Quoted from o-din:Why anybody uses a credit card for small in person purchases is beyond me.
My credit card has been compromised via mass hacks, but never locally. As had already been noted, the CC company generally sides with the card holder. If I drop my card on the floor, I cancel it and reverse any actual fraudulent charges. If I drop a twenty on the ground, I'm out $20.
Of course, I strictly use credit cards like a check book(at the end of the month, nothing rolls over to incur a charge), so my monthly statement makes it easy to track purchases and spot fraud.