Problem with TSB contactless?

Mulligan1 · 15 April 2016 at 9:11PM

I don't recall experiencing any problems using my TSB Contactless Card, I've never been prompted to use C&P instead. I've had the account for a few months now. I've mostly used the contactless feature in Boots, M&S, Poundland, Iceland and Subway. The only 'issue' I've had was in a store called B&M Bargains and it took quite some time to authorise but for some reason it went online and it's the only store I recall ever doing an online authorisation.

robin58 · 15 April 2016 at 9:30PM

My TSB contactless works in every store I have used it in except would you believe Waitrose!

This store is the only place in which I have a problem in reading the contactless on a 50-50 occasion. This is over 2 stores.

The cashier in one of them, said that she has seen a notice on their notice board saying they are updating their readers this month.

I await in anticipation.

PippiShortsock · 16 April 2016 at 9:27AM

Does anyone know whether the month that TSB uses to calculate cashback is a calendar month or measured from the first day you use the contactless card?

Ballard · 16 April 2016 at 9:45AM

PippiShortsock wrote: »

Does anyone know whether the month that TSB uses to calculate cashback is a calendar month or measured from the first day you use the contactless card?

It's a calendar month.

planteria · 17 April 2016 at 8:54AM

i've got the account and spend £100/m as a kind of plan.
i've had to request a replacement card, as i found a previous one being rejected, even when i'd re-verified with a PIN purchase.
i find their CS to be relatively poor.

gunsandbanjos · 17 April 2016 at 10:06AM

Had no issues with my TSB contactless card, just wish Sainsburys accepted contactless.

djpailo · 17 April 2016 at 10:52AM

robin58 wrote: »

My TSB contactless works in every store I have used it in except would you believe Waitrose!

This store is the only place in which I have a problem in reading the contactless on a 50-50 occasion. This is over 2 stores.

The cashier in one of them, said that she has seen a notice on their notice board saying they are updating their readers this month.

I await in anticipation.

I also had an issue at Waitrose a couple of weeks ago.

My partner had a problem at a shop the other day, but in that case, none of her contactless cards worked so I figured it was a problem with the terminal.

cheekchulk · 17 April 2016 at 9:56PM

Hey,
I've had the same or very similar issue a few weeks ago with my TSB contactless card.
I wanted to be tricky and get 5% cashback on my Amazon purchases.
So what I was trying to do is to buy a £25 Amazon gift card in Morrisons and use my contactless card to pay for it.
(4x£25 tada = £100 and no need to manually calculate if you've reached the maximum amount you can get cashback on or not

)
(Time saving = money saving too :money: )

BUT, the contactless payment failed. I had to ask the cashier to cancel it then, just told her that I have to pay for it contactlessly no chip & pin option is good for me :rotfl:
Went back next day with an idea to make sure the card's contactless feature is kept active (it will deactivate time to time and ask you to enter your PIN) so I bought a 74p chewing gum and paid with my card using chip and PIN then I scanned my £25 gift card and tried to pay using contactless. Failed. Again. I was furious. Asked the cashier to cancel it again, and called TSB on site trying to ask them why this transaction is being blocked or what is going on, but they could only help me with registering my request for a replacement card as the current one "stopped working" so I left the store with sad face

Got my card 5 days later, I rushed back to my supermarket and tried it... Failed again!!! I couldn't believe it. I was quiet suspicious at that point already that it must be something wrong with their card reader then...
Later that day I tried to look for other stores selling Amazon gift cards, found a Superdrug selling it, I went to the cashier and asked if they have contactless readers. She said yes. Good, so just this one - and I handed over the gift card to scan - WHEN she said to me:
- you can't pay for this using contactless...
I was like: why not? From last year Oct the limit is £30 and not £20...
- BUT our POS is not upgraded to that so it won't work...
AHAAAAAA... So I caught them and finally understood why my payments fail at Morrisons as well.

The card readers are missing the software update which would allow the payments through contactless method up to £30, and that is why my £25 gift card never went through. Found £15 gift cards in the same store so I could trick their outdated firmware card readers and benefit from 5% cashback for Amazon this way!!:T :beer:

It is interesting why these shops/stores are not regulated to always have the up to date software on their terminals, and transaction processing equipment...

So if you have difficulties with paying for something above £20, it is very likely you also ran into one of those stores who don't care about software updates therefore there system won't accept the new contactless limit of £30. Try different locations or stores, or split your transaction amount so it will be less than £20.

Westie983 · 17 April 2016 at 10:15PM

Interesting as my Morrisons changed to £30 soon after it went up.

The petrol station took longer to update but both work for up to £30 now.

I use this same trick when I get cash back offers at Morrisons, or Tescos' buy gift cards then add them to my Amazon account ready for christmas and get the 5 or 10% cashback from the credit/debit card.

colsten · 17 April 2016 at 10:52PM

cheekchulk wrote: »

It is interesting why these shops/stores are not regulated to always have the up to date software on their terminals, and transaction processing equipment

As long as we have a free market economy, no regulator will ever prescribe to any retailer what POS capability they will have to deploy when.

It's just a fact of life that the introduction of new technology doesn't happen simultaneously across all shops.

M&S have no limit on ApplePay. Last time I checked, Waitrose had a £30 limit on contactless and ApplePay and you can buy their gift cards with it. Similar with Boots.

Problem with TSB contactless?

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