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Chip N Pin Memory Solution: Pin Safe Review

2

Comments

  • This is not new, I have been using it for years, it was recomended to customers as a way of remembering their PIN when I worked for the HSBC back in the early nineties.
    What goes around - comes around
    give lots and you will always recieve lots
  • You can change your PIN to a number you find easier to remember - usually at a cashpoint.

    This means that you can change all your cards so that they have the same number, meaning that you only have one number to remember, and you decide what it is.

    I've got two numbers, one for credit cards and one for debit cards (consecutive numbers, so easy to remember). This makes sure I don't accidentally withdraw cash on a credit card, and get charged for doing so.
  • david78
    david78 Posts: 1,654 Forumite
    Its a good system. What you can also do is use a "master pin" code instead of the code word. e.g. master pin = 4672 and card 1 pin = 2576, card 2 pin = 8991

    Then your wallet/purse reminder would look like this:

    c1 c2
    0 6 2
    1 5 9
    2 6 1
    3 7 1
    4 2 8
    5 3 8
    6 5 9
    7 7 9
    8 7 5
    9 1 4

    Of course you DON'T underline the pin numbers like I have done here.
  • I have a handy little excel program that generates a printable credit card sized output that I have been using for the last year or two. It works on the same principle but combimes all the cards on one printout.

    Is there any way of posting the file ??

    If not I am willing to email it if anyone would like to try it.
  • The excel sheet sounds useful. If can't get it off the MSE site and you have access to a sheet of sticky labels such as Avery (and most offices do now), you can print out a label with your Cards, your A-Z and your numbers for each letter. Just use a fixed font like Courier to make the letters and numbers line up

    CC1
    ABCDEFG......Z
    5674259....5
    CC2...


    Save yourself the money (unless you own the office, that is ;))
    Jumbo

    "You may have speed, but I have momentum"
  • robbies_gal
    robbies_gal Posts: 7,895 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    i use the telephone number sysytem

    just a false name for each card disguised ina phone number-noone knows wot it is they would have to try every number in my phone and they dont know where ive put it in the number either
    What goes around-comes around
  • PinkPig
    PinkPig Posts: 257 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    The terms and conditions on my bank account say you should not "write down your PIN number in a form that can be read by someone else" - and since this form couldn't be (easily) used by someone else, it seems they'd not mind!
  • quoia
    quoia Posts: 14,495 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I've just created a PIN cribsheet for all our credit cards, service tills Cirrus etc - over 30 including the wife's.

    I used MS Excel - put all the card names down the left, A to Z across the top.
    Then put the following formula =INT(RAND()*10) in all the A to Z cells

    This generates random numbers from 0 to 9 in every cell.

    Pick your 4 letter word - say FIRE

    For each row (each card) change the value for F, I, R and E, from the above formula to the correct digit for the 4 numbers of the pin number for that particular card.

    You end up with a string of 26 random numbers for each card.
    All you have to do is remember your particular 4 letter SECRET word and not tell anyone else !!

    Like this - EXAMPLE only

    Card A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
    A&LMast 0 2 6 8 2 6 2 3 0 4 8 9 2 6 9 8 2 7 9 1 8 6 1 4 6 2
    ActionlineV 6 0 3 2 5 4 2 8 4 4 2 1 4 0 8 1 3 8 0 8 3 0 7 6 9 4
    AmExNectarD 8 3 8 8 2 6 9 0 3 0 2 5 3 3 0 4 7 2 2 8 1 6 7 2 8 4
    AmExNectarJ 3 3 1 3 3 2 9 4 4 7 4 3 7 4 1 0 2 7 1 9 3 6 3 1 5 3
    CahootJ 7 6 5 6 1 5 9 0 3 9 5 3 4 5 2 5 7 5 6 7 1 9 0 5 0 9
    DerbyshireLinkD 3 3 2 0 2 8 1 2 3 9 1 3 1 7 2 4 5 6 9 9 1 0 1 1 6 2
    DerbyshireLinkJ 7 4 9 9 5 7 7 6 2 5 4 0 4 3 6 8 2 5 1 9 4 2 3 3 1 0
    FirstDirectD 3 7 2 7 1 4 1 8 8 7 8 1 5 1 8 2 7 6 1 0 1 8 3 8 1 1
    NationwideFlexD 3 6 8 9 7 3 5 3 3 8 2 4 2 3 6 6 5 1 4 6 2 7 8 1 0 1
    NationwideFlexJ 4 4 9 3 7 8 9 9 8 1 2 2 5 8 4 1 0 5 1 7 4 4 5 2 6 9

    Alliance & Leicester Mastercard (A&LMast) using FIRE = 6072
    Cahoot using FIRE = 5351


    Obviously in Excel they all line up nice and neatly, print it out and keep it with your cards. PERFECTLY SAFE !!!
    There are 10 types of people in the world. ‹(•¿•)›
    ‹(•¿•)› Those that understand binary and those that do not!


    Veni, Vidi, VISA ! ................. I came, I saw, I PURCHASED
    (11)A104.28S94.98O112.46N86.73D101.02(12)J130.63F126.76M134.38A200.98M156.30J95.56J102.85A175.93
    S LOWER CASE OMEGA;6.59 so far ..
  • Angie8
    Angie8 Posts: 101 Forumite
    Correct me if I'm wrong but I can see a security flaw with this system.

    If a shoulder surfer happens to see your PIN and then gets a hold of your wallet (e.g. picking your pocket), then they'd have a fairly decent chance of working out all of the PINs for every card you have (assuming you keep the CRIB card in your wallet or have stickers on the backs of the cards).

    To use the example above, if they spot you entering 5351 as your Cahoot PIN, it would only probably take 20 minutes to break the PINs on the rest of the cards. Then they can have a field day with the rest of your cards.

    If you work through the possible letter combinations one by one using the numbers 5351, you'll find that most of them make nonsense words, the first 2 being CIFE and CIFU (anyone bored enough to have a go at the rest? :D).

    As soon as a proper English word pops out, the chances are that this is going to be the PIN word.

    The system is good, but to have true security you should use a nonsense word such as XJRA instead of FIRE. Also, the crib sheet should be kept seperate from cards.
  • James
    James Posts: 2,059 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    The best solution of all if you have a memory problem is to opt for Chip & Signature Cards.

    If any reader has any questions about chip and signature or chip and pin then they can emal the people who are rolling out the system at the following link:

    http://www.cardwatch.org.uk/default.asp?sectionid=5&pageid=91
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