credit card use - do you always tap?

[amylevan]

I tend to tap with my phone (credit card in Apple wallet) because my phone is usually out and then I don’t have to dig in my purse for my wallet and pull out the card.

That said, older gas stations seem to be the hold out for old machines by me. Most everywhere else is tap.

 

[ronandannette]

Well, there is really no “swipe” here anymore; it’s tap or insert the chip card and enter the pin. All our cards have been chip-and-pin for many years now. I rarely use my credit cards other than on-line but I do use my bank card for absolutely everything and it’s always tap unless the purchase is over the spending limit. We’ve purposely set it very low for security.

 

[bluezy]

Our credit card was compromised so they just sent a new one. It seemed like it took forever, probably two full weeks. (It's the card we like to use the most since we pay in full and like the rewards.) Both DH and I received cards where insert and swipe don't work. Tap works. I'm a creature of habit so always insert if it's available. I don't even know if tap is always available since I never pay attention. Can we get by with tap only? I don't want to have to wait for yet another new card!

Did you try them at more than one location to make sure it wasn't just one particular machine/location that wasn't working? I would call the credit card company and tell them that swipe/insert isn't working on your cards and you would like new ones overnighted to you. Any time I've needed a credit card replaced due to fraud or losing it (found it 3 years later under the seat of my son's car!), Chase has always asked if I need the new card sent overnight (which still usually means waiting 2 days). I know that where I live, I couldn't get by with tap only. Many places offer it but there are still some that don't. None of the Walmarts around me offer tap and several small business I frequent don't offer it. Two gas stations I go to have it on their pumps but it never works.

 

[_19disnA]

I have a chip credit card now and I never have to enter a pin to use it. The only time I get asked for a pin is if I use my debit card. Maybe that works differently with some credit card companies. With the tap feature is there ever an issue in getting charged twice (or multiple times) if you tap and then think it didn't process correctly and then tap again?

 

[Moliphino]

I tap when it's immediately obvious where to do it. Some places don't have the symbol, so I don't know if you can tap or not. In that case I insert into the chip reader. I only swipe if the other two are not an option.

 

[Moliphino]

I have a chip credit card now and I never have to enter a pin to use it. The only time I get asked for a pin is if I use my debit card. Maybe that works differently with some credit card companies. With the tap feature is there ever an issue in getting charged twice (or multiple times) if you tap and then think it didn't process correctly and then tap again?

It doesn't seem to be a thing to have a PIN on a credit card in the US. I went to see if I could add one to my Capital One card, but apparently it's only available if you're going to use your card for cash advances. It's a little annoying when I go to Europe and you have to sign paper receipts everywhere.

 

[Miffy]

I have a chip credit card now and I never have to enter a pin to use it. The only time I get asked for a pin is if I use my debit card. Maybe that works differently with some credit card companies. With the tap feature is there ever an issue in getting charged twice (or multiple times) if you tap and then think it didn't process correctly and then tap again?

I've never had a problem with a possible double charge--and I was concerned about this at first. But it's completely obvious when the tap has worked as the machine registers it immediately.

 

[kanerf]

Not all of my cards support the tap, but I do use it on the ones that do.

 

[sam_gordon]

I only have one card that supports tap. My habit is to insert because the one card that supports tap I use infrequently.

My concern about tap capable cards is someone having an RFID reader close enough to you to grab the info. I'm not against tap, and if a bank sends me a tap card, I'm not going to refuse it, but that is a concern of mine. Actually I'm more concerned about that than a card skimmer.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I’ve only inserted my cards.

 

[_19disnA]

My concern about tap capable cards is someone having an RFID reader close enough to you to grab the info.

I wonder about that as well. I sometimes wonder if these things are more along the lines of theoretically possible then something practical to do in the real world? TV spy/police shows tend to make a lot of things look relatively easy to do but perhaps an exaggeration of reality. How near you have to physically be to read someone else's card isn't obvious to me. Not clear why tapping vs swiping a card makes that much of a big deal? In an effort to apparently make something easier to use. have they also increased the opportunity for misuse?

Clearly if you are shopping somewhere and the card reader appears tampered with and/or someone has made an amatuerish effort at skimming, I wouldn't use it.

 

[Jangles]

It may be worth checking your banking app. My cards are tap, but I can activate the swipe/insert feature on the app. I think it’s a security measure.

 

[sam_gordon]

I wonder about that as well. I sometimes wonder if these things are more along the lines of theoretically possible then something practical to do in the real world? TV spy/police shows tend to make a lot of things look relatively easy to do but perhaps an exaggeration of reality. How near you have to physically be to read someone else's card isn't obvious to me. Not clear why tapping vs swiping a card makes that much of a big deal? In an effort to apparently make something easier to use. have they also increased the opportunity for misuse?

Clearly if you are shopping somewhere and the card reader appears tampered with and/or someone has made an amatuerish effort at skimming, I wouldn't use it.

Yea, I'm not sure how realistic it is to be able to read the tap cards without the owner knowing, but it's still a concern of mine.

 

[disykat]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to call the card company and get cards that work.

 

[georgina]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to call the card company and get cards that work.

The chip shortage is affecting credit cards also, especially smaller banks. DH was approved for a new card from a smaller regional bank and it took FIVE weeks to come in the mail. When he was approved it said 1-2 weeks. Me, being used to Chase which sends them out in a week, reported it lost in the mail when it didn't show up in a few weeks, so they cancelled it and resent it out. He didn't get a working card until 10 weeks after approval. If they had told us it would be delayed it would have helped!

 

[slo]

My card doesn’t have a tap option - it expires this year, so I’m sure my new one will have it. I’m sure I’ll use it once I get it.

 

[mrodgers]

We had an issue while traveling recently and our main CC was closed on us. Yikes, that was a panic.

Dh had a venmo card whose swipe strip was not working and we realized that tap was not available everywhere, especially gas stations.

Fortunately, our son was with us and had his credit card.

I would try to get a card whose both swipe strip and tap worked.

It was 2010 when we went to Disney. 1100 miles in the car and I usually stop for gas at half a tank when traveling. Then 1100 miles in the car home and I stopped in Pittsburgh, about 40 miles from home to fill up and my card was flagged and didn't work. At least it let us get 2160 miles before flagging it.

 

[mrodgers]

Tap when available. One place where I regularly shop has old-style machines, so tapping isn't an option, but everywhere else is tappable. At WDW, I'm a serial tapper!

ETA: OP, are you sure you can't insert or swipe your card? I'm pretty sure tappable cards allow you to do all 3 things. Just because your card says it's contactless doesn't mean it won't also work for swiping and inserting. Although I realize it's possible your card is tap-only, it seems unlikely.

If you have a chip, my experience is the readers themselves don't take swiping the magnetic strip. I don't even think mine has the strip any more, I just got a replacement not long ago. You have to either insert the chip or tap.

 

[barb969]

I prefer tap because it is faster. It shouldn’t be called tap. It’s more press and hold for a couple of seconds.

 

[mrodgers]

It doesn't seem to be a thing to have a PIN on a credit card in the US. I went to see if I could add one to my Capital One card, but apparently it's only available if you're going to use your card for cash advances. It's a little annoying when I go to Europe and you have to sign paper receipts everywhere.

I don't have a pin and my preferred gas station, the dang pumps ask me for a pin and doesn't let me just hit enter like I would with a debit if I wanted it to go through as credit. I want to use this gas station because it is a local PA refinery.