Card readers

As long as you are using a smart card, most card readers will use the information held on your card together with the number generated by your banking app (that you also need put into the card reader) to generate unique codes. These tell the bank that you have used the correct card on the transaction, it 'links' the transaction to your card. Genuine card readers do not retain any data from your card.

You need to make sure that you use a card reader that you know has come from a reputable source. Otherwise your card information could be read and retained by someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart!

Pity the banks didn't share their knowledge of how to do this with the energy companies. BG installed a smart meter six months before we moved to another supplier, BG's smart meter is only smart for BG customers it is an unsmart meter with any other supplier.

Doesn't bother me, I never used any of its smart features anyway.

We discovered this in the office one day when someone sent out an email asking whether anyone had a Natwest PINsentry card reader on them - they didn't, but a colleague suggested to try using her Barclays one - and lo and behold, it worked.

So it is not the accounts that are involved, it's just that the gadget can be used no matter whether not it belongs to the bank that holds the account.

No because it is your own individual card that is being read by the machine - what surprised me is that different banks are using the same technology so that it seems that any card reader can read any card ( or to be more accurate RBS and NW are interchangeable)

Could I log into your account then with my card or is it that all your cards are linked? I don't understand.

No I didn't know that - I'm surprised but handy information. My dd and I have shared our NW ones when necessary