Photos on credit cards (security)

smithers1981

Just been reading another thread about fun designs on credit/debit cards.

This gave me an idea a great security feature would be to have your own photo on your own credit card.

This would make it near on impossible for someone else to use your card in a shop, wouldn't help much online granted, is there any mileage in this idea?

[Deleted User]

There is. But of course, it was damn expensive, which is why everyone stopped doing them in the end. Even Saga, whose customers loved them, had to stop in the end.

grumbler

smithers1981 wrote: »

This would make it near on impossible for someone else to use your card in a shop, wouldn't help much online granted, is there any mileage in this idea?

I don't remember when I last time handed over my card when paying in shops. And even if I did, who cares what photo is on it? You have to add some comment to the photo, but I don't think that anybody will read it.

pmhtuk

This is common in the USA

pogofish

smithers1981 wrote: »

This gave me an idea a great security feature would be to have your own photo on your own credit card.

This would make it near on impossible for someone else to use your card in a shop, wouldn't help much online granted, is there any mileage in this idea?

Its a dead duck I'm afraid. RBS trialled the idea for a couple of years back in the 1990s - complete failure.

And as for making it more secure in a shop - that was one of the most dismal aspects of the whole trial. They found that you were far more likely to be successfully identified if you had a pic of Hitler, Mussolini or Mother Theresa on your card, rather than your own image.

InsideInsurance

smithers1981 wrote: »

Just been reading another thread about fun designs on credit/debit cards.

This gave me an idea a great security feature would be to have your own photo on your own credit card.

This would make it near on impossible for someone else to use your card in a shop, wouldn't help much online granted, is there any mileage in this idea?

On the front of the card it wouldnt make any difference, it could be a photo of your partner, friend, close relative etc.

As has been said, RBS did used to have a photo on the rear next to the signature but it was a failure (pre chip and pin). I remember my ex and I's card used to have them and at one point we mixed up our debit cards by mistake and she used my card for a couple of days before noticing the mistake - shows how well both the signature and photo was checked and she and I werent even the same race, gender, hair colour, eye colour, totally different names, different signatures etc etc

stclair

pogofish wrote: »

Its a dead duck I'm afraid. RBS trialled the idea for a couple of years back in the 1990s - complete failure.

And as for making it more secure in a shop - that was one of the most dismal aspects of the whole trial. They found that you were far more likely to be successfully identified if you had a pic of Hitler, Mussolini or Mother Theresa on your card, rather than your own image.

I used to have my photo on the back of my Rbs debit card.

yangptangkipperbang

I had a card from (I think) N & P many years ago, both my photo and signature were part of the card construction.
Several financial institutions did use these cards and it was widely reported in the media that the % fraud rate on these cards was
very low.

Then these cards vanished - why ?

I have my own theory; the banks actually like a degree of fraud to take place on their cards - which enables them to use this as an excuse to hike charges/interest rates and it is also a handy way to "lose" odd bits and pieces. This theory was floated years ago, but the banks denied it; they wouldn't do anything like that - would they ??

Owain_Moneysaver

No point with Chip & PIN - your're not supposed to even hand your card to the retailer now, just put it in the card reader yourself. So the retailer would never see the card.

guesswho2000

I remember these. Never had one, but I worked in Woolworths when I was 16 and remember someone's card having their photo on the reverse next to the Cheque guarantee hologram.

Haven't seen one since, this was over a decade ago now.

Nowadays, as mentioned above, it's rare for anyone to look at your card - you jam it in a machine and tap the digits in. I use my OHs card at McD's occasionally (at her request, might I add) - if they looked at even the name they'd probably be able to deduce that I am, in fact, not a "Miss"!

meer53

Surprisingly, fraudsters can take photos of themselves to add to their shiny counterfeit cards !