Contactless cards

Sorry, Martin, I won't be going in for any of that stuff. Sounds like a recipe for multiple disasters to me.
I'm thinking of asking for a non-contactless card also.

I always use a shoulder bag with the strap across my body, nowadays, as I am sure that tensing up one shoulder to carry a bag contributed to my getting an agonizingly sore shoulder a few years ago.

Just remember not to carry your contactless card next to your Oyster card or you will suffer 'card clash'!

And I use a shoulder bag which I use crossed across my front (as well as face inwards) in crowded areas.

Bit miserable that we are having to take such steps. I guess the rise in drug use is a factor - addicts just need the cash.

Another safety ruse is always to carry your bag with the opening side facing your body. More difficult to get at for a thief.

Call me old-fashioned but I don't like them at all.
We were sent them as replacement cards and I didn't realise they were contactless until I went to use it.
I asked the bank for a normal one and chopped up the other one, but DH still has his.

I've got a friend who has attached a little sleigh bell on her purse - it rings every time it is moves. Drives me mad, but a good idea!

Hi

You can also get a contactless band that you wear on your wrist - the bPay band (from Barclaycard - but you don't have to be a Barclay customer to get one) contains what is in effect the chip from a credit card embedded in a strap that you wear - so you don't even have to get your credit card out.

You can also get a sticker that attaches to the back of your phone, or a key fob to attach to your keys.

(I know all about this as I worked on the bPay project!)

I think they will be ideal for me in London- makes the underground so much simpler.

Riverwalk, sorry. I meant a card with a pin number when shopping. We are talking cross purposes. My fault!

Thanks Anya I get the idea now. I've had bags with cords before that were attached with press studs and I used them to attach my keys. I like the purse on a chain idea a lot because I sometimes need to use a stick or a walker and feel my bags are vulnerable.

janerowena and MiniMouse that's a bit of a shocker!

now been increased to £30

No, he can't use a pin number at the ticket barrier - he just has to scan and go!

GS has his Oyster card, but I'm wondering now whether a card using a pin would be better for him.

My bank sent me one which I hadn't asked for and there was no indication on the accompanying letter whether I could opt not to use it.

Called in at my local branch and was told that of course I didn't have to have it - so went home and cut it up! My old card still has three years to run before its expiry date and it would have meant changing the number on my online accounts etc., as well as worrying about the risk!

I think an Oyster season ticket would be cheaper but for the occasional traveller they're ideal

Oh! Can you choose?

They're also useful for people travelling in London who don't have an Oyster card - no cash payments allowed now for tube or buses.

Cashback not cash ask - bloody iPhone!!!

I was recently in a local shop when the customer in front of me discovered that her contactless card, which was still in her purse, had paid for her goods without her knowledge simply because it was within range. She was not happy because she had intended to ask for cash ask, but couldn't because the transaction had been completed! In theory, it could have been my shopping that she could have inadvertently paid for I've opted for a non-contactless card!!

Glad to read your post Riverwalk. My grandson now has his own current account which came with a contactless card. Tbh, the security thing had never crossed my mind until reading this thread. (He does love his card)

I have a bag with a zipped pocket on the front. I never keep anything in it - which is just as well as twice now I have got home and realised that the zip is undone and the lining has been pulled out.

That's upside down!

Here's mine attached to my rucksack. Clips on either end which I attach to the Zips. Got it on Amazon

Can someone please post a link to the kind of chains they are talking about? I can't quite imagine what you mean. How do you attach them to your bag or purse?

I find them very useful.

Recently I head a spokesman for the banks on the radio talking about how successful they'd been and there are security systems in place that will pick up sudden changes in use e.g. if they are used for a full £30 in a shop that you never normally shop in. He emphasized how customers are protected against fraudulent use.

I think they're as safe as any other card.