credit card damaged ? contactless doesn't seem to work but pin does

older_wiser

technical question my halifax credit card doesn't seem to work using contactless but it does using the pin ? got the card in september so a relative new card but its been working until the past week or so can the contactless element be damaged and yet still be able to use the pin to purchase things.

would a get around be to use my curve card which already has my halifax credit card details but would this work ? i assume it would as its the curve card that uses contactless not halifax 

If all else fails i'll probably have to ask for it to be replaced.

bengal-stripe

Have you tried using the card contactless again after you've used the PIN?
  
After a certain number of contactless transaction the card will demand a PIN, thereafter it will continue contactless until it needs the PIN again. There is usually no notification that this is the reason, it just shows as 'rejected'.

jsmith9

This came up before and the solution seemed to be to 'reset' the contactless by going to an ATM machine, selecting PIN services and reset or unblock or something like that (I have forgotten what the exact wording was - but it's not the same as PIN change)

Gerry1

If the terminal does not respond then you'll have to get a new card.  If it does respond but rejects the transaction then make a PIN transaction or balance enquiry.

born_again

Why look for a work around. When the answer is simple. Go on to the mobile APP and request a new card.

jsmith9

for clarity, this is the procedure:
1. go to ATM, put card in
2. enter PIN
3. choose PIN services
4. choose unlock PIN

contactless will work again - hopefully!

older_wiser

many thanks for all the comments it started about 14 days ago i used it on public transport was refused multiple times so had to use another

i know that a card has a limit on the number of times it can be used contactless either by purchase amount or number and then a pin must be used so the next time i used it it was via pin and this was successful.  i also used the card online during the period without any problems but hadn't used it contactless  since it was denied. I don't use public transport all the time but did again yesterday it was denied multiple times.

Now IMO either the contactless element is damaged i think thats the more likely scenerio or that it needs to be unlocked at the ATM i assumed though that by using it to purchase an item by pin this would have unlocked it ? Another possibility perhaps is that the card is unreliable on certain terminals again no idea if that can happen. 

its not really a reluctance in requesting a new card  just a hesitation it took halifax 3 weeks to send out my new debit card so it would probably arrive after christmas  now and the card is purchase free until later in 2022 so its my default payment i don't mind using the pin rather than contactless but on public transport theres no way to do this. 

jsmith9

Using the PIN does unlock it in the sense that if is has had too many contactless transactions in a row you have to use the PIN before doing another one.

the procedure I described is different - it 'resets' the contactless part card if it has got into a muddle so to speak!

older_wiser

jsmith9 said:

Using the PIN does unlock it in the sense that if is has had too many contactless transactions in a row you have to use the PIN before doing another one.

the procedure I described is different - it 'resets' the contactless part card if it has got into a muddle so to speak!

thanks for the reply i'll do that the next time i pass an ATM and hopefully it'll work from then on 

strange how we've become so used to using cashless ways to pay for things now i  don't like to even use the pin option if i can thats probably more to to do with covid than anything else though. 

chistery

If you have a phone, use Apple Pay or Google pay, then you won't have to use your PIN after a number of uses.

phillw

older_wiser said:

Now IMO either the contactless element is damaged i think thats the more likely scenerio or that it needs to be unlocked at the ATM i assumed though that by using it to purchase an item by pin this would have unlocked it ? Another possibility perhaps is that the card is unreliable on certain terminals again no idea if that can happen.  

I have a card that refuses to work in Savers, It works everywhere except there. I had always put it down to being rejected because my cards processing fee was too high for them. I have had a replacement for that that card, so I may test that theory.

It's been a long time since I visited an ATM to get a contactless card to work, not since tsb were offering 5% cash back on contactless purchases and so I never ever wanted to enter the PIN in a shop (fortunately I had two that I could cycle between).