Contactless Technology

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Travelman
Travelman Posts: 9 Forumite
in Credit cards
Last year my bank sent me a new Debit Card which had contactless technology embedded in it. I do not want, nor will I accept, contactless technology, so I phoned them and they sent a replacement card without contacless.

Today the same bank sent me a new Credit Card and the same thing happened. In discussion I was told that whilst they can send me a non-contactless card now, in a few years time that option will not be available.

Am I alone in not wanting contactless, and does anyone know a bank/credit card company who will still offer non-contactless cards?
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  • TheShape
    TheShape Posts: 1,779 Forumite
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    Travelman wrote: »
    Last year my bank sent me a new Debit Card which had contactless technology embedded in it. I do not want, nor will I accept, contactless technology, so I phoned them and they sent a replacement card without contacless.

    Today the same bank sent me a new Credit Card and the same thing happened. In discussion I was told that whilst they can send me a non-contactless card now, in a few years time that option will not be available.

    Am I alone in not wanting contactless, and does anyone know a bank/credit card company who will still offer non-contactless cards?

    Nationwide Credit Cards are non-contactless. I keep asking them FOR a contactless card because I like using contactless. I kept another contactless card for use on London Transport even though I'd have rather closed it.

    I expect that as long as a significant number of people don't want contactless, then someone will offer a non-contactless card.
  • owlet
    owlet Posts: 1,510 Forumite
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    Tesco credit card is non - contactless.
    SPC 8 (2015) #485 TOTAL: £334.65
    SPC 9 (2016) #485 TOTAL £84
    SPC 10 (2017) # 485 TOTAL: £464.80
    SPC 11 (2018) #485
  • 20aday
    20aday Posts: 2,610 Forumite
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    owlet wrote: »
    Tesco credit card is non - contactless.

    Expired and or/newly issued Tesco Bank credit cards are now contactless.
    It's not your credit score that counts, it's your credit history. Any replies are my own personal opinion and not a representation of my employer.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    A number of banks offer non-contactless debit cards (on request)
    Lloyds, Halifax and BOS (all LBG) being three off top of my head.

    Other banks may also offer this or can do it by downgrading your debit card to an 'online' version that checks with the bank for funds each time.
  • FluroFrancis
    FluroFrancis Posts: 32 Forumite
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    Heng_Leng wrote: »
    A number of banks offer non-contactless debit cards (on request)
    Lloyds, Halifax and BOS (all LBG) being three off top of my head.

    Other banks may also offer this or can do it by downgrading your debit card to an 'online' version that checks with the bank for funds each time.

    I believe the "online" version of a (visa) debit card is what used to be called electron and if someone downgraded to one of those there are places that don't accept them
  • Jlawson118
    Jlawson118 Posts: 1,132 Forumite
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    Lloyds Bank originally sent me a non-contactless card. I called them up and asked if I could have a contactless one and they did.

    Around a year later, my card was damaged and when I asked for a new one, they sent me a non-contactless one again. It was apparently on my account that they sent them as standard. They apparently changed that on my account though. But I've left them now anyway so I'll never know
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    You believe incorrectly - Visa Electron cards still exist.
    FluroFrancis wrote: »
    I believe the "online" version of a (visa) debit card is what used to be called electron and if someone downgraded to one of those there are places that don't accept them
  • FluroFrancis
    FluroFrancis Posts: 32 Forumite
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    Heng_Leng wrote: »
    You believe incorrectly - Visa Electron cards still exist.

    well my co-op visa electron was replaced with one saying it was a visa debit but that behaves suspiciously identical to an electron, doesn't work on trains, doesn't work on Tesco.com and other places
  • oldagetraveller
    oldagetraveller Posts: 3,653 Forumite
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    "Am I alone in not wanting contactless,"
    No you are not alone. Unfortunately this is something else that will eventually be forced upon those of us who have no use, will not use or desire for it!
  • username
    username Posts: 654 Forumite
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    oldagetraveller wrote: »
    "Am I alone in not wanting contactless,"
    No you are not alone. Unfortunately this is something else that will eventually be forced upon those of us who have no use, will not use or desire for it!
    I'm genuinely interested to know why people are so anti contactless? It's just simply another way to pay, convenient and faster.

    it doesn't help that newspapers like the Daily Mail peddle sh1te around the technology. They were running a story yesterday implying that anyone with a portable card machine could walk up to people's bags and pockets and steal £30 as if by magic by contactless payment.

    What they completely forgot to mention is that to even get the card machine working, you will need a merchant account, which requires lots of hoops to jump through (in that you will need to have a business account, and pay for the service) and there will always be a paper trail to the destination of where they money is being sent.

    Most people have several contactless cards in their wallet/purse. If multiple cards are presented, none will get charged and the machine will throw back an error as it can only work with one card at a time.

    So it's certainly not a case that Billy Bob Crook could buy one off ebay and start charging cards willy-nilly.
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