Anyone know how to repair an ATM card?

hoonatic

So I am currently in New Zealand and I have been happily withdrawing cash using my Nationwide Flex (cirrus) cashcard.
This is the cheapest way to withdraw money if you posses this card, but they are no longer issuing them and those that posses them now will lose them when they hit the expiry date.

Some of the cash machines out here eject the card so slowly that I grip the card & pull it out of the machine......bad mistake!!

I now have a nice deep scratch along my magnetic strip near the right-hand side, that stretches across all but the lower 3mm of the strip.

The replacement card does not even work abroad, so I can't get any help from Nationwide. I was wise enough to bring a backup VISA debit card from my Co-operative bank account, but it is obviously costing me a lot more to get my money with this.

Does anyone know any way I might be able to repair my Flex card?

Although the magnetic strip is about 10mm high - do ATM's usually read across the centre or something? Is there a chance it might work if I cut the 3mm clear piece out and stick it back 4 or 5mm higher up?

Parva

Given your knowledge of how the cards work in cash machines I doubt that we could make you feel better about 'repairing' your card. In short, I highly doubt it, sorry.

RaiderHammer

Have you tried the card since the scratch? It may still hopefully work. If it's got a chip and pin I would have thought most of the reading is on that now.

Parva

RaiderHammer wrote: »

Have you tried the card since the scratch? It may still hopefully work. If it's got a chip and pin I would have thought most of the reading is on that now.

Not with cash machines unfortunately, most still rely on the mag strip.

hoonatic

RaiderHammer wrote: »

Have you tried the card since the scratch? It may still hopefully work. If it's got a chip and pin I would have thought most of the reading is on that now.

Unfortunately that is how I discovered the scratch - The card refused to work.

I have tried ATM's from various different banks too - was hoping maybe I could find one that was more tolerant/efficient than others, but I think I've tried every flavour of bank in town & got nowhere other than learning all the different error messages that they use!

RaiderHammer

Is cashback possible overseas if you pay for a purchase on the card? Just a thought.

Inactive

RaiderHammer wrote: »

Is cashback possible overseas if you pay for a purchase on the card? Just a thought.

In a word .. NO.

travelgran

Can you get cash over the counter using the card?

hoonatic

RaiderHammer wrote: »

Is cashback possible overseas if you pay for a purchase on the card? Just a thought.

Inactive is right - basically this a cashcard only. I don't think cirrus network has cashback facility, so fairly sure you can't even get cashback on it in UK.

New Zealand has EFTPOS which is like a local VISA network with debit and Chip n' PIN, but it doesn't work on the internet. You can do 'Cash out' with EFTPOS but I can't do EFTPOS or Chip n' PIN or cashback with my Flex Cirrus card - so it feels like I'm being screwed sideways and upside down too right now!

hoonatic

travelgran wrote: »

Can you get cash over the counter using the card?

err...... not sure what you mean?

I can get medicines over the counter - they tend to be the ones that don't work very well because I can't get a prescription.

but not cash over the counter?!?!?

Who's counter were you thinking of specifically? They certainly don't have any nationwide branches over here.

spakkker

Do you get your meds from a financial institution or even a bank ? Don't stop taking them anyway.