How to Deal with a Declined Credit Card as a Waiter

Eventually, it's going to happen: one of your customers is going to come up with a declined credit or debit card to pay for a meal. As a server, how you handle this situations affects the result at the table. The declined credit card may be an embarrassing situation for a customer. On the other hand, it may be something that he/she can take care of easily with other forms of payment. Or a customer may be trying to scam you. But in any case, handling the situation with aplomb will help you come out on top and spare any grief for your customers.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Be discreet. Don't make a big deal about a declined card, it can happen to anyone. Being nonchalant about the card is a courtesy to your customers and help them avoid feeling bad about having handed you an unusable card.

2. Ask for another form of payment. Be brief and to the point; generally they will have cash or another way to pay.

3. Skip the "washing dishes" jokes. Yes, you're technically within your rights to roll out the old line about having customers wash dishes to pay for their meal, but these kinds of jokes often come off as offensive or boorish and cause unnecessary friction. Be polite and let the customer sort it out.

4. Stay out of the situation. Don't get in the middle of any table scenario where multiple people are offering to pay the tab. Let the table sort it out among themselves. In fact, it's best to walk away and give the table a few moments to collectively figure out how to pay.

5. Follow policy in worst-case scenarios. While you want to help the customer out, you also have to think about a worst-case scenario where they will ask to go to a nearby cash machine or even their car. Find out about your restaurant's policy for collecting collateral in the form of an ID or other ways to help get payment. Your courtesy and kindness as a server shouldn't extend to just letting customers walk away without arranging for payment in a secure way.

Who Can Help:

• eFax is the world’s #1 Internet fax service.  Send and receive faxes by email and kiss your fax machine goodbye. 30-Day Free Trial