Update on Tesco's & Visa Electron

MalD

Just reading this thread,

I was at Tesco late night shopping the other day, there were no checkouts open, only the self-service ones, and I was doing a monthly shop. Had to get the supervisor over several times to "assist", and could barely fit my shopping on the bagging area!

Anyway, After all that fuss I went to pay, I only have 1 card my Co-op Visa debit, and it came up - please chose another payment method:eek:

Had to call over the supervisor again to watch my shopping while I went outside to the Tesco ATM and withdraw cash - good job my shopping was not over the cash withdrawal limit!

One other comment, my card was renewed in June and magically changed from an Electron to a regular Visa Debit card (with the raised numbers on it) so I can now use Tesco pay at pump too!

I assumed this was somehow connected with the change to cheque guarantee cards that came in around the same time?

myiasid

have just joined the forum to post my thoughts after also seeing/searching to find out why the co-op visa debit/electron cards are nolonger being accepted at Tesco.

I've had one of these cards for 2 years, which was originally Electron, and was replaced by an new card with Visa Debit logo instead, but the card number was still the same.

Being at IT person and knowing how card authorisation works, the card number 'should' show the type of card it is withing the digits of the card number.

Even though my card shows Visa Debit, when I use it online etc, where they don't ask what type of card 'you think it is' , they always say that it is still an electron card.

Since this problem started, I've been on the phone every day with Tesco and Co-op, and they appear to be still discussing whose problem it is.

I've just been told by Tesco customer services, that as I thought, when the Co-op changed from electon to debit, they should have re-issued the cards so that the card number contained the appropriate digits in the code to say that it's debit and not electron.

Looks like Tesco are sticking with their stance not to accept the Co-op cards anymore, but are unwilling to accept that they have changed their policy on accepting Electron, and saying that the problem for co-op card holders is with the Co-op and not Tesco.

Why is it that as a 'cash' buyer you cannot now buy goods unless you have credit. I think it's down to the online sellers like Tesco that don't want to pay companies like Visa and Mastercard for taking online/live authorisations for 'cash buyers' and would rather allow credit cards, so that the issue on 'no money to pay' lies with the credit card company and not with cash buyers.

This is yet again a cost cutting exercise by Tesco to put credit/cash control on someone else.

Won't be long before Asda goes the same way not to accept Debit/Electron cards - Asda still authorise debit cards more than once to ensure that they get paid.

Ineedaname

The first four digit denoting Electron certainly was an issue to start with. But Cityslicker did a lot of hard work earlier in the year to get this sorted so Tesco accepted Co-Op Visa debit cards with the Electron 4 digits. I know If has brought this recent issue to his attention but I don't know what can be done about it if Tesco have again set their system to reject payments from cards starting with those four digits.

However, having just reread the OP on this thread, that quote from Tesco may be enough to get them to change things back again.

Ineedaname

This is CitySlicker's original thread on the same theme, albeit it was ASDA causing the problem at the beginning of this year. His opening post confirms that Tesco had already updated their systems to accept our Cashminder cards.

So is this a backtrack, turnaround or something completely new? Perhaps we need to contact Visa to find out what category the first 6 digits of 450875 are in these days and if they have notified Tesco to place them in the Electron category. Also, whether Electron is usable online generally as Tesco suggested in the quote in post #1.

Maybe back when Tesco updated their systems to accept these cards they didn't mark them as Visa debit but did something else and now they have for some reason decided to no longer accept Electron, the Cashminder cards have been caught up as still being denoted Electron on Tesco's systems?

EDIT: Just found a BIN list site which confirms (about a third of the way down)

450875 - Co-operative Bank Visa Debit Card (formerly Visa Electron)

alastairq

all I can add is....my Co-op debit card [not...apparently..Electron...unlike old card, this one has raised digits, not printed ones]...was accepted, face-to-face, by Tesco Direct at the counter, and also in the Petrol station...I don't think the issue really is a Company Policy...but down to systems failures at Tesco themselves... apart from the online ordering set-up.


As a point of interest, whilst shopping in Morrisons over a week ago....the store had a real issue with all HSBC cards....with none being accepted by any of the store's card readers.

This was thought to be an internet problem [apparently how the card readers communicate with the issuers]...


My own [Co-op visa] card initially refused, but accepted on re-entry....as did the customer's in front of me [not sure what card, but not HSBC apparently.]

Tesco round my neck o' the woods seems to have problems with card reader maintenance, in my view....which explains why one checkout's reader wont read my card [ie, accept it], but the one next door will.

I have a policy of believing the customer is always right......so if I'm ever in the situation, and faced with potential embarrassment, over my card being 'refused' [not my fault at all...they want that sort of payment system in place, they should ensure it works!]..........I will simply leave my shopping there, and booger off somewhere else to buy my vittles.

Ie, in my view, nothing in Tesco is truly worth me undergoing hassle!

cd36uk

myiasid wrote: »

- Asda still authorise debit cards more than once to ensure that they get paid.

This has me worried. Now that tesco are turning me away because of the card I have been issued, I was going to turn to asda but cannot afford to be charged twice.

tigerfeet2006

As I said earlier I haven't had this problem in about a year, but I may have been lucky.

Ineedaname

Alistair - It is an internet problem but I believe only insofar as Tesco has reset their online checkout systems to not accept Electron and they still have 450875 as an Electron card on their system.

Personally I think they just need to update those numbers to Visa Debit and then we'll all be fine again.

cd36uk

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

As I said earlier I haven't had this problem in about a year, but I may have been lucky.

Maybe, I think I will have to take the plunge and find out for myself !

myiasid

Just tried to checkout a Tesco grocery order and it's now accepting the co-op card