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How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

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MyNameIsUrl
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How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509714

Postby MyNameIsUrl » June 26th, 2022, 11:27 am

I used a contactless card to tap for a payment, and was told it didn’t work, so the seller fiddled with the device and I tapped again, successfully this time. On my bank statement I have paid twice, so the first attempt obviously was successful.

My question is, at the point of sale, how can I confirm that a contactless payment has really been unsuccessful before tapping a second time?

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509723

Postby pje16 » June 26th, 2022, 11:50 am

AFAIK
you can't as it takes between few hours and a day or two to hit your bank or credit card but if you have been charged twice
this might help
https://pocketsense.com/debit-card-char ... -1530.html

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509732

Postby XFool » June 26th, 2022, 12:11 pm

I don't use contactless. This seems a good enough reason not to. Plus that article points out the difficulty of keeping track (ask for a receipt? - but that starts to negate the 'advantage') and recommends you keep a record. Oh dear!

I just use a credit card with Chip & PIN and ask for a receipt. Works for me. But for how much longer? Um...

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509735

Postby pje16 » June 26th, 2022, 12:32 pm

XFool wrote:I don't use contactless.

I never used to use it but started a year or so ago when in the pub and at the supermarket
it just seems easier
I ALWAYS get a receipt
have never had the OPs issue of it not going through
I do think it's a dangerous concept though, if you lose you card anyone can pick it up and use it
so I would not be upset of they decided to do away with it, unlikely though that is

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509739

Postby Stompa » June 26th, 2022, 12:38 pm

Doesn't it normally say 'Authorised' or "Not Authorised' on the screen? I believe the sound made by the machine is different too (though not sufficiently different IMO).

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509756

Postby stevensfo » June 26th, 2022, 1:57 pm

pje16 wrote:AFAIK
you can't as it takes between few hours and a day or two to hit your bank or credit card but if you have been charged twice
this might help
https://pocketsense.com/debit-card-char ... -1530.html



Yes, I've noticed that it can take up to a few days for it to come out of my account, BUT I still get a alert on my phone within minutes of using the card, so I can easily keep track. I have to say that in these days of heightened financial security, safety, privacy, due diligence etc, the lax rules surrounding contactless cards seem a bit strange.

Nevertheless, I tend to be careful and still use cash about 50% of the time, especially since the limit before needing a PIN has been raised so much!

Re. receipts, well I've always taken them, not just for my own records, but because I often visit the same shop more than once in the town centre.

e.g. if I buy a magazine in Smiths and want to go back, I have proof that I've paid for the magazine.

Steve

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509759

Postby pje16 » June 26th, 2022, 2:06 pm

stevensfo wrote:I have to say that in these days of heightened financial security, safety, privacy, due diligence etc, the lax rules surrounding contactless cards seem a bit strange.
Steve

I was part of Barclays Future Forum several years (before the days of contactless) and they floated the concept as a potential future feature and most users were delighted with the idea
I posted up my point about losing the card and it being then open to anyone who found it use
and after that most people changed their minds about it
I think it is very open to abuse

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509768

Postby Dod101 » June 26th, 2022, 2:55 pm

I use contactless all the time. The merchant should give you a chit which says something like 'transaction void' or something, when it does not work. If not challenge him if you cannot see from the screen that the payment has not been made. In the meantime, contact your bank and tell them that you have been charged twice. They should be able to repay you and recover it from the merchant.

Dod

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509774

Postby servodude » June 26th, 2022, 3:17 pm

Dod101 wrote:I use contactless all the time. The merchant should give you a chit which says something like 'transaction void' or something, when it does not work. If not challenge him if you cannot see from the screen that the payment has not been made. In the meantime, contact your bank and tell them that you have been charged twice. They should be able to repay you and recover it from the merchant.

Dod


That sounds like very reasonable advice.

I've never knowingly had contactless payment on a card be duplicated - where it has ever failed I've similarly been given a "chit" (where does that word come from?) and then a receipt (normally the shorter piece of paper) when it works
If they didn't proffer a chit I'd likely ask them about it (if the transaction was for any meaningful value)

I will confess though to having moved to using my phone for contactless more often than not - mainly because as it has become a more ubiquitous form of payment the (automatic) provision of receipts has become less common (they're normally offered though) and the phone provides an immediate notification of what was transacted

-sd

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509775

Postby BobbyD » June 26th, 2022, 3:18 pm

pje16 wrote:
stevensfo wrote:I have to say that in these days of heightened financial security, safety, privacy, due diligence etc, the lax rules surrounding contactless cards seem a bit strange.
Steve

I was part of Barclays Future Forum several years (before the days of contactless) and they floated the concept as a potential future feature and most users were delighted with the idea
I posted up my point about losing the card and it being then open to anyone who found it use
and after that most people changed their minds about it
I think it is very open to abuse


Use a.mobile phone and Google wallet or similar. Enable the lock screen on the phone. All the convenience of contact less, behind a fingerprint ID check.

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509783

Postby Dod101 » June 26th, 2022, 3:30 pm

servodude wrote:
Dod101 wrote:I use contactless all the time. The merchant should give you a chit which says something like 'transaction void' or something, when it does not work. If not challenge him if you cannot see from the screen that the payment has not been made. In the meantime, contact your bank and tell them that you have been charged twice. They should be able to repay you and recover it from the merchant.

Dod


That sounds like very reasonable advice.

I've never knowingly had contactless payment on a card be duplicated - where it has ever failed I've similarly been given a "chit" (where does that word come from?) and then a receipt (normally the shorter piece of paper) when it works
If they didn't proffer a chit I'd likely ask them about it (if the transaction was for any meaningful value)

I will confess though to having moved to using my phone for contactless more often than not - mainly because as it has become a more ubiquitous form of payment the (automatic) provision of receipts has become less common (they're normally offered though) and the phone provides an immediate notification of what was transacted

-sd


Off topic but the word 'chit' is widely used in the Far East and I think it was originally Indian. 'Shroff' is another similar sort of word which was used for a cashier in the Far East. I lived and worked in Hong Kong for a long time and use chit or chitty without thinking.

Dod

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509787

Postby servodude » June 26th, 2022, 3:48 pm

Dod101 wrote:
Off topic but the word 'chit' is widely used in the Far East and I think it was originally Indian. 'Shroff' is another similar sort of word which was used for a cashier in the Far East. I lived and worked in Hong Kong for a long time and use chit or chitty without thinking.

Dod


You're right (...and it IS off topic ;) )
Checking Google It appears to be from
Hindi and Urdu, so no wonder my mum picked it up around Paisley and Glasgow.
If there's any balance in how language moves that must mean there's folk in Mumbai who go out to fetch the messages ;)

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509812

Postby 88V8 » June 26th, 2022, 7:07 pm

pje16 wrote:
XFool wrote:I don't use contactless.

I do think it's a dangerous concept though, if you lose you card anyone can pick it up and use it
so I would not be upset of they decided to do away with it, unlikely though that is

I believe that if one asks, one can get a card that is not contactless. Haven't tried, although I feel inclined to do so.

V8

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509814

Postby pje16 » June 26th, 2022, 7:09 pm

88V8 wrote:I believe that if one asks, one can get a card that is not contactless. Haven't tried, although I feel inclined to do so.

V8

Some cards with the contactless feature already require a pin upon first use to initiate them

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509823

Postby Lootman » June 26th, 2022, 7:18 pm

Stompa wrote:Doesn't it normally say 'Authorised' or "Not Authorised' on the screen? I believe the sound made by the machine is different too (though not sufficiently different IMO).

"Approved" is what I usually see and look for.

If I see that I decline the receipt. I'd end up with hundreds of them a month and would never check them anyway.

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509828

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 26th, 2022, 7:28 pm

I can usually tell from the beep emitted by the card reader. But of course the beeps aren't quite universal.

With a modern account, I can check instantly (for values of "instantly" as quick as they can say "that payment didn't go through") on my phone. Specifically, my Starling account. Which also gives me control over aspects of my card: I can turn different forms of payments (e.g. contactless or online) on/off with a simple toggle in the app.

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509830

Postby XFool » June 26th, 2022, 7:36 pm

88V8 wrote:
pje16 wrote:
XFool wrote:I don't use contactless.

I do think it's a dangerous concept though, if you lose you card anyone can pick it up and use it
so I would not be upset of they decided to do away with it, unlikely though that is

I believe that if one asks, one can get a card that is not contactless. Haven't tried, although I feel inclined to do so.

I have a credit card that is not contactless, though the one I usually use is. I use it mainly if shopping in Aldi, to stop being nagged by the PoS terminal to use contactless.

Every day, in every way, everything is getting more annoying... :(

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509831

Postby stevensfo » June 26th, 2022, 7:37 pm

88V8 wrote:
pje16 wrote:
XFool wrote:I don't use contactless.

I do think it's a dangerous concept though, if you lose you card anyone can pick it up and use it
so I would not be upset of they decided to do away with it, unlikely though that is

I believe that if one asks, one can get a card that is not contactless. Haven't tried, although I feel inclined to do so.

V8


In theory, you can disable the contactless function by cutting the antenna that runs around the edge of the card.

I tried it once on an old Nationwide card and it worked. A small cut about 3 mm deep on the narrow side that faces you when you slide it into the ATM. We have security card readers at work so I was able to use those to test it. The readers will 'ping' whenever any sort of contactless card is close.

Steve

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509853

Postby mc2fool » June 26th, 2022, 9:59 pm

stevensfo wrote:
88V8 wrote:
pje16 wrote:
XFool wrote:I don't use contactless.

I do think it's a dangerous concept though, if you lose you card anyone can pick it up and use it
so I would not be upset of they decided to do away with it, unlikely though that is

I believe that if one asks, one can get a card that is not contactless. Haven't tried, although I feel inclined to do so.

V8

In theory, you can disable the contactless function by cutting the antenna that runs around the edge of the card.

I tried it once on an old Nationwide card and it worked. A small cut about 3 mm deep on the narrow side that faces you when you slide it into the ATM. We have security card readers at work so I was able to use those to test it. The readers will 'ping' whenever any sort of contactless card is close.

Steve

IME most providers will supply a non-contactless card if you ask for one, but some won't, it's a contactless card or nothing, and for those, yes, there are a variety of ways of nobbling the antenna.

I've not seen the one described above but the method I employ (on my cahoot cards, who only supply contactless ones) is to use a Stanley knife or similar to score deeply (but not all the way through the card!) just either side of the chip. That cuts through the connections to the antenna. This is the video I learned the method from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwBa1FwaAbo

You can check if you've been successful or not by using an NFC reader app on your phone. The one he uses is https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... emvnfccard and I've used it too.

I've also used https://github.com/nadam/nfc-reader but that seems to have disappeared from the Google Play site. There are plenty of other NFC apps -- but if you choose any others make sure that, like these two, they don't require any permissions (and especially not internet permission or any other send-my-card-details-to-scammers permission :D).

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Re: How to confirm if a contactless payment has worked

#509872

Postby csearle » June 26th, 2022, 10:48 pm

Skipped a few posts so hopefully not duplicating but I use contactless almost all the time for almost everything; have never had a single payment booked twice (especially as my Monzo account makes a "ka-ching" noise from my phone as it releases funds); and have never bothered with a receipt.

I think that if I ever did have a dual payment I'd go back to the seller showing my phone with its transactions and ask for a repayment. Can't see this ever happening though.

But in answer to the DAK question: simply use Monzo. You know whether it has taken money instantly because the phone makes the "ka-ching" noise whilst it is still pressing up against the contactless reader.

Chris
PS My phone usually informs me of payment before the seller even knows.


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