Contactless Increase

[brainiac]

The limit for a contactless card is to increase to £100. This is mad and unnecessary - if you lost your card you could be several hundred pounds down before you could report it. I know there's a limit to the number of times a card can be used contactless before there's a block and you have to enter your PIN, but £100 is absurd.

[bednobs]

in your opinion. In mine, it's a forward step

[brainiac]

Can't you be bothered to enter your PIN?

[ummmm]

You can opt to have a non contactless card. Problem solved.

[emmie]

my local coffee shop is only doing contactless transactions,

[ummmm]

Is that contactless or just not accepting cash. Surely people can still insert their cards and enter a pin.

[barry1010]

I think it's a good thing

[emmie]

no at one point they were only taking your card away to the machine, to do contactless they then gave you your card back. talk about faffing about, this was when they had to close their doors, and only allowed you to queue outside, if that makes sense.

[emmie]

no cash either.

[brainiac]

This being discussed at 1pm today on Jeremy Vine Radio 2

[Jackdaw33]

The whole purpose of contactless was to make small purchases where you would normally use cash. £100 is ridiculous.

[barry1010]

Really, £100 is a small purchase these days

[ichkeria]

I thought it was merely introduced as a quicker way to pay.
And it's generally regarded as safer.

[ummmm]

It's not ridiculous. I often spend over the current limit just in the corner shop.

[New Judge]

What's do discuss?

People who want to use one can have one. Those who don't need not. I haven't used any cash (apart from one or two jobs I've had done by builders and for tips in a restaurant) for probably three or four years. Life's too short to faff about with coins and notes.

[brainiac]

The discussion to be had is whether it's unnecessary and dangerous

[davebro]

for years I've only used cash in the pub & at the car wash. Occasionally went over the £30 limit for contactless but not yet over the £45.

[New Judge]

//The discussion to be had is whether it's unnecessary and dangerous//

Why is it either?

Unless you subscribe to the Luddite school of progress, any facilities which make life easier (such as doing away with the need for cash) must be beneficial. To ask whether it's "necessary" is a little strange. Nothing like that is necessary. We can all manage without credit cards, debit cards, cheques, internet banking, and everything else to do with our finances that makes life easier. But life would be so much more troublesome.

[New Judge]

And I forgot to add, where does the "danger" come in? Are you thinking of fraudulent use? If so, most providers have a guarantee that reimburses losses for fraudulent use if it it occurs before the loss is reported. If it's for fear of being mugged for the card, what's a greater risk, carrying around a plastic card which can be stopped immediately or having your back pocket full of £5 notes?

[dannyk13]

You an use a contactless card just as you would use an ordinary credit/debit card.

[ToraToraTora]

fear not brainiac me old china, they aren't compulsory!