Still awaiting chip and pin card.

newsmonkey

I was under the impression January was the big changeover month, but here we are approaching April and I've still not had my Halifax debit card replaced with a chip and pin enabled card.

The expiry date on the current card is April of this year, so I'm guessing they're putting it off until it expires before sending me a new one? Tried to get some sort of explanation from Halifax themselves, but they don't seem to know what they're doing.

ED

BBC tv's 'Working Lunch' programme (lunchtimes, BBC2 Mon-Fri) recently mentioned the banks have until at least the end of this year for the changeover to complete - probably longer. Apparently there is no-longer such a firm timescale as originally planned. (Maybe MSE members ejones, et al, can enlighten us more...?)

Seems reasonable that as your card expires in April, the bank will wait till then to equip you with c+p. So not long now before you will be doing less 'autograph' signing!

waterbaby

I just had my new Halifax chip and pin card, about a week ago.

I tried it in Boots yesterday, first time with a keypad thingy, and it worked - very exciting!

To be honest I am nervous about them getting stolen in the post, so I haven't pushed for them at all.

daveboy

Chip and PIN - certainly very exciting. NOT.

Getting stolen in the post - the old way of doing it with a signature was even more insecure as a lot of cards (some credit cards excepted) didn't need activating before use. All you needed to do was wait until the first day of the month when it was valid and you could use the card, now if it goes missing the only way it can be misused is over the phone or internet as a 'customer not present' fraud.

In any case, if you have not been negligent, it is the banks problem.

chugalug

I would check with the Halifax that they havent already sent your card out. They sent me one out months before my old one was due to expire so if it had gone missing I wouldnt have know anything about it. If not sent yet then everything ok, it is has been report it lost and arrange to pick up a new one. Happened with my credit cards aswell.

pinkfluffybabe

chugalug wrote:

I would check with the Halifax that they havent already sent your card out. They sent me one out months before my old one was due to expire so if it had gone missing I wouldnt have know anything about it. If not sent yet then everything ok, it is has been report it lost and arrange to pick up a new one. Happened with my credit cards aswell.

I agree, the Halifax used to like sending my cards to my old address, months after I had moved. They are not the best for getting the right thing to the right place at the right time.

nearlyrich

I have a credit card with a chip, it is valid from October 2003. I also have a PIN but when I present it I am always asked to sign as the card is not enabled for chip and pin. The provider is Royal Bank Of Scotland. All my recently acquired cards are chip and pin as standard as is my latest First Direct cashcard but I have noticed that some retailers are still not set up for chip and pin even if the consumer is.

ED

Sunday Times newspaper (March 27) has Question of Money problem solver Diana Wright indicating mid-2006 is the time limit for chip-and-Pin changeover to complete.

Incidentally, Diana Wright alerts card users to beware some smaller retailers whose card payment machinery lacks ability to blank out sections of the customer's card number. Shredding receipts is advocated, when no-longer needed.

Bargain_Rzl

Smaller retailers? I paid for something at Books Etc (their west Oxford Street branch) the other week and was quite alarmed to see that a company as established and mainstream as that should still print card numbers in full on receipts... :mad:

ED

Bargain Rzl - horrendous! Lucky you have the sense to study your receipts. Phew!

student100

My Halifax debit card has no chip and expires at the end of May, so I expect that's when they'll upgrade me.
Not that it makes any difference as I never spend on the debit card anyway (I spend on a CC and only use the debit card to get cash from ATMs).