Disabling contactless payment on credit/debit cards

marleyboy

I keep mine in a shielded wallet and only use the ChipnPin feature, whilst I don't have to use the contactless method, I can choose to avoid it. For the moment I can simply shop elsewhere if I was only offered the contactless method of payment, or I could always pay in cash.

So long as I am not forced into using the contactless method, I can live with that.

reclusive46

marleyboy wrote: »

I keep mine in a shielded wallet and only use the ChipnPin feature, whilst I don't have to use the contactless method, I can choose to avoid it. For the moment I can simply shop elsewhere if I was only offered the contactless method of payment, or I could always pay in cash.

So long as I am not forced into using the contactless method, I can live with that.

This might not be the case for long, it is possible to enforce contactless if the feature is on a card, its simply not used yet. This is similar to how if you swipe the magnetic stripe on a chip card on a chip enabled reader, it will tell you to insert it.

It makes sense in the long term as it will eventually allow retailers to just have contactless readers, reducing wear on both cards and terminals as no contact would be necessary.

Anthorn

reclusive46 wrote: »

This might not be the case for long, it is possible to enforce contactless if the feature is on a card, its simply not used yet. This is similar to how if you swipe the magnetic stripe on a chip card on a chip enabled reader, it will tell you to insert it.

It makes sense in the long term as it will eventually allow retailers to just have contactless readers, reducing wear on both cards and terminals as no contact would be necessary.

That would take away a major safeguard against theft, that of requiring a PIN to be entered where contactless has been used over a number of consecutive transactions. For that to be done terminals will have to be dual and enabled for both chip n pin and contactless.


However mobile payments are marching onwards and upwards so I'd say that chip n pin is already obsolete. Personally, I'm still holding out for a reduction in card size: There is no need for cards to be the size they are other than the need to accomodate the big number across the middle. They could actually be a key fob.

reclusive46

Anthorn wrote: »

That would take away a major safeguard against theft, that of requiring a PIN to be entered where contactless has been used over a number of consecutive transactions. For that to be done terminals will have to be dual and enabled for both chip n pin and contactless.


However mobile payments are marching onwards and upwards so I'd say that chip n pin is already obsolete. Personally, I'm still holding out for a reduction in card size: There is no need for cards to be the size they are other than the need to accomodate the big number across the middle. They could actually be a key fob.

Actually its possible to have tap and pin payments (They already do this in Australia, NZ and some of Europe) for transactions above the no verification limit.

SeduLOUs

reclusive46 wrote: »

It makes sense in the long term as it will eventually allow retailers to just have contactless readers, reducing wear on both cards and terminals as no contact would be necessary.

And preventing any customer from spending over £30, of course!

Anthorn

reclusive46 wrote: »

Actually its possible to have tap and pin payments (They already do this in Australia, NZ and some of Europe) for transactions above the no verification limit.

Actually ... as far as I understand it Tap and Pin is for ATM transactions and not point of sale with Australia's ANZ Bank scoring a world first this year with a tap and pin ATM.

username

fozmcfc wrote: »

When it comes to money, contactless payments, is just the latest in a long line, to get some people paranoid.

I bet when cheque books and then ATM's came about, there were paranoid people saying, how they are sticking with their post office account and going in to take money out and have their book stamped.

Then of course we have online banking, oh no I wouldn't do that, say the paranoid, then chip and pin, oh no mustn't do that, then online transactions, put my card details in a website, oh no I wouldn't do that.

Now it's contactless cards and no doubt the paranoid people who will start on about Apple Pay.

One day I've no doubt the facility to pay with you hand or finger or thumb will come about and we'll have the paranoid, worried their hand may scrape against the pay machine or whatever device is in place.

Of course in 99.9% of cases, eventually people realise they are just being silly and catch up with the rest of the modern world.

^This.

I seem to remember the big hoo-hah when C&P first came out - stories where people would shouldersurf and nick your card whilst you were outside the shop, or frogmarch you to the ATM to force you to withdraw cash. Yet those have all now disappeared as the scheme has become part of daily life; crime can happen with every payment method.

This might not be the case for long, it is possible to enforce contactless if the feature is on a card, its simply not used yet. This is similar to how if you swipe the magnetic stripe on a chip card on a chip enabled reader, it will tell you to insert it.

If they did to that it would certainly be a step forward in driving contactless takeup, a lot of smaller places or places where they don't have good training the staff just shove in the card even though the portable terminal is contactless enabled (probably through rote).

Given that most contactless transactions when using a card are authed offline, without the need to dial up, it's a timesaver that they're missing out on, both for them and the customer.

Remember in Starbucks years ago when they had the chip and pin machines that were not linked to the till, and printed out the little receipt? Each time you paid by card it would take a bloody age - I suspect they had a zero floor limit, and required every transaction to auth online.

There is nothing worse than having to wait for the machine to dialup and connect to the bank, even more so when it's un-necessary when people can use contactless, but either choose not to or can't because of poor staff knowledge.

Chino

Anthorn wrote: »

Actually ... as far as I understand it Tap and Pin is for ATM transactions and not point of sale

Your understanding appears to be wrong. From ANZ's website:

"Simply hold your card to the terminal, wait for the beep and then you're done. If you spend more than $100, you simply enter your PIN or sign as usual - it's easy."

http://www.anz.com/contactless/

Anthorn

Chino wrote: »

Your understanding appears to be wrong. From ANZ's website:

"Simply hold your card to the terminal, wait for the beep and then you're done. If you spend more than $100, you simply enter your PIN or sign as usual - it's easy."

http://www.anz.com/contactless/

I stand corrected. But I still don't see the advantage.

Anthorn

Next up: How to disable contactless on a bpay wristband, key fob or sticker.