How to remember PINs

blue.peter

I've accumulated quite a few assorted credit and debit cards, and am having trouble remembering all of the PINs. For obvious security reasons, I don't want to either (a) set them all to the same PIN, or (b) carry a written list of them. I'm well aware that I can change the PINs, but what should I change them to?

The best idea I've come up with so far is 1 for credit/2 for debit + one digit representing the issuer + two standard digits. But it's not easy to remember the arbitrary digit assigned to each issuer. I suppose that I could carry a list in my wallet, but (a) this reduces security a bit, (b) a bit of paper will soon get tatty, and (c) having to check it every time I use a card will slow things down.

Does anyone have a better system that they're willing to share?

leodis23

I use LastPass to store the card details of the ones I can't remember (or their app doesn't show me the pin).
I've got the app on my phone which is protected by a password and biometrics, so more secure than saving it as a fake contact like back in the day. Just check the app before I use the card.

jimbo26

I use the same PIN for all. I appreciate if a thief makes a correct 1 in 10000 guess all are compromised but the chances are so minute it doesn't bother me.

My PIN hasn't been compromised in the last 40 years so doing OK.

D_M_E

There's 10 numbers from 0 to 9.

Arrange them all in random order with no two consecutive numbers and memorise your arrangement.

Now allocate each card a number - card 1, card 2 etc etc

PIN for card 1 will start with the 4 numbers following number 1 in your list and so on.

For example if your order is 0 4 7 1 8 9 5 6, card 1 PIN would be 8 9 5 6 and so on.

blue.peter

D_M_E wrote: »

There's 10 numbers from 0 to 9.

Arrange them all in random order with no two consecutive numbers and memorise your arrangement.

Now allocate each card a number - card 1, card 2 etc etc

PIN for card 1 will start with the 4 numbers following number 1 in your list and so on.

For example if your order is 0 4 7 1 8 9 5 6, card 1 PIN would be 8 9 5 6 and so on.

Interesting idea, thanks, but I don't think that's any easier to remember than my idea described above.

born_again

Mine are all the same. Still using the 1st pin I was ever given.

KISS is by far the best method.

Flobberchops

For years I remembered my (now defunct) PIN by the fact that the initials of each number - 0153 - were ZOFT, which rhymed with (Lara) Croft. For some reason 17 year old me found that easy to recall...

Nowadays, my banking app has a handy PINview feature.

Flobberchops

Gerry1 wrote: »

Blue Screen Of Death = 2763.

Please, spell it out for a thicko. What's the correlation between the letter and the number?

Gerry1

Just think of some crazy phrase associated with the brand and use the initial letters.

For example, the Barclays colour = Blue Screen Of Death = 2763.

Lloyds = Lloyd George Knew My father = 5456.

Gerry1

Flobberchops wrote: »

Please, spell it out for a thicko. What's the correlation between the letter and the number?

Look at ATM's keypad, or your phone...

bhjm

you could use the the last 4 digits in reverse or similar combination

each first digits from the 4 blocks etc