Tesco Credit Card gone "invalid" again!

peterhjohnson

Every year or two, my card seems to get worn out.
I tap and it accepts the Clubcard bit but wants me to insert to actually pay.
As soon as I insert it, the terminal comes up "Invalid Card"
No, I haven't forgotten my PIN, the terminal throws an error immediately. 
No, the contacts are not dirty,
No, I haven't got anywhere near my Credit Limit
No, I'm not in arrears - I pay off the balance in full every month by Direct Debit
No, I'm not making a large transaction.
Yes, I do make loads of (smallish)  transactions.

Is this common with Tesco? Or is it all cards these days?

I have ordered a replacement card but I'm wondering if I'm using the wrong provider?

eskbanker

peterhjohnson said:

I tap and it accepts the Clubcard bit but wants me to insert to actually pay.
As soon as I insert it, the terminal comes up "Invalid Card"

Just to be clear, is this issue solely when you use the card in Tesco stores, or do you experience it elsewhere too?

peterhjohnson

eskbanker said:

peterhjohnson said:

I tap and it accepts the Clubcard bit but wants me to insert to actually pay.
As soon as I insert it, the terminal comes up "Invalid Card"

Just to be clear, is this issue solely when you use the card in Tesco stores, or do you experience it elsewhere too?

Elsewhere too :-(

Jami74

I've never had this problem with Tesco credit card but did have a dodgy Amex card that would not work in Asda. It was a similar error, would sometimes accept contactless but more often ask me to put it in and then say invalid or something. Same as you, always paid off in full, small transactions etc.

CliveOfIndia

I use a Tesco card (amongst others) regularly, never had an issue.

I'm wondering whether the card is getting physically damaged somehow.  Does it get stored anywhere near a strong magnetic field at all?  To be honest, I'm not even sure if that would actually cause an issue, just trying to think of logical possibilities.

peterhjohnson

CliveOfIndia said:

I use a Tesco card (amongst others) regularly, never had an issue.

I'm wondering whether the card is getting physically damaged somehow.  Does it get stored anywhere near a strong magnetic field at all?  To be honest, I'm not even sure if that would actually cause an issue, just trying to think of logical possibilities.

It's kept in my wallet with my phone. Interestingly, a card reader Ap on my phone can show me recent transactions including some where a contactless attempt led to me inserting for Chip & Pin. So the card may be "functional" for contactless, wants a PIN but when inserted, it may fail in some way that causes in instant fail.

Nebulous2

My Halifax debit card has just done the same. Went to pay fuel - contactless was declined, enter card. Reader in the garage kept saying remove card regardless of how often I tried it. I then went to an ATM and tried to withdraw cash, it said something like you cannot perform this action with that type of card. The online chat told me to try another ATM. It said this card is faulty, contact the issuer. 

I called them and they resolved it very quickly. Told me there is no need to call you can order a new card directly from the app. New card details were in the app the following day and the card itself appeared about 3 days later. 

peterhjohnson

Nebulous2 said:

My Halifax debit card has just done the same. Went to pay fuel - contactless was declined, enter card. Reader in the garage kept saying remove card regardless of how often I tried it. I then went to an ATM and tried to withdraw cash, it said something like you cannot perform this action with that type of card. The online chat told me to try another ATM. It said this card is faulty, contact the issuer. 

I called them and they resolved it very quickly. Told me there is no need to call you can order a new card directly from the app. New card details were in the app the following day and the card itself appeared about 3 days later. 

Thanks. I think the days when my main card lasted until the expiry date are over.   I'll make a diary reminder to order a replacement every 12 months whether I need it or not!