Barclaycard Contactless Payments?

Belly · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:22

Has anyone and reservations about Contactless Payments?

Barclaycard have advised me that they are replacing my Gold Card with a Platinum Card.

They state there is an advantage of “Contactless Payments”

“Quote”: Your new card contains contactless payment technology – simply; hold your card close to the contactless reader to pay for items of £10 or under quickly and securely at participating retailers such as Boots and Pret A Manager. For security, you will occasionally be asked for your PIN. Contactless payments are covered by the same fraud monitoring as your Chip and PIN payments “Unquote”

http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/personal-home/contactless/

I have until 14 September to contact them to refuse the new card.

I wouldn't want to think that someone was walking around the high street with a reader hidden in their pocket stripping money from these cards at random?

Burnsy2023 · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:25

I think contactless payments are limited to £10 per transaction. If it was used fraudulently, then it's the banks problem, not yours.

muon · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:25

They have to get much closer (like an oystercard). Also, do portable credit card machines even exist. I thought it has to be connected to the bank network.

McGray · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:32

I wouldn't worry, I'm looking forward to getting mine!

Siliconslave · 9 Sep 2009 at 17:09

i've had one for the best part of a year now - got the Barclaycard Oyster thing that came with contactless built in.

First time you use contactless you have to type your pin in so if you don't want to activate it then don't worry!

Its not, however, the most secure thing ever, there is certainly a good chance that, like some of the US RFID systems, they store your card number in plain text on it so in theory someone could pinch your number as you walked passed them.

Having said that its insanely cheap and easy to buy card numbers on the net - they have a value of something silly like £0.05 a number with CVV, so theres not that much benefit to nicking numbers on the street.

Qu3 · 9 Sep 2009 at 17:26

Yeah wouldn't worry. The tech has been around for a while. I saw this on click like 3 years ago I think. Pretty much the same concept as Oyster cards in London.