track of finances much easier
- Receive points for any manner of things based on the type of credit card
- Build credit. Part of your credit score is average age of credit account, and having one that is 24 years old and counting is helpful for my score
- Avoid a huge loss of cash if you get robbed, lose your wallet, etc

hotdogPi

Quote from: SectorZ on September 28, 2021, 08:45:45 AM
Quote from: 1 on September 28, 2021, 08:15:42 AM
I've never understood the point of having a credit card if you have a positive amount of money. Why not just take it out of what you have and avoid paying interest?

- Faster to use
- Can use any self-serve cashier station, many do not accept cash
- Can keep track of finances much easier
- Receive points for any manner of things based on the type of credit card
- Build credit. Part of your credit score is average age of credit account, and having one that is 24 years old and counting is helpful for my score
- Avoid a huge loss of cash if you get robbed, lose your wallet, etc

Some of those can just as easily be done with a debit card.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

1995hoo

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 28, 2021, 08:26:45 AM
I never really used the credit card points thing myself.  I tried it a couple times but I would sometimes forget to pay everything off before the interest hit.  That was enough to dissuade me from the practice.  My wife is big on paying on credit card and paying them off.  She has to constantly monitor the activity of those cards which seems like too much work versus accumulating maybe $100-$200 dollars in rewards annually.

I use the various rewards features. Discover, for example, has 5 percent cashback bonus (up to $75 maximum) at grocery stores from January to the end of March each year. Of course I pay for the groceries with Discover during that time period. If you spend $100 at the grocery store, that's $5, which isn't much on its own, but I always max out the $75 without even trying over the course of the three months, and $75 is a significant enough amount (I roll it back in as a statement credit). Last year, American Express had a wireless phone service credit available, so of course I set my mobile phone bill to autopay with American Express. (A traditional American Express charge card, of course, requires paying the balance in full every month, though some of those charge cards will let you extend payment but with a high interest rate.)

The key is not to get obsessed with the rewards and points to a degree where you waste a lot of time thinking about it.

I used a debit card once upon a time when I was in my 20s and didn't know any better. It made a mess of my bank statements due to the sheer volume of transactions. Using American Express made for a much cleaner statement. (I know, many 20-somethings don't scrutinize bank statements for errors, either. Their mistake.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: J N Winkler on September 28, 2021, 02:22:46 AM

For years now it's been difficult to rent a car or check into a motel without a credit card.  Even with a debit card, it can be difficult to buy fuel at the pump due to temporary holds placed on your funds. While preloaded cards and the like ensure the unbanked (6% of US households) aren't completely cut off from the plastic world, a credit card is still worth having for enhanced fraud protection.  If the credit limit is high enough, you basically never have to worry about fiddly stuff like $50 holds as a result of refueling your car.

For fuel, I know people who buy gift cards with cash and then use the gift cards to pay for fuel at the pump. Seems like a lot of effort to avoid using a credit card, but at least they avoid going inside every time they fill up.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Rothman

I pay off my credit card every month through autopay.  I use the points for free hotel nights, which enables travel, which is what life is all about.

Being able to use a credit card like this also allows more cash to pile up in my checking account due to the month delay in needing to pay it off.  I find it has a more positive effect on my cash flow than negative -- and I prefer the monthly hit to immediate withdrawals that a debit card induces.

As someone else mentioned, there is more fraud protection with a credit card and fraudulent purchases are easily dealt with.  Having to deal with actual hits to cash would be a little more stressful.

That said, if your expenses are right at the level of your income or beyond, I can see a credit card causing serious issues (i.e., if you cannot guarantee enough cash to pay it off every month).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

SP Cook

Phones - Not actually required.  There are a lot of people who live simply.  They don't go to major concerts, big league sports, etc.  They also don't care what some actor or athlete posted on twitter or facebook.  They can get by, quite well, with a "dumb phone"  or even a landline phone.  But, it is going to become harder and harder to live an active life style without one. 

Credit cards - IMHO, the economically reasonable thing to do is to charge most everything to an "affinity card"  related to whatever activity you enjoy (air travel, hotels, cruises, ball games, whatever) and then pay it off without interest.  You can rack up SERIOUS points towards free stuff.  If you are further down the economic ladder, the standard "cash back"  cards are more freely available and cash is cash.   If you really cannot find an affinity card for something you like, a lot of charities and such have cards that will send the cash back to it.

The next step is for places to STOP TAKING CHECKS.  Anyone with a checking account can get a free debit card that works just like a credit card.  Writing a check when people are behind you is rude.  The 1950s are over, it was in all the papers.

Cash - Cash has a cost, especially to small businesses.  Somebody has to go to and from the bank every day, which that somebody gets paid for that.  Also the risk of robbery is a thing.  For example, my dry cleaner hasn't taken cash for years.  Works great, and, with no cash on hand, who is going to rob the place?

I carry some cash, for emergencies, but the only time I use cash normally is to tip, since the waiter usually can just pocket the cash tips and what Uncle Sucker don't know, won't hurt him. 

I do think that with the inflation that seems to be coming is that the dollar bill is finally going to go away.  It isn't needed and is, AFAIK, the lowest value paper money among major countries.  The smallest Canadian bill is a 5, which is $3.95 US, the smallest Euro is also a 5, which is $5.85, the smallest Pound is also a 5, which is $6.50 US.

I read that the government has billions of dollar coins in a warehouse in Baltimore, because some obscure law made them mint so many, despite no banks ordering them.  So many they could replace the bills overnight without any issues. 

As dumb as having a bill that might = one vended Coke, imagine in 10 years when it might = 1/3rd of a vended Coke. 

Rant - The one thing that cell phones could change, and haven't.  Hotels.  Checking into a hotel.  You still have to deal with some clerk and go though a long and paper intensive process.  There is no reason that an app could not recognize you when you walked in, causing a dispenser to dispense a keycard (or have the phone itself be the key) with no human interaction.  It shouldn't take 15 minutes to check into a hotel.


abefroman329

Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AMRant - The one thing that cell phones could change, and haven't.  Hotels.  Checking into a hotel.  You still have to deal with some clerk and go though a long and paper intensive process.  There is no reason that an app could not recognize you when you walked in, causing a dispenser to dispense a keycard (or have the phone itself be the key) with no human interaction.  It shouldn't take 15 minutes to check into a hotel.

The Hilton chain offers this through their app.  You can select your room, check in, and even use your phone as your key at some hotels. 

I was sitting here wondering why kiosks never caught on with car rental companies [in the past, I've used them at National, Alamo, and Hertz], and then I thought, duh, the kiosk can't give customers the hard sell on insurance, prepaid fuel, etc.  Although, with numerous agencies offering frequent renters the option to go straight to their car, they're probably unnecessary.

hotdogPi

Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AM
I do think that with the inflation that seems to be coming is that the dollar bill is finally going to go away.  It isn't needed and is, AFAIK, the lowest value paper money among major countries.  The smallest Canadian bill is a 5, which is $3.95 US, the smallest Euro is also a 5, which is $5.85, the smallest Pound is also a 5, which is $6.50 US.

India, Russia, and Indonesia all have smaller bills than US$1. That said, I absolutely do think that the $1 bill should be replaced with a coin.

Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AMCash - Cash has a cost, especially to small businesses.  Somebody has to go to and from the bank every day, which that somebody gets paid for that.  Also the risk of robbery is a thing.  For example, my dry cleaner hasn't taken cash for years.  Works great, and, with no cash on hand, who is going to rob the place?

Businesses don't need to pay credit card fees when cash is used, and in some cases, they don't have to pay taxes, either. Also, when a system fails, it's much more likely that cash works and credit doesn't than the other way around.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

abefroman329

Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AM
I carry some cash, for emergencies, but the only time I use cash normally is to tip, since the waiter usually can just pocket the cash tips and what Uncle Sucker don't know, won't hurt him. 

I do think that with the inflation that seems to be coming is that the dollar bill is finally going to go away.  It isn't needed and is, AFAIK, the lowest value paper money among major countries.  The smallest Canadian bill is a 5, which is $3.95 US, the smallest Euro is also a 5, which is $5.85, the smallest Pound is also a 5, which is $6.50 US.

I wish the dollar bill would go away, but you've identified one issue with dollar coins: $20 in dollar coins is a hell of a lot heavier and bulkier than dollar bills.  I don't know how restaurants handle it now, whether servers turn in excess cash every so often or what, but that'd be a logistical hurdle to deal with.

JayhawkCO

I missed the conversation last night about credit card points, but I have mine all set to auto pay the balance every month so I never pay interest and I've been able to travel to 66 countries because I've played the mileage game.  Seems well worth it to me, not to mention the purchase protection and whatnot you get from a credit card vs. a debit card.

Chris

1995hoo

Quote from: abefroman329 on September 28, 2021, 09:48:48 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AMRant - The one thing that cell phones could change, and haven't.  Hotels.  Checking into a hotel.  You still have to deal with some clerk and go though a long and paper intensive process.  There is no reason that an app could not recognize you when you walked in, causing a dispenser to dispense a keycard (or have the phone itself be the key) with no human interaction.  It shouldn't take 15 minutes to check into a hotel.

The Hilton chain offers this through their app.  You can select your room, check in, and even use your phone as your key at some hotels. 

....

The Hilton "Digital Key" feature is fantastic. The app lets you check in and select your room up to 24 hours in advance. When you do, if the hotel supports the "Digital Key," you can request it then (or at any time), so when you get to the hotel you simply bypass the check-in desk and go directly to your room and use your phone to unlock the door via Bluetooth. It's great when there's a line at the desk. You can also check out via the app. The one downside is that if you are travelling with someone else–you can only have ONE digital key per room, so either both of you must be together or you have to go to the desk to get a second key. But at least you can do that at a time when it's less busy. (Consider the likely wait time difference between arriving at a New York City hotel at 6:30 PM versus stopping by the desk at 9:30 for an extra key.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: 1995hoo on September 28, 2021, 10:06:01 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on September 28, 2021, 09:48:48 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 28, 2021, 09:42:22 AMRant - The one thing that cell phones could change, and haven't.  Hotels.  Checking into a hotel.  You still have to deal with some clerk and go though a long and paper intensive process.  There is no reason that an app could not recognize you when you walked in, causing a dispenser to dispense a keycard (or have the phone itself be the key) with no human interaction.  It shouldn't take 15 minutes to check into a hotel.

The Hilton chain offers this through their app.  You can select your room, check in, and even use your phone as your key at some hotels. 

....

The Hilton "Digital Key" feature is fantastic. The app lets you check in and select your room up to 24 hours in advance. When you do, if the hotel supports the "Digital Key," you can request it then (or at any time), so when you get to the hotel you simply bypass the check-in desk and go directly to your room and use your phone to unlock the door via Bluetooth. It's great when there's a line at the desk. You can also check out via the app. The one downside is that if you are travelling with someone else–you can only have ONE digital key per room, so either both of you must be together or you have to go to the desk to get a second key. But at least you can do that at a time when it's less busy. (Consider the likely wait time difference between arriving at a New York City hotel at 6:30 PM versus stopping by the desk at 9:30 for an extra key.)

Marriott has this as well, just in case anyone were interested.  It's called Mobile Key.

Chris

SkyPesos

^ I think most big hotel chains have this feature by now. I can say it for sure for Hyatt (the brand I stay in most often), though their number of properties that supports digital key is somewhat limited.



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