Contactless Card Conundrum

book12

Nationwide offers contactless cards by default. Try them.

You could close some new accounts down mentioned in this post above if you are not planning to use them.

colsten

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

You don't want those things anyway, they are a security risk

That old chestnut again.
Contactless cards are no less insecure than the cash in your wallet is. If either get lost or stolen, someone else might spend your money. The advantage with a contactless card is that you are not liable for the spend as soon as you have reported the card lost or stolen. Your cash will not be protectable at all.

If you use ApplePay, there is no security risk at all as payments can only happen if you authorise them with your fingerprint. So unless the thief has your registered finger, attached to your body, no purchases can be made.

stclair

Barclays also offer an online contactless debit card however I don't think many staff know about it.

My brother had to raise a compliant to enable him to get one.

Zanderman

colsten wrote: »

So unless the thief has your registered finger, attached to your body, no purchases can be made.

That's a lot for a thief to run off with.;)

Does the finger really need to be attached to your body? Surely there's an incentive (for a determined thief) to detach it?;):(:eek:

kpearsoncj

as i found with a lot of banks when i was trying to improve myself for last 2 years. many dont give contactless recently to people they see as a risk.

barclays did give me one on there basic account, but i have since moved to halifax where i have a reward account with contactless card they seem really good plus the added bonus of the £100 and £5 per month.

i got my first halifax account by applying for easy cash and upgrading it online a week later to the reward account

Paul_1977

Santander seem to reserve it from some good standing customers as well.

I know of people with a 22k salary, with the bank for over eight years and they won't give him one, he is moving bank because of it. I don't know the full story but he said he has no debts and is only young so I believe him.

colsten

Zanderman wrote: »

Does the finger really need to be attached to your body? Surely there's an incentive (for a determined thief) to detach it?;):(:eek:

I think in the early days of fingerprint recognition, some unlucky people lost a finger:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/04/fingerprint_merc_chop/

Technology has advanced a lot since then and an unattached finger doesn't work. Not that a detached one would be of much use for very long.....but thieves might not be clever enough to realise.

Grenage

colsten wrote: »

Technology has advanced a lot since then and an unattached finger doesn't work. Not that a detached one would be of much use for very long.....but thieves might not be clever enough to realise.

I am sceptical that a detached finger wouldn't work.

ChiefGrasscutter

colsten wrote: »

The advantage with a contactless card is that you are not liable for the spend as soon as you have reported the card lost or stolen. Your cash will not be protectable at all.

So do I take it then that you ARE liable for those transactions that you don't notice or are at that time totally unaware of ever occurring because you are unaware that the card is missing.

colsten

Grenage wrote: »

I am sceptical that a detached finger wouldn't work.

There is one certain way to find out. It would be very painful however, and a criminal offence if you don't try it on yourself.