Co-op Cashminder Visa Debit Card

in_debt24

Am applying for a DRO on monday so have just opened a cashminder account in anticpation! I shall let you all know whether i get a shiny visa debit or the dreaded electron!

When i first started banking i had a solo which caused a few problems, was glad when i got upgraded to switch/maestro............ looks like im probably going to be back where i started!

Godiva500

This is what I received today from Tesco!!

Something different - NOT

I apologise for my delay in responding to your email. We do try to reply within 48 hours, and I'm sorry I've let you down.

I understand that you discussed your complaint with my colleague, and that you have been told the reason why don't accept Electron cards online. I'm really sorry to say that it is still the same.

Unfortunately, Electron Cards were not originally designed for use online, this is due to the issuers insisting that the cardholder had to present at the time of the transaction.

This situation has changed and Electron cards can now be used online. However, at present our site is still unable to accept these cards as a method of payment.

I can fully appreciate the frustration that this is causing you, I know some of my friends face the same problem, but please check with your issuing bank as they can upgrade your card to allow you to shop online with us.

Thank you for taking the time to tell me about this.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES6644814X.

Kind Regards


Susan McAndrew
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

Merry_Gentry

At least it was a more personalised response.....

tekcom

How totally wrong is their e-mail.

Electron cards were introduced so that BR account holders still had the ability to make debit card transactions.

They have a floor limit of £0, and therefore require authorisation everytime a purchase is made.

They didn't have the numbers embossed on them, but printed instead. This was so that you couldn't use them in the old clunky card machines that used triplicate vouchers etc.

Tesco's response of not being able to use Electron cards online is totally misguided, as this was one of the benefits of the card.

I believe that a few people on here are correct... Tesco's will not authorise each and every card transaction, as it would cost them a fortune.

Instead, they batch process the cards by uploading a file to the payment clearing house every night.


On another note, I received my new Visa Debit card this morning... I'm not actively banking with Co-op on a day-to-day basis - but I'm serisously thinking of changing that.


Adam

savagej

Electron is actually not a debit card, it is a form of Visa payment card that requires authorisation on every transaction. It can used as a credit, debit, or prepaid card and it was actually introduced in the 1980's.

Does anyone remember them, they were issued by Co-op and Lloyds Bank in the UK. They had a picture of the Visa dove on them and where the other cards said Classic with the "c", they said Electron, with a large "e". As they were not embossed they looked like they had been made by a child.

They then changed to the current old design that is being moved to the new design (new visa flag with electron written below) and Barclays PDQ machines would accept them for purchases up to the floor limit and over if you had the funds (and you could persaude the person in Waterstones to actually run it through the machine), and you could use them in train station in the old APTIS machine (the one they dropped the tickets in to) until they stopped allowing this, up to their floor limit of £100.

They can still be used on some trains it is just the guard will not accept the card, but it will happily run through the ticket machine.

b-man

got mine the other day. must admit that just the fact that it looks like a real card again and not something you get given when your 14 did make me smile.

i hope we can use the new visa debits at the train station - this has been driving me nuts!

k2nga

Can anyone confirm that this has all been sorted now? Just wondered if people were now getting cards that did not have 4508 at the start and if they worked like a visa or still electron as others have said.

b-man

got mine yesterday 4508 - havent tested it yet

k2nga

Right it will be interesting to see if yours does indeed work like a normal Visa i hope it does so this will then all seem sorted.

tekcom

I guess I should also mention that having received my new Blue 4508 card on Tuesday, the start date isn't until August. So, I can't test mine until then.

Obviously, new accounts will be active immediately.

Adam