Contactless Cards in M&S

shortcrust

If contactless cards could work at three feet this would happen all the time. It doesn't. I'm guessing there's another explanation for the OP's experience in M&S.

CEIRA1999

The girl at the checkout apologised and said it had happened to her before. Hopefully she reported it but I will drop them an email

SuperHan

Has the payment actually been taken from your card?

Is it possible there is a glitch and the system thinks you've paid, but actually nothing has been debited?

susank

As I dont like contactless I have just got my bank to send me a new card without it. Saves the hassle.

Tigsteroonie

susank wrote: »

As I dont like contactless I have just got my bank to send me a new card without it. Saves the hassle.

Which bank? And did you have to 'downgrade' your card, e.g. from Maestro to Solo?

PixelPound

shortcrust wrote: »

If contactless cards could work at three feet this would happen all the time. It doesn't. I'm guessing there's another explanation for the OP's experience in M&S.

If you look at how contactless works, then to be activated at 3 feet would mean the terminal was seriously over powered and/or a terminal that runs along side where the customers queue. (The chip in your card does not have its own power source. like a battery, but uses the radio signal emitted from the terminal) see http://www.smartcardalliance.org/smart-cards-faq/

I've just recently asked for new cards as my old ones weren't contactless. There are a lot of scare stories about contactless.

jonesMUFCforever

There are a lot of scare stories about, but not many about people either being defrauded by lost cards or stories like the one about M&S.

soolin

I use M and S a lot and even have had my bag on the counter near the machine and not triggered my contacless card, so it does sound like something was wrong in the OPs case.

Incidentally if you have a Metro bank account they supply the little card wallets , they gave me several when I opened my account. I tend to only use it though for the Metro card as that one is purely for holidays and I carry it in my 'Euro' purse and often have it in my hand abroad rather than use a handbag as well. If anything should trigger a random payment it will be that.

Nasqueron

Contactless has been around since the early 1990s, it has a maximum range of 10cm, you CANNOT pay for something 3 feet away from the terminal as the card doesn't activate without the power from the terminal and the power only extends that 10cm mentioned previously. If it worked 3 feet away then you would continously see stuff like your card paying for other people's stuff as you walk up a checkout queue or walk past another terminal e.g. in the supermarket when you walk in the gap between 2 tills or 2 of the self service machines, the gap between them is around 3 feet meaning you would end up paying for multiple purchases. You or they simply made a mistake and it was read when you walked up to the counter to place the goods or swung your handbag around - if you were 3 feet away how did you put the goods on the counter?