Re:Scary (Score 5, Interesting)

VISA sure as heck does know. How do you think you get double points for gas, or hotel stays, or whatever? Depending on the card, up to the first 19 items you purchase get sent back to VISA. So if you don't want a record that you bought something, make it your 20th item (and don't buy 20 oranges, I wrote the software smart enough to group the same items). They do only know generic things (you purchased a food item, not that your purchased a specific candy bar), but the generic list is broken down into things like alcohol, tobacco, so they do have information you might not want them to know like that last Friday you bought a six pack and some smokes from the corner gas station.