Contactless Payment Card

[Maydup]

I have a contactless debit card for an account I rarely use, but I went to use it today and it didnt react at all to the device at the store. I dont know the pin so I couldnt use it in the normal way and had to use my regular card. The amount was below £45.

Would I need to register or initialise the card for contactless? I cant remember, had it such a long time and only ever use it for online purchases.

[Tilly2]

Perhaps it's a bank security thing. I seem to remember that the first time you use your contactless card, you do need to put in the pin.

[Buenchico]

Contactless cards won't be accepted by the reader if the transaction appears unusual for some reason and that's certainly likely to be the case if someone suddenly starts using a card that they've not used for ages. So you have to revert to 'chip and pin' for the relevant transaction, which is all that's usually needed to 'unlock' the contactless feature for future use.

Even regularly used cards will 'lock up' in the same way occasionally, forcing the user to enter their PIN code. It's a security feature that's deliberately designed into the system.

[Buenchico]

PS: As Tilly2 indicates, the first use of a contactless card (after it's been delivered to the account holder) always requires the user to enter their PIN.

[Tilly2]

I was told by my bank that, for security reasons, chip and pin is needed after every five contactless payments.

[sherrardk]

If you haven’t used your card for a while or have used it too much, then the machine asks for your PIN number. (I personally think the machine also asks for your PIN number if there is a long queue, or if you’re in a rush, look like you might have forgotten it or if you’ve popped in to the shop while the chippy next door gets your order ready.) I recently opened a new account just to get a contactless card and it didn’t ask me for my PIN the first time I used it.

[Buenchico]

>>> I was told by my bank that, for security reasons, chip and pin is needed after every five contactless payments

I keep seeing posts like that one (with the number of transactions quoted often being six, rather than five). However 'in normal times' I probably use my contactless card at least three times every day (and often more), with it only 'locking up' roughly once a month. So that's possibly around a hundred transactions before it 'locks', not five or six!

[Vagus]

Tilly, that’s certainly not the case with our bank.
We’ve used contactless since it started and it’s always worked.
Maybe different banks have different rules.

[Maydup]

I use the card regularly for online purchases but not in shops. Can you remind me how I request a new pin if I've forgotten it.

[Mamyalynne]

Contact your bank, they'll all have a method for requesting such a thing.

[ubasses]

The number of transactions rule has gone, banks now ask for the pin to be used at random, it is a security check. However when you first get a card it usually needs to be activated by using the pin or alternatively it can be done on line by logging into your bank account.