I am stunned at how many websites have absolutely dreadful credit card handling. Pathetic, unhelpful, and just wrong sometimes. I have a litany of gripes about existing sites. It's embarrassing to be part of a group of software engineers that just can't get the basics right.
Todays example? United Airlines Easy Checkin page (see screenshot below). What's wrong with the error message? Not all credit cards have sixteen digits. This website has just annoyed or peeved any customer who used an American Express - 15 digits, Diners club - 14 digits, and some Visa cards - 13 digits. It took me two minutes to look up this info in my credit card processor documentation. Too bad United Airlines developers don't know how to look up this simple information.
What's your favorite online credit card validation story?
