CC image credit to Karl Baron
Contactless card payment terminals are rapidly spreading across the country, and the chances are that you’ve visited a few places that accept the technology without even knowing it. With the news that maximum transactions are going up to £30 from £20, it’s certainly about time you got up to date. Here’s everything you need to know.
Quick and Easy
CC image credit to reynermedia
The process is actually incredibly simple. If you’ve got the little contactless Visa logo on your credit or debit card, and there’s one on the payment terminal too, then you are ready to go. All you do is hold your card against the reader (there’s no need to swipe) and wait until the payment is processed, which usually takes a second, and then everything is done. A ping or a symbol will appear on the terminal so you know that the payment has gone through. You don’t usually need to enter your PIN (more about that in a minute), and the money is taken from your account.
It makes things very fast and very easy indeed. You can look forward to faster waiting times and a generally better experience in shops that are ready for the technology. More and more are introducing it every day, and Visa themselves are also trying to clamp down on smaller retailers that impose minimum transaction values – click here to find out more. Soon this method of payment should be the norm.
Security
Security is usually the main concern of people new to this technology, but there’s nothing to be concerned about. As already mentioned, there are maximum limits on the amount you can spend using this technology, so you don’t need to worry about someone stealing the card and running up huge bills; you simply call to cancel the card as you usually would. As an additional security measure, the terminals randomly do request you to enter your PIN, so don’t forget it!
There’s also no threat of people brushing up against the card to take payment from it; the technology for data security is very robust indeed and there are many safeguards in place.
So, if you want to start going contactless where possible, then have a chat to your bank about when they’re introducing the technology. Most already have, so all you’ll need to do is request that they send you a new card with the update.