Topic: Contactless Payment Cards

[Garden Manager]

Do you have one?

Do you use it Contactless?

Do you think they are a good idea or a threat to personal financial security?

I have just received one in the post today from my bank (Lloyds). I have been expecting it and dreading it in equal measure. I dont like the idea of them as i dont trust the security of them, plus by using then you are in less control of your money than with chip and pin. Yes i know payments are limited to £30 (how long before it rises to 50 or 100?) but using such a system makes it easier for theives and fraudsters to obtain your bank details with the right tech, whic can then be used for bigger payments in your name. I know this risk is slight but it is there with this relatively new technology.

Security concerns aside the thing theat annoys me the most is that Contactless is being forced on us and you have to opt out (if youy bank will allow it) rather than choosing to opt in. When you get a new card you go Contactless end of.

I now plan to use my card as little as possible. Use it online through secure sites for big purchases, use it to withdraw cash at an ATM and use cash for small payments in shops.

The banks have us over a barrel. There is very little we can do without our plastic cards and they know it, however if enough of us go back to cash and stop using our cards as much as possible and refuse Contactless payments at the tills than they might just realise the error of their ways

And Pigs Might Fly!!

[galina]

Have used it on the tube in London.  Was quite handy as my Oyster card was empty - same rate as Oyster card.  But I felt quite self conscious using it because it must be more attractive to thieves than an Oyster card. 

Not used it locally yet, most shops aren't geared up for them here.   

[BarriedaleNick]

I've been using my contactless card (we call them tappy cards in our house) for ages.  Use them in the pub, on the bus if I don't have my Oyster, in the local garden centre - pretty much everywhere I can.  I never have cash, which is a pain when I actually need some once a month or so, so for me it is a boon.  I don't really worry about fraudsters much, maybe I should but life is too short..

[maureen.alder.9]

I have had one since June but I forget and tend to use it the same as my old one by putting my pin in my local supermarket maybe I will remember one day and try it

[ACE]

I don't carry actual cash anymore. Tap the card on the reader, job done. No more pockets full of pennies to put in the pot.  Although not many doing the £?. 99 trick nowadays.

[johhnyco15]

its a bit like me except its the wife dont let me carry cash lol

[daveyboi]

After the teething problems were sorted out about 18 months ago I have been using mine regularly without any problems and find it much quicker and more convenient for the smaller transactions.
The downside is if it is if your kids manage to "borrow" it, I guess, but otherwise as long as you keep it safe and notify the bank quickly if you lose it they are very useful.

Visa say

Each participating contactless bank sets a limit on the number or value of Visa contactless transactions that can be made before a cardholder is asked to do a normal chip and PIN transaction. If you are a regular user of Visa contactless, you may have noticed this happening – as, every now and then, you will be asked to verify your transaction with your PIN to prove that it is you in possession of your card.

And, just like any other Visa transaction, your bank is routinely looking out for any unusual transactions that may show that it is not you using your card. You will get the same level of protection as any other Visa Debit or Visa Credit transaction. And, if your card is lost or stolen, the card will be blocked by your bank instantly.

If your card is lost or stolen you should notify your bank as soon as possible. If anyone has fraudulently used your contactless card to make a payment, providing you take reasonable precautions to protect your card and let your bank know as soon as you realise it’s gone, you will not be responsible for any losses incurred (subject to your bank’s terms and conditions).

[Digeroo]

If your card is lost or stolen you should notify your bank as soon as possible. If anyone has fraudulently used your contactless card to make a payment, providing you take reasonable precautions to protect your card and let your bank know as soon as you realise it’s gone, you will not be responsible for any losses incurred (subject to your bank’s terms and conditions).

I do not know what planet they are on.  I leave my card in shops on a regular basis.  It may work well for those on the ball, but for those of us who are several brain cells short it is a major security risk.   I sometimes do not use my card for days, and on my business account that might be weeks and on my joint account months.

I felt a degree of security that someone would not know the PIN code.   When they brought in pin numbers instead of signing I felt very nervous about it and rarely go to a supermarket when it is dark in case someone had been watching and tried to snatch the card.

I knew nothing about the change to my card until someone did it and then refused to give me a receipt.   

I do not pay for much in cash possible eggs and U3A charges and that is it.  Everything else is card. 

I personally would like more security rather than less. 

If you use the card abroad they send a text afterwards,  seems too late, I think I should have to send a text first.  I could like to have to send a text before each and every transaction.

[Garden Manager]

Personally i would like to see cash cards (like Oyster Cards in London) where you load it up with cash say at the begining of a week or after pay day and use this contactless technology to pay for things instread of cash. That way if the card got lodt or stolen all that you could loose would be the cash on the card nothing more. Your bank or credit card account remains secure as you would only access it to top up the card (like a mobile phone). I would happily use one of those if they really want to wean us off notes and coins.

The only alternative i can see now to using these new cards is to go back to using cash. Then you would only need the card  for large payments (which still need chip and pin) and withdrawing cash from an ATM.

I agree with the previous poster, whilst i was sceptical of chip and pin at first, in contrast to the casual nature of contactless transactions it feels secure and reliable. You still feel in control thanks to the pin.

[bionear2]

I now have a contactless card, and use it that way very occasionally. Normal is still to use the pin. If you have a bank account from which automatic payments are made throughout the month, you need to keep you own account to see what your true (available) balance is : constant small debit card payments make this a pain.
My solution is to revert to paying cash - two visits to an ATM a week to log, and little else, makes the job easier.

[Garden Manager]

I now have a contactless card, and use it that way very occasionally. Normal is still to use the pin. If you have a bank account from which automatic payments are made throughout the month, you need to keep you own account to see what your true (available) balance is : constant small debit card payments make this a pain.
My solution is to revert to paying cash - two visits to an ATM a week to log, and little else, makes the job easier.

Good Idea.

[Digeroo]

There was a previous system where you could put money onto a card.  But it found no favour and was scrapped.  It was based in Swindon.   I think the problem was the it was difficult to keep track of what money had been taken from it.   

I suppose one answer is to have an extra bank account and only put a little money at a time into it.

[Garden Manager]

There was a previous system where you could put money onto a card.  But it found no favour and was scrapped.  It was based in Swindon.   I think the problem was the it was difficult to keep track of what money had been taken from it.   

I suppose one answer is to have an extra bank account and only put a little money at a time into it.

I have thought of doing this and i have looked into prepaid cards to restrict spending and access to my bank account. Both are far from ideal ways to go. Then i started to think about credit cards and whether they are better than debit cards for contactless usage. I currently only have a debit card which has suited me fine up to now (never felt the need for a credit card - must be one of the few people in the land with out one!). Now i am considering getting one to use instead of my debit card, not to borrow just  to spend with.

[Digeroo]

My bank recommended I use a credit card rather than a debit card on line,  And it proved a wise choice when someone started buying very expensive shoes on line.  Luckily the bank soon spotted that I do not buy fashion shoes especially in the usa and blocked any further transactions.  In the end both the company selling the shoes and the bank credited me with the amount.  The bank said that I was very honest to tell them about the double credit and said I could keep it.   The bank said that the company should have checked that they receiving address matched the card address.  Which is odd because I sometimes send a gift via amazon but they sent a text to verify the new address.  I have also put a block on my credit card so that anything over the set limit must be released by phone.     Though it did pay for a holiday.

I would still quite like a system when I go online and put in a transaction just before I actually do it so my account expects the transaction. 

But now I tend to use paypal on line as well.