to not want a contactless card?

[muminhants]

I didn't realise until about a year ago that my debit card is contactless, when I was in a cafe close to work and the waitress used the contactless thing on her machine. I was a bit shocked as I hadn't realised it was contactless. I'm not keen but the limit was only £10 then.

Anyway now it's £20 per transaction. My debit card expires soon so I asked my bank if I could have a non-contactless one when it comes up for renewal. They said I can but if I do, I can't use it at a fuel pump or on a train or anywhere where the machine isn't "plugged" in. So it would be limited.

I have a joint account with another bank with my husband and that card is not contactless and I can use it at a fuel pump etc.

Why should I have to have the hassle of proving that I didn't spend money on the card if it gets nicked or I lose it. Imagine I'm in my local town centre and I buy a few things in say Boots and Sainsburys using chip and PIN. I lose my card, someone finds it and goes on a contactless spending spree. How on earth do I prove that it wasn't me? I know there's a daily limit but I don't want to lose any money. At least if there's a PIN number requirement there is some sort of security.

What do the banks get out of this?

Are banks now replacing all credit/debit cards with contactless enabled ones? Does anyone know?

My credit card is contactless so it stays at home hidden away unless I go away, in which case I take it to pay hotel bills etc.

I know with our bank you can go in and they'll do one BACS transaction for you and if you ask they can select the option to save the payee's details. That way if it's a regular transfer the details are saved and all you have to do is select "Physio", "Personal Trainer" or whatever and the money is in their account within seconds. You can do this yourself, but if you're not confident using it then they'll help you.

When I had my first cashiering job in 2007 straight out of school it would have blown my mind to see how much we can do now without going into a bank, just by using a smartphone. If you don't want to learn, fine, but it's sort of like Cnut trying to hold back the waves. I wouldn't want to be running a business in that mindset, you'd soon get left behind. It would also signal to me, if I were a customer, that someone was set in their ways and unwilling to learn new methods of operating. I'd wonder what else they refused to consider or change.

*It's also simply untrue. Fuel pumps are one of the last places where contactless would be used because (a) a tank of petrol is more than any plausible limit on contactless (b) petrol stations are very risk averse about transfer of risk and most importantly (c) designing a pump that is safe with built-in contactless payment would be very, very hard.

I have no idea why someone would claim you can't use non-contactless cards on trains.*

That's what the bank said to me in the secure message this morning - it's because the fuel pump/guard's machine on the train can't contact the bank in real time to check that you have the £££ in your account, not because it works on a contactless basis. The point is you can either have a contactless card, or a online-only type card, but not the normal type of card that we managed perfectly well with until recently (and which I still have on my joint account with Nationwide).

Since C&P is being debated, it's worth noting that when C&P was introduce, the banks very quietly used it as to reverse the burden of proof regarding fraudulent transactions (the logic being the only way a card could be fraudulenently used for a C&P transaction was if the PIN was compromised - the customers fault).

I was interested to notice that in Spain, it's C&P&signature. As a shopkeeper explained to me, if the signatures don't match the banks will charge the shopkeeper, not the customer.

As much as the banks hate them (believe me, they do) cheques won't go until we have something to replace that functionality. The ability to asynchronously transfer money to a named individual without needing to know any other details. Personally I loathe and detest cheques. If I receive one it involves a journey to a bank at their convenience (unless you like trusting to fate that their cash machine will accept cheques. The last 4 times I tried the machine wasn't). And since cheque books are bulky, I don't actually carry one.

One of the factors in our re-registering dentists was the new one takes switch, unlike the previous one who only took cheques or cash.

I wonder if all the people who are wary of contactless payments here have scratched off the last 3 digits (use a soldering iron) of their cards after memorising them ? Because you are far more at risk of losing a lot more if a fraudster gets those, plus your card no. and expiry date.

My credit card is contactless so it stays at home hidden away

For fear of what?

^"At the last count, the average person had 22 accounts that needed one or more passwords, according to the Payments Council. More than one in six of us had over 40 such accounts. The research was conducted in 2012 and the figures are likely to have increased.
Banks alone ask for a different Pin on each card, various internet and telephone passwords, usernames, identity numbers, memorable names, places, dates and so on. We are expected to remember them all without aid.
Crucially, bank customers are advised by security experts to use different passwords for each account. This is to lessen the chance of a single security breach affecting the other accounts."^

From the link I gave above.

Your reply doesn't surprise me, though, name. I've had a similar reaction from one of my banks: "there you are dear, you only have to remember that for your debit card".

Er, and the PIN for telephone banking. The password for online banking. And that's just with you, honey. I have at least 5 other banking institutions I deal with (building societies, credit cards, etc).

And then there's the door access codes and phone access code.

And that's just the current crop. I'm not a bright shiny youngster with my first account. I have to stop and think to know which year it is, never mind which PIN I'm using this year for which account. I don't write mine down, but end up locked out of accounts or not bothering with that PIN-controlled access as a consequence.

The point is you can either have a contactless card, or a online-only type card

OK, in the short term, you could always change bank if it bothers you that much. Or drill a hole. Or keep the card in a shield.

Very good point, Lurking!

I don't write mine down, but end up locked out of accounts or not bothering with that PIN-controlled access as a consequence.

Lastpass is your friend.