Contactless credit cards.

swingaloo

Im not the best at keeping up with technology but today I had a letter from my credit card company telling me that they were about to send out a new card which will be contactless and when I get it I should cut up my old card.

I would rather have to use my pin and keep the old card but thats not an option.

At the moment, if I lost my purse then as long as my pin is not in there (which it isnt) Im reasonably safe. But with contactless the thief could be on a spree within seconds.

Or am I missing something?

elsien

There's a limit of £30 per transaction. So any thief would have to do lots of smaller purchases which you'd hope would flag up unusual spending patterns with the card issuer. Plus I think the pin is occasionally and randomly requested as well.
I think there may also be some sort of limit on your liability for lost/stolen cards, depending on when you report it.

Chino

At present HSBC's credit cards aren't contactless. If you don't want a contactless credit card you could apply for either an HSBC credit card or a card from another contact-only credit card issuer and close your existing account.
http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/credit-cards

TadleyBaggie

swingaloo wrote: »

I would rather have to use my pin and keep the old card but thats not an option.

Nothing changes, if you only want to use the PIN then do so, no one forces you to use the contactless part.

Personally I love contactless, albeit via Apple Pay.

dresdendave

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

Nothing changes, if you only want to use the PIN then do so, no one forces you to use the contactless part.

I think you have misunderstood the OP's issue. Their concern is that if a thief obtained her card, they could make contactless transactions, unlike a non-contactless card where they would also require the PIN.

TadleyBaggie

dresdendave wrote: »

I think you have misunderstood the OP's issue.

No I didn't, I was just answering the part where they say they would rather "use my pin", just pointing out they they still can.

20aday

I know contactless payments aren't everyone's cup of tea but you can carry on using Chip and PIN at the checkout without ever using the service.

So long as you aren't negligent i.e. your keep a memo of your PIN in your wallet/purse you'd be covered for any fraudulent transactions.

There are also 'shields' on the market to prevent your card being skimmed by a device-from what I've read on here tin foil does the trick too but I've never tried that myself.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Can't speak for other providers but the Halifax will provide you with cards which aren't contactless if you ask.

But MBNA won't.

chattychappy

20aday wrote: »

So long as you aren't negligent i.e. your keep a memo of your PIN in your wallet/purse you'd be covered for any fraudulent transactions.

Even if you are negligent, you can only be held liable for up to £50. This is even if they T+Cs say otherwise.

Doing something like writing you PIN on the card itself would test a court's sympathy, though! (I know somebody who did this....)

PeacefulWaters

chattychappy wrote: »

Even if you are negligent, you can only be held liable for up to £50. This is even if they T+Cs say otherwise.

Doing something like writing you PIN on the card itself would test a court's sympathy, though! (I know somebody who did this....)

Note that this only applies to credit cards or the amount of any overdraft caused with a debit card fraud.

takman

Contactless transactions will be refunded by the bank guaranteed if you report them as fraudulent, so nothing to worry about there.

Also that makes Contactless better for the consumer; if you use Contactless nobody can see your pin.
If you use chip and pin and someone did see it, stole your card and used it then it would be far more difficult to get a refund (although a very unlikely situation I realise).

But I never understand people's resistance to things like Contactless yet happily carry cash around with them, which if stolen can never be blocked or refunded. I would much rather a Contactless card be stolen and used than £30 of cash.