Barclaycard platinum contactles

POOL_W1NNER

Hi, just received my first ever credit card and it is a barclays platinum wave, now after having read up on this wave/contactless and fraud possibility i do not want the credit card my questions..

1. would the bank exchange the credit card for card which has no contactless ability?

2. If they don't and i cancel the card ( i have not even activated it yet) will it effect my credit rating to apply for another card?

i was not told of it being a contactless card else i would not have applied.

Thanx

Alfie_E

Keep the card! This is an issue that’s not going to go away. You’re going to end up with other contactless card and the UK has been issuing contactless passports for at least the last two years. The solution is an RFID-blocking wallet. You could try googling for ‘RFID wallet’. If you want one of the very nicest ones, the only problems are that they are a) in America and b) expensive. As this is MSE, here’s a page showing you how to make your own.

bitterSTAR

Contactless purchases are covered for fraud, plus you can't make contactless payments without entering the pin on the first contactless payment you make. Plus the spending limits for contactless payments are small, and you get asked for your pin when doing some of them. There really is no need to be concerned. I've had a contactless Barclaycard for 4 months now. And yes it's being rolled out wordwide, I was in Canada in the summer and they have contactless cards too. All card companies will follow suit at some point.

alanf1314

Barclaycard are simply the market leader with contactless payments. Its the way the whole market is going. There are only a few outlets with terminals so far and I believe the spending limit is £10? Ur covered for any fraud on the card as well.

It may affect your credit rating as you would be cancelling the card so quickly after taking it out. Several applications for credit in a short space of time is not good. I would hold on to the card and see how it goes...

Hope this helps.

IRONIC-

What is the point of these stupid contactless cards anyway? So I can save my self 0.87123234 seconds swiping my card at the checkout? I don't see what the big advantage is.

Last time I checked the act of swiping a plastic card through a magnetic reader is not rocket science, nor are we likely to experience a surge in checkout-line productivity just because of it. What's wrong with swiping? This seems like fixing a problem that doesn't exist.

ShelfStacker_3

IRONIC- wrote: »

What is the point of these stupid contactless cards anyway? So I can save my self 0.87123234 seconds swiping my card at the checkout? I don't see what the big advantage is.

It's for very, very small payments, like coffee and sandwiches. The intention is that it's as quick as or quicker than cash for fiddly things like that.

Evereddy

My wife has received a Barclays contactless credit card, (unsolicited), and they thanked her for choosing it, (which she didn't)! Anyway, notwithstanding that these may be the future way to make small purchases, I wanna know why it's a credit card attracting around 14.9% and not a debit card? Surely Barclays aren't being underhand are they, and slipping this one onto the market onto unsuspecting customers in the hope that they'll forget to clear the balance each month? With everyone financially stretched at present I think this is an outrageous marketing ploy and an underhand method to rope in some extra interest from us. Why isn't it a debit card?:mad:

ShelfStacker_3

Evereddy wrote: »

Anyway, notwithstanding that these may be the future way to make small purchases, I wanna know why it's a credit card attracting around 14.9% and not a debit card? ... Why isn't it a debit card?:mad:

Because your wife applied for a credit card?

NatWest are issuing contactless debit cards. Try them. I do fail to see, however, why it's underhand. You might as well argue that nobody should issue a credit card ever, because they should be debit cards.