I don't want a contactless credit card - what are the options?

Shambler

I don't like contactless.


I recently paid £80 for fuel and some food at a petrol station, inserted my card into the machine expecting the enter the PIN but it did a contactless payment.


The shop assistant then said I had to sign for it because it was over a certain amount but then she didn't bother checking the signature against my card.


I'd rather have the security of a PIN number.

foolishboy

SuperHan wrote: »

My Santander 123 is my only non contactless, but it is from April 2012, so they may have moved on from then.

Got a new one the other week, it's contactless.

HTH
FB

eddddy

Shambler wrote: »

I don't like contactless.


I recently paid £80 for fuel and some food at a petrol station, inserted my card into the machine expecting the enter the PIN but it did a contactless payment.


The shop assistant then said I had to sign for it because it was over a certain amount but then she didn't bother checking the signature against my card.


I'd rather have the security of a PIN number.

Hi Shambler

That wouldn't have been a contactless transaction. The machine couldn't read your PIN, so it requested your signature instead. (And as you say, the merchant should have checked your signature.)

Hooloovoo

jonathanp89 wrote: »

I'm completely baffled why people make such a fuss about not wanting a contactless card.
You do realise that the first time a contactless transaction is made you will have to enter the PIN? So if you never make a contactless transaction(just insert it as normal, even when the reader supports contactless), neither can anyone else.

Completely and utterly wrong.

If a card does require activation before contactless transactions are allowed, it's activated by any transaction requiring the PIN.

Likewise I am baffled as to why anyone has an objection against contactless. I'd rather lose my card and get a couple of low value transactions refunded, than lose actual cash from my wallet and never get it back.

Bring on the days of being completely cash-less I say!

Hooloovoo

Shambler wrote: »

I recently paid £80 for fuel and some food at a petrol station, inserted my card into the machine expecting the enter the PIN but it did a contactless payment.

The shop assistant then said I had to sign for it because it was over a certain amount but then she didn't bother checking the signature against my card.

As eddddy said, whatever happened there it wasn't a contactless transaction. You can be sure of this because the value was over the amount allowed on contactless transactions. Obvious really.

Most likely the reader could talk to your card, but couldn't authenticate the PIN for some reason, so it defaulted to a "chip and sign" transaction.

Most fear of technology is due to lack of understanding more than anything else.

fromtheshires

My new card arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago from Santander and it said to enable contactless it had to be used in a cash machine to activate the feature.

Personally I don't use cash machines as everything is on card and if required, I get cash back at the till in the shops so in theory it shouldn't work at all. If it does then no big deal for me but it may be of some use to people who aren't to sure on contactless.

Rgds
R

actually, just read their website and it says to use the chip and pin to activate contactless. I will dig out my paperwork to see if I am losing the plot

phona

jonathanp89 wrote: »

I'm completely baffled why people make such a fuss about not wanting a contactless card.
You do realise that the first time a contactless transaction is made you will have to enter the PIN? So if you never make a contactless transaction(just insert it as normal, even when the reader supports contactless), neither can anyone else.

I hear this a lot, but in my experience it's not true.
I have only used one contactless card (my other CC is non-contactless) and my first tap-and-go transaction I was surprised when it didn't prompt for my PIN... especially given I was some 400 miles from home at the time! I've used it a bunch of times since, and have never been prompted for my PIN.

I mentioned my other CC is non-contactless. It's a Santander 123 card and I read their new ones will be contactless so that's no use for the OP.
I think RBS do non-contactless cards but they charge a fee. If not having the facility is £24/year of importance to you.......

reclusive46

Hooloovoo wrote: »

As eddddy said, whatever happened there it wasn't a contactless transaction. You can be sure of this because the value was over the amount allowed on contactless transactions. Obvious really.

Most likely the reader could talk to your card, but couldn't authenticate the PIN for some reason, so it defaulted to a "chip and sign" transaction.

Most fear of technology is due to lack of understanding more than anything else.

Actually this sounds like the BP readers that are a chip reader and magnetic stripe reader in one. If it can't read the chip, it'll read the magnetic stripe when you remove the card and it'll process the transaction via the swipe and sign method.

doberryfirkin

pacontracting wrote: »

where the chance of someone seeing you enter you PIN is higher (crowded coffee shop, low cost supermarket spend etc).

Good points