Contactless payments

techno12

Is it just me, or is there an astonishing design flaw in those "tap to pay" contactless terminals that are everywhere.

Specifically, you have to tap the screen, blocking it with your card. So there's no indication as to whether or not it's gone through!!

You have to block the screen for an arbitrary amount or time and assume it's gone through. Half the time for me it hasn't.

Yes, there's a beep, but that useless in a noisy environment where IKEA today where there's beeping all over at the tills and my payment wasn't accepted and the till locked out "waiting for an assistant" after I'd tapped the card.

Just an annoyance - the 'tapping hotspot' should be over they numeric keypad, NOT the screen, so that you can see the result of the tap on the screen above it!

Carrot007

It is hardly an issue! Wait unless it says tap (the key part) and then hold it for a couple of seconds and remove and check what it says.



I am pretty sure the sensor is not behind the screen anyway. Just a matter of knowing where it is around it if you want to see the screen. This of course depends on the terminal. For example in my local BP you have to tap to the right of the screen, preferably sideways on.


And no one is forcing you to use it if you want to enter your pin go ahead!

Faith177

It tells you straight away if it’s gone through though regardless of the bleep as soon as you remove your card if it hasn’t gone through it asks you to present the card still

peter_the_piper

techno12 wrote: »

Is it just me, or is there an astonishing design flaw in those "tap to pay" contactless terminals that are everywhere.

Specifically, you have to tap the screen, blocking it with your card. So there's no indication as to whether or not it's gone through!!

You have to block the screen for an arbitrary amount or time and assume it's gone through. Half the time for me it hasn't.

Yes, there's a beep, but that useless in a noisy environment where IKEA today where there's beeping all over at the tills and my payment wasn't accepted and the till locked out "waiting for an assistant" after I'd tapped the card.

Just an annoyance - the 'tapping hotspot' should be over they numeric keypad, NOT the screen, so that you can see the result of the tap on the screen above it!

Our machine gives the client advice that it is being approved and when approved. it churns out a ticket for us. Maybe this is a problem with some large stores.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Does the problem happen on Friday night a week before payday?

techno12

Faith177 wrote: »

It tells you straight away if it’s gone through though regardless of the bleep as soon as you remove your card if it hasn’t gone through it asks you to present the card still

How does it tell you straight away? Your card is blocking the screen!

The IKEA situation I mentioned in the OP was a case in point. I heard a beep, removed the card, saw a "accepted" message on the screen. Then it all.locked out as somehow it wasn't accepted and I had to wait for a human to arrive and unlock the terminal. Crazy.

What should happen is you tap below the screen, wait for a huge green 'TICK' to appear on screen then you know it's done and dusted.

As I said originally, crazy design flaw..

hollydays

I've noticed a lot my card being refused randomly when I make a contactless payment, and my bank told me that it's a security issue.
If the machine refuses contactless it will accept the normal pin entry.
It's the bank randomly making you input your pin.

JReacher1

Use Apple/android pay. Tells you on the phone if it has gone through.

Faith177

techno12 wrote: »

How does it tell you straight away? Your card is blocking the screen!

The IKEA situation I mentioned in the OP was a case in point. I heard a beep, removed the card, saw a "accepted" message on the screen. Then it all.locked out as somehow it wasn't accepted and I had to wait for a human to arrive and unlock the terminal. Crazy.

What should happen is you tap below the screen, wait for a huge green 'TICK' to appear on screen then you know it's done and dusted.

As I said originally, crazy design flaw..

If you actually read what I had said I said when you remove the card it shows on the screen if it has gone through or not

Quite A few of the contactless payment machines I’ve used show a green light once transaction is completed

As for the ikea situation sounds more like a security issue as someone else said

peter_the_piper

We type in the amount, customer taps card on screen, it beeps, customer takes card away, machine shows "processing" on screen then "card accepted" machine spews out slip for me, customer asked if copy wanted and given one if requested. I can't see any flaw with that.

Les79

techno12 wrote: »

I had to wait for a human to arrive and unlock the terminal. Crazy.

I know right!!


Crazy seeing humans operating terminals! I'd have expected a Vulcan, or a Tellarite, or a robot to arrive and unlock the terminal.