121–130 of 432 posts
A big part of this is that apparently US credit card companies decided not to include contactless when they switched over to chip cards, in order to save money. Ironically, contactless was becoming fairly common before the move to EMV, but is now pretty rare. I think about half my cards had it a few years ago, but now none do.
What frustrates me is the way everyone talks about Apple Pay as if it's the standard in mobile payments. Everyone calls contactless payments Apple Pay, which is technology other countries have had for many years built into the cards themselves via an NFC chip. Visa calls it PayWave(TM), because you just wave your credit card over the terminal to pay. I have been taking advantage of the benefits of contactless pay sin…
I had dinner with members of the Apple Pay team a year or two back. I asked them, “So, who are your competitors? Google Pay? PayPal?” They laughed. “No, we don’t really track them. We have one main competitor. Credit cards. We care about Apple Pay being better, easier and more convenient to use than any of your credit cards.” And then, finishing dinner, the guy paid with his Apple Watch, using Apple Pay. The waiter w…
When I was in Australia this August, most waiters were "Stunned" that I didn't need a pin to buy things. It doesn't take much to "Stun" a waiter when it comes to tech.
We haven't needed a PIN to buy anything like dinner in Australia for close to a decade now. Only exception is if you are going for a more expensive dinner where you might be. But then I doubt your credit card company is overriding that security precaution.
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Where in Australia were you? I ask this because, as an Australian, I pay for essentially every single purchase on Apple Pay. Everyone I know uses mostly their phones to pay. Everyone I know has been using contactless payments on their credit cards (or visa/mastercard debit cards) for the past 5 years. No one enters their pins on transactions under $150. Depending on the payment method, that number can be a lot higher…
If it was a tourist spot, it may have been surprising for someone with an American accent not needing a PIN.
A big part of this is that apparently US credit card companies decided not to include contactless when they switched over to chip cards, in order to save money. Ironically, contactless was becoming fairly common before the move to EMV, but is now pretty rare. I think about half my cards had it a few years ago, but now none do.
I wonder if contactless will also gain favor as being less likely to spread disease. If you just wave the authentication device, it is less likely to communicate surface contamination.
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I don't know what qualifies as "significant", but I've used contactless on my actual card a handful of times and never needed a PIN
At least in the UK, contactless is limited to 20£ and probably has other limits as well I suspect.
I honestly love Apple Pay, but I don't use it super often because it makes me self-conscious. I feel like a bit of a dick for some reason. If you try to do something "weird" and it doesn't work, people get annoyed, or it feels like an imposition. Even when it works, people sometimes make some kind of comment. Relatedly, it's unpredictable whether it will work or not. It usually does, as long as the card machine says…
Most of the remaining awkward are the cashiers/business that still like to "touch" the physical card itself (for whatever reason and/or ignorance), hiding the chip reader behind a counter or facing it away from the user. If the reader is too hidden you know not to try at all. The "pardon my reach" is sometimes embarrassing to try when the reader is in an accessible but awkward position, but sometimes I still like to try it, just to somewhat send a message that there are reasons they should move the reader closer to the buyer than the register and they just hadn't seen them yet.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know what qualifies as "significant", but I've used contactless on my actual card a handful of times and never needed a PIN
At least in the UK, contactless is limited to 20£ and probably has other limits as well I suspect.
https://www.barclays.co.uk/current-accounts/debit-cards/cont...
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In Romania we have Visa PayWave for years. For small amounts you just wave the card in from of the POS and you are done. For bigger amounts you are asked your PIN and I find that reasonable. I don't see how waving my watch in front of the POS would make this easier, it would actually be more cumbersome depending on how the POS is presented.
So we are 100% clear, contactless cards generally have very weak security relative to apple pay. https://www.which.co.uk/news/2015/07/which-reveals-contactle... There is a reason they are not being promoted in major markets.
The security issue isn't a big deal since (a) payments are limited to small amounts e.g. < $100 and (b) banks will indemnify you against credit card theft.