Credit cards with chips aren't completely secure

[Colleen27]

The more I read here, the more convinced I an that OP, and one or two others, confuses the computer chip card with the proximity cards (RFID).

That's very likely since the chip and pin system used in Europe isn't widely available on US-issued cards. One of the banks we use will issue a chip and pin card upon request and the other two don't offer them at all.

A friend of mine had a couple of issues when she was overseas (UK and France) because some places don't have the mag-stripe readers and the card she thought of as a "chip" card is RIFD/tap-to-pay, not the chip and pin system used overseas. It was only a relatively minor hassle for her but she told EVERYONE about it when she came home so that we could all be sure to have the right kind of card issued before we do any overseas travel.

 

[tvguy]

I would venture to guess that declansdad knows a lot more Canadians than you, in a much more populated part of the country. I've always found his views to be pretty consistent with mine, and I'm originally from Ontario but currently live in British Columbia.

You've already stated that your cousins live in one of the most sparsely populated provinces in the country, and then that they live in quite remote areas of that province. Can you not at least consider the possibility that their experiences are not representative of the majority of Canadians?

Sure. Like I said, it is a diverse country. And if you follow Canadian politics, you know our discussion over what the Canadian experience is , is a discussion Canadians have.

 

[tvguy]

Credit card companies recommend only having a 4 digit pin (you can have up to 6) as many terminals are only equipped to handle a 4 digit, esp. those enabled int he US..

Wow, something we agree on.

This was in the study abroad materials too, European systems often can not accept more than 4 digits for a pin.

 

[tvguy]

Which merchants? I have not come across a single store, restaurant or other place where money changes hands in the UK that doesn't have chip n pin technology. In fact, it was made mandatory in this country on 14 February 2006. I would be interested to know where this student is trying to use her card that does not have a card reader machine We even have contactless payment in many places now.

Morrisons.

 

[tvguy]

I kind of thought that, but chips had not even been available in the US when we moved and I wanted to give the OP the benefit of the doubt. So the story just does not add up at all from several different angles. Weird. OP, I really hope your DD's friend is not coning her into covering expenses for her.

I've never seen a chip card, so I just assumed they did have a magnetic strip.

Yeah, she did front her some money back in September, but was promptly paid back. Her classmate now makes sure she has plenty of cash on Fridays so she isn't caught short over the weekend when the banks are closed.

Don't know that I dare mention this because it may be controversial too, but apparently there are a lot more bank holidays in the U.K. than in the U.S.

 

[tvguy]

That has to be the case. There are plenty of places I've encountered that don't accept mag stripe cards but none that don't take the chip.

For the record, OP, I googled chip cards and Morrisons, and a huge scandal came up about fraud with their chip and pin machines, so they do accept them.

Could be just this store. DD did say the clerks didn't seem really well trained on anything other than cash sales.

 

[declansdad]

Sure. Like I said, it is a diverse country. And if you follow Canadian politics, you know our discussion over what the Canadian experience is , is a discussion Canadians have.

Now you are trying to tell Canadians what the Canadian experience is? I think you watch too much tv.

 

[declansdad]

Morrisons.

Morrison accepts multiple credit cards for their online orders, why wouldn't they accept them in the stores? Your post makes little sense.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

A discussion of the "Canadian Experience" is so bloody vague.

 

[declansdad]

A discussion of the "Canadian Experience" is so bloody vague.

If you have read any of TVGuy's posts about it in the past, he describes the Canadian experience from Confederation.

 

[wilma-bride]

Morrisons.

Morisons is a huge chain of supermarkets here in the UK (think Walmart) and most definitely have chip and pin. I think you are referring to RFID (contactless payment) which they may well not have. But chip and pin I can guarantee 100% they do have. I don't think your daughter is fully understanding of the issues her friend is having with her card but I can assure you that the card having a chip is not the problem.

 

[wilma-bride]

I've never seen a chip card, so I just assumed they did have a magnetic strip.

Yeah, she did front her some money back in September, but was promptly paid back. Her classmate now makes sure she has plenty of cash on Fridays so she isn't caught short over the weekend when the banks are closed.

Don't know that I dare mention this because it may be controversial too, but apparently there are a lot more bank holidays in the U.K. than in the U.S.

There's nothing controversial about what you're posting (Canadian conversations aside) however the UK has a total of 8 public holidays per year (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday). Now that may well be more than the US but I very much doubt it.

As far as your comments about Morrisons and clerks being able to deal only with cash transactions, that is complete and utter rubbish, I'm afraid. Since cheques are being phased out here in the UK too, if you couldn't pay by card, you would have no other method of payment.

 

[torsie24]

Morisons is a huge chain of supermarkets here in the UK (think Walmart) and most definitely have chip and pin. I think you are referring to RFID (contactless payment) which they may well not have. But chip and pin I can guarantee 100% they do have. I don't think your daughter is fully understanding of the issues her friend is having with her card but I can assure you that the card having a chip is not the problem.

Yup. I frequent 3 different Morrisons stores. Only 1 has the contactless - and my local Tesco just upgraded their machines to it last week.

But as you've said - every single merchant who takes card payments uses chip & pin. I can't remember the last time I signed.

 

[wilma-bride]

Yup. I frequent 3 different Morrisons stores. Only 1 has the contactless - and my local Tesco just upgraded their machines to it last week.

But as you've said - every single merchant who takes card payments uses chip & pin. I can't remember the last time I signed.

The last time I signed was the last time I used my card in the US

 

[Unas]

US Bank Holidays according to http://holidaystracker.com/bank/us-bank-holidays-2014/

New Years Day
MLK
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

ETA: that's a total of 10. Two more than UK.

 

[Unas]

Morisons is a huge chain of supermarkets here in the UK (think Walmart) and most definitely have chip and pin. I think you are referring to RFID (contactless payment) which they may well not have. But chip and pin I can guarantee 100% they do have. I don't think your daughter is fully understanding of the issues her friend is having with her card but I can assure you that the card having a chip is not the problem.

I do wish OP would clarify whether he is referring to RFID cards or the card that needs to be inserted into the reader. Perhaps he doesn't know?

 

[wilma-bride]

US Bank Holidays according to http://holidaystracker.com/bank/us-bank-holidays-2014/

New Years Day
MLK
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

ETA: that's a total of 10. Two more than UK.

Well, well

 

[wilma-bride]

I do wish OP would clarify whether he is referring to RFID cards or the card that needs to be inserted into the reader. Perhaps he doesn't know?

The more I read, the more I think he must mean that the daughter's friend has RFID as contactless (or proximity) payment is less common here at the moment. That is not to say that it doesn't exist, just not at all establishments.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I think there are probably a lot of facts missing from the story as he also mentioned the banks closing on a Friday, for the weekend. Pretty much every high street bank is open in the morning on Saturdays too

 

[CdnCarrie]

There's nothing controversial about what you're posting (Canadian conversations aside) however the UK has a total of 8 public holidays per year (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday). Now that may well be more than the US but I very much doubt it.

.

Totally off topic but I noticed you don't have anything in there for the monarch's birthday. In Canada we have Victoria Day to celebrate the Queen's birthday. I'm just surprised you don't have anything similar.

 

[bcla]

By the way, newer US passports have all your data in RFID . . .

The passport card contains a unique number. They'll then use the number to pull up your information, that's all stored on a secured government database. The number itself isn't encrypted, but there's no other data stored there.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

Security

To increase speed, efficiency, and security at U.S. land and sea border crossings, the passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. This chip points to stored records in secure government databases.

The passport book contains the number, name, a photo, and other information, but they use industrial-grade encryption. It's also typically closed, and there's a metal mesh in the cover that prevents it from being activated. Apparently the key to breaking the code is knowing the passport number and the DOB, and expiration date, which are on the passport page. However, if someone has to look that info up, they'll see it in the passport page when it's open. The RFID data contains nothing that's not already on the passport photo page, and it would be far easier to simply take a picture of that.

http://randomoracle.wordpress.com/2...-us-passport-using-an-android-phone-overview/