It’s Only Cash Or Contactless Credit Card For Me!
I had a chat with a solicitor, I met on a train yesterday about credit card fraud. I said that I try to use my contactless card if possible and get mildly annoyed if a company expects me to enter my pin for a purchase of about a tenner.
She agreed and said she had been involved in formulating the legal basis of the payments policy of a large retailer. She made some interesting points.
- Fraud on contactless cards seems to be lower than predicted. We both added a caveat of Not Yet!
- Some retailers have reported a strong move from cash to contactless cards.
- Research has shown, that people keep contactless cards very safe, in a place like a deep pocket, to avoid accidental transactions.
I also said that a policeman had told me, that stolen contactless cards aren’t often used in a contactless manner. She said that thirty quid isn’t worth getting caught for, when there’s a bent shop where you can make thousands.
I said that, I once used my ordinary card in a branch of a well-known franchise to purchase an SD card. The lady, who served me, was a Muslim from her dress and when my card didn’t work in the machine, she told me that she’d used the wrong one. So she asked me to put my card in another. Which I did and the purchase was completed.
Within a few hours my card had been cloned and some expensive purchases were made. My companion confirmed it was a trick beloved of small shops and garages.
So I had been conned by a simple sleight-of-hand! Did the money end up with Islamic State? Probably not, but you do wonder!
I now only use cash or contactless credit card for my smaller purchases.
I also now rarely use small shops, unless I’ve known them for some time. And I certainly wouldn’t use a credit card without it being contactless.
Two Ticketing Stories
This story on Rail News is entitled Metrolink offers Get me there app and this story on Rail News is entitled Contactless payment to Gatwick Airport.
The stories illustrate the difference in philosophy between Manchester and London.
I don’t use financial apps, as they are a security risk to my bank and credit card details, so in Manchester I’ll still have to buy a ticket, as they haven’t embraced the modern technology of contactless cards.
Also why can’t I buy a Plus Tram ticket when I book a Virgin for Manchester?
For Gatwick now, I won’t have to buy a ticket, as I’ll use a contactless card between East Croydon and Gatwick.
The Minimum Payment On Contactless Payment
On Saturday, I went out without my real handkerchief, so just before I got my train, I popped into Boots at Liverpool Street station and bought a pack of tissues for the princely sum of forty-five pence.
As I always do in Boots, I used a self-service till, but this time I used my contactless American Express card for the purchase, by just tapping it on the reader.
In some ways that seemed a bit cheeky to me and it certainly raised a smile in myself.
So now, my on-line American Express statement has an entry for 0.45p against Boots.
It got me thinking and yesterday I was taken short in Nottingham station.
Using The Toilet In Nottingham Station
How long before public toilets like these in stations gocredit contactless?
The Anonymous Widower 