Offline/ Online & Credit scores

br0llz

Does your credit score affect the likelihood of your contactless debit/ credit card being authorised for offline payments (contactless or otherwise)?

My credit score in 2016 was 599/700, and I’d say 90% of my contactless transactions went through offline, funds taken up to a week later.

Now I’m noticing, with my score having dropped to 550/700, in 2018, basically only Pret takes offline contactless transactions, everyone else, I get the usual “please wait.... ... authorised” and the money is out straight away! Thoughts?

[Deleted User]

Nothing is affected by your “score”.

It’s a made up number that lenders do not see, use or care about.

And it certainly won’t affect the way your debit card functions.

cjv

No one sees your credit score, except you and the credit agencies that make them up.

eskbanker

br0llz wrote: »

Thoughts?

It's in the banking industry's interests for all transactions to be authorised online as this minimises their liability for fraudulent use, so as I understand it, an increasing proportion of low-value transactions are going this way instead of being authorised offline, i.e. it's nothing to do with your cards or accounts specifically (and certainly nothing to do with your credit 'score'!) but is symptomatic of a wider trend of improved speed and reliability of technology (don't mention TSB....).

It's also in the customers' interests not to have delays before transactions appear on statements and for balances to be adjusted accordingly in close to real time, although paradoxically this may cause more confusion if the vast majority of transactions are reflected immediately but still not quite all of them!

br0llz

So this is rather more a UK-wide trend towards online auth rather than a personal financial dip? Reassuring to hear I just say.