VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – While debit card payments are accepted at self-serve kiosks and on their vessels, they won’t be accepted at BC Ferries’ ticket booths anytime soon.
In October, BC Ferries rolled out the use of debit cards on routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland.
“Last fall we put it on the ships, so you can use it if you are buying a meal in the cafeteria or in the gift shop,” BC Ferries executive director of public affairs Deborah Marshall said.
However, Marshall re-iterated that debit card payments won’t be accepted at ticket booths because they would slow down the point of sale.
“We’d have to pass over the pin pad to the customer,” she said.
There are no immediate plans to initiate the use of debit at ticket booths, Marshall added.
Self-serve kiosks were also installed in Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen, Departure Bay, and Duke Point, which gave walk-on passengers a way to pay with debit.
Prior to the pilot project, onboard purchases and tickets were only available via credit cards or cash.
