As I waited in line to pay at a café in Montréal, the customer ahead of me tried to pay by debit, payer par débit, with his bank card.
When you pay by debit with a bank card, the amount is withdrawn directly from your bank account (unlike when you pay by credit card where you pay at a later date).
The cashier tried a few times to get the bank card machine to work but was unsuccessful. She let the customer have his order for free.
She then asked me if I would be paying in cash (presumably so she wouldn’t have to give me my order for free too!).
She asked:
Vous payez comptant, monsieur?
Comptant is pronounced like content.
