Jeremy Smith writes:

I too have noticed a growing trend in the use of electronic money for a wide range of transactions. For example. I have an ATM card that was issued on my checking account. With it, I can make purchases at any place displaying the Interlink symbol. This includes gas stations, fast food places, and a lot of common stores such as the Good Guys, Circuit City, etc. Personally, I find this way of doing business a lot more conveinent than carrying cash money. No large demoninations to worry about, and if you are robbed, they have to crack your PIN to use the card. If they use a portabel reader, you could be screwed. But, in most cases you would have time to call customer service and cancel the card. I love progress.

In Denmark practically everybody has a 'DAN-card', a card with which all purchaces, no matter how small, can be charged directly to one's bank account. There is no charge for using or having the card, and it can be used practically everywhere. If for some reason you still want cash, there are plenty of ATMs around. This means that the banks and the government know pretty much how much each of us spends on everything, but that's ok since we all trust the banks and the government :-( . When are we going to get real and untracable (!) electronic money ? Morten V. Christiansen Morten.V.Christiansen@Copenhagen.NCR.COM