Credit Card Travel Notification

[sail7seas]

I bolded your statement only to ask a question.. Just pulled up the Bank of America info on Chip & Pin cards & their info seems to show that normally a bank will assign the Pin.. (BTW BOA does not have chip & pin cards yet)

 

My question is: Does anyone know what card lets you assign your own PIN Number to it? I would like to get two of our cards changed to either chip & pin or chip & signature, but don't want to have anyone else assign the PIN No...

 

Thanks..Betty

 

UPDATE: Just read the WEB site you posted from a Canadain Bank which says you assign your own PIN number to it..That's what I am looking to get..My debit card has my own PIN but would like to have it on a credit card too..

 

 

I think I read Chase will provide chip & pin cards on request as will AmEx Platinum.... I'm not sure about other Am Ex cards.

 

[sail7seas]

The chip and pin technology for credit cards is not new-it has been around for at least 4 years that I am aware of-probably longer.

 

Your credit or debit card provider sends a card with a chip embedded in it (about 3/4 inch square and shiney). You assign your pin number to the card. Every time it is used the clerk brings a hand held to you, you accept the charge, enter your pin, and wait for the authorization. Now, you do not even have to slide the card into the hand held...you just have to wand it over the top of the unit.

 

Our cards still have a mag stripe on the back in order to make them backwards compatable with older technology.

 

My guess is that the credit card folks are working on the next generation of card protection enhancements.

 

Here is how one retail bank describes it to it's customers:

https://www.cibc.com/ca/credit-cards/services-security/chip-cards.html

 

 

 

Thanks for mentioning the new cards still have the mag strip. I wondered about that especially given U.S. has so few of the new style cards. We would still need to use the mag strip style in most transactions at home.

 

[serendipity1499]

When I changed to BOA because my Chase account was compromised and I didn't want to chance just changing accounts there, it was the first time I wasn't able to pick my PIN. I've learned it, but there are times I start to go with my "regular" one.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I think I read Chase will provide chip & pin cards on request as will AmEx Platinum.... I'm not sure about other Am Ex cards.

 

 

Thank you both for the INFO.. Will give Chase a call..I have a Chase card but it's just an ordinary one & would like to update it to either a chip & signature or chip & pin..

[iancal]

WE assign our own pins. When you phone to report receipt of your card, the system asks you to input a four number pin of your choosing. All of our bank credit cards and debit cards have chip and pin technology. The mag stripe cards were all replaced 2-3 years ago.

Edited March 3, 2014 by iancal

[billie5]

Had similar happen to me about 1 year ago Randy....Was sitting here at home on the computer when the Credit Card company called and asked me if I'd just placed an order with Domino's Pizza in London, UK..........It definitely was not me!!

 

We also think it was randomly generated.

 

Credit Card company put a stop to that card and sent me a new one. Hassle was that since it is the main card I use, I had to notify all the companies via e-mail of the new card number and expiration date.

 

Joanie

 

I would say the chances it was randomly generated were essentially zero. You said it all: "It is the main card I use." Consequently, the card number, exp. date and security code must be just about everywhere in your neighborhood. One dishonest busboy or clerk, with a cousin in Bulgaria who is connected with a con ring, and guess what?

[Randyk47]

I would say the chances it was randomly generated were essentially zero. You said it all: "It is the main card I use." Consequently, the card number, exp. date and security code must be just about everywhere in your neighborhood. One dishonest busboy or clerk, with a cousin in Bulgaria who is connected with a con ring, and guess what?

 

While it's possible her card was somehow copied or compromised by a clerk or by use on the Internet or whatever you can't totally discount that there are fake cards that are randomly generated. It happens. In our case the card in question had never been used for anything and had been in our safe since the day it was received. When the number was compromised and an attempt made to use it in Italy the bank said the card number was ours but the name on the card and security code on the back did not match up. The bummer is that there's not much you can do, short of not having any credit or debit cards, about the randomly generated number theft.

[sparky-elpaso]

While I always call our credit card companies about our travel I had never thought about giving them the name and number of someone here at home to call in case they couldn't get in touch with us. A great idea. Especially since our phones are generally off when we travel. Every 3 or 4 days we turn one on - send a quick text - then off and back in to the safe.

[sail7seas]

WE assign our own pins. When you phone to report receipt of your card, the system asks you to input a four number pin of your choosing. All of our bank credit cards and debit cards have chip and pin technology. The mag stripe cards were all replaced 2-3 years ago.

 

 

Are you in U.S? Europe? Canada?

 

[sapper1]

Thanks for mentioning the new cards still have the mag strip. I wondered about that especially given U.S. has so few of the new style cards. We would still need to use the mag strip style in most transactions at home.

 

 

Sail, our cards are PIN cards and most places in Canada use PIN terminals. They are still able to process non chip cards and when I travel in the US with my chip cards they are just processed the old way. No problem.

 

The cards came with a pre-assigned PIN but I went to the bank and used the little counter gizmo to re set them to a PIN of my choosing. I can also do it online if I wish.

Edited March 3, 2014 by sapper1

[jtl513]

Thank you both for the INFO.. Will give Chase a call..I have a Chase card but it's just an ordinary one & would like to update it to either a chip & signature or chip & pin..

I called Chase and asked - they said I would have to "upgrade" my card for an additional $60 or $80 per year (I forget which.)

[sail7seas]

Sail, our cards are PIN cards and most places in Canada use PIN terminals. They are still able to process non chip cards and when I travel in the US with my chip cards they are just processed the old way. No problem.

 

The cards came with a pre-assigned PIN but I went to the bank and used the little counter gizmo to re set them to a PIN of my choosing. I can also do it online if I wish.

 

 

Thanks, Sapper.

Good information.

 

[Randyk47]

Just remember that some US banks are now issuing Chip and PIN cards for their more affluent, frequent-travel customers. However, even though these credit cards have chips on board, many are in fact Chip and Signature cards as they require verification with a signature instead of an encoded PIN. As a result, such cards will not work on standalone kiosks for Chip and PIN cards, and also have similar increased vulnerabilities to the traditional magnetic swipe cards.

[jtl513]

... many are in fact Chip and Signature cards as they require verification with a signature instead of an encoded PIN.

I have a 3rd variety: PIN and signature (over $50) but no chip. I haven't yet tried to use it in Europe.

[iancal]

Chip and pin cards do not guarantee that your card will not be compromised. Apparently they reduce fraud by about 40 percent however nothing is foolproof.

 

Our chip and pin card was compromised two years ago. Had to get it replaced. Very inconvenient.

[1of4]

To add another layer to this growing issue, our bank in Canada (Toronto Dominion) has just allowed us to get debit cards (Canadians love their debit cards...I call it my "insta-debt" card) with the Visa name on the front.

 

Many customers were having issues using debit cards in the USA and it didn't matter if it was chip and PIN technology or the old magnetic strip cards. I had this happen. So now our debit cards look lika a Visa credit card and can be processed the same way. Only difference is that instead of the charge going to Visa the money comes right out of our chequing account.

 

I had to go into the branch and ask for it and they gave it to me on the spot and destroyed my older card. They said it is much better for travel and accepted everywhere.

 

I was asking as I am bringing DD to Australia in 2 weeks and wanted to have all bases covered.

[Typhoon1]

Always notify the card issuer anytime you travel.

 

Transactions away from home set off red flags in the Security department.

[serendipity1499]

I called Chase and asked - they said I would have to "upgrade" my card for an additional $60 or $80 per year (I forget which.)[/size]

 

That's not nice, especially since I don't pay for my card now.. I've had this card for many many years since before we were married..It originally was not Chase when I got it.. Chase bought out the original card & now it's called Chase.. That's also the primary credit card we use. for our day to day purchases..

 

DH also has another card which we could use instead.. Wonder if Chase will still charge us if I threaten to cancel mine & use DH's card, which he too acquired before we were married..

 

Up to last year we had all our bills taken out of our checking account, until someone got into it & charged $29 for a magazine we never ordered.. I was furious as we had to cancel that account & get a new account from Wells Fargo.. That's when I started having our bills deducted from our Credit Cards, but it took months & many letters to get the changes done..Now the only bills deducted from our checking account is our Credit Card payments & electric..

 

Of course the Credit Card Companies don't make any extra $$ off of us, because we pay them all in full every month.. Wonder if they will tell me to go ahead & cancel my card.. Hmmm have to think about it before calling them..

 

Betty

Edited March 4, 2014 by serendipity1499

[rothbury]

We also use the slide covers that keep people from scanning (skimming) the electronic information while the card is still in our pocket. It's a sleeve that slides over the credit card and blocks electronic signals from accessing the magnetic strip.

 

We've had an ATM card compromised so that is why I started this thread.

 

Copper, I come from a similar background so I know what it means to have the information stolen, too.

Edited March 4, 2014 by rothbury

[iancal]

I would NOT pay for the chip.

 

Point out to the bank that any fraudulent charges on your card are borne by them. You are doing this to reduce risk-risk to the bank credit card dept! That is why ours were replaced 3 years ago gratis....to protect the banks.

 

And don't let the Canadian banks get wind of this. When it comes to service charges they are the kings...they don't need any more ideas. That is one reason why we own their stock.

Edited March 4, 2014 by iancal

[sapper1]

I would NOT pay for the chip.

 

Point out to the bank that any fraudulent charges on your card are borne by them. You are doing this to reduce risk-risk to the bank credit card dept! That is why ours were replaced 3 years ago gratis....to protect the banks.

 

And don't let the Canadian banks get wind of this. When it comes to service charges they are the kings...they don't need any more ideas. That is one reason why we own their stock.

 

I like it that we no longer have to hand over our card to the waiter in a restaurant. They just bring the terminal to the table and hand it to us to put the card in and enter the PIN.

 

Re the chartered bank stocks--- they really are a "take it to the bank" kind of investment. :D. And we don't pay a chip fee.

Edited March 4, 2014 by sapper1

[RJ2002]

I would NOT pay for the chip.

 

Point out to the bank that any fraudulent charges on your card are borne by them. You are doing this to reduce risk-risk to the bank credit card dept! That is why ours were replaced 3 years ago gratis....to protect the banks.

 

And don't let the Canadian banks get wind of this. When it comes to service charges they are the kings...they don't need any more ideas. That is one reason why we own their stock.

 

Agree, I would not pay for the privilege of having a card with a chip.

 

I read somewhere that merchants need to convert their processing equipment to accept chips by sometime in 2015. At that time, a shift in fraud liability (from the card issuer to the merchant) supposedly occurs if the merchant doesn't update their credit card equipment to handle the chips.

 

Between, now and then, I imagine we'll see most everyone jumping on board to issue cards with the embedded pin. Cards that currently don't have a fee now shouldn't start charging a fee simply because of the new chip (IMO). If they do, there will certainly be an uproar.

[cp556]

I think I read Chase will provide chip & pin cards on request as will AmEx Platinum.... I'm not sure about other Am Ex cards.

 

 

 

It's my undestanding that as of May 1 AmEx will issue Chip/Pin cards for its Delta Reserve customers. Not sure about other card variations.

 

They are also discontinuing foreign transaction fees, which makes the AmEx more attractive for overseas use (where it is accepted :)

[sail7seas]

 

 

<snip>

 

 

Of course the Credit Card Companies don't make any extra $$ off of us, because we pay them all in full every month.. Wonder if they will tell me to go ahead & cancel my card.. Hmmm have to think about it before calling them..

 

Betty

 

 

 

Betty,

The credit card companies make money each time we use our credit cards. The merchants have to pay a percentage of the purchase as fee for every charge made using that bank's card.

 

[AttilaTheFun]

It's my undestanding that as of May 1 AmEx will issue Chip/Pin cards for its Delta Reserve customers. Not sure about other card variations.

 

They are also discontinuing foreign transaction fees, which makes the AmEx more attractive for overseas use (where it is accepted :)

 

Nope, it's still chip and signature, not PIN.

[AttilaTheFun]

We also use the slide covers that keep people from scanning (skimming) the electronic information while the card is still in our pocket. It's a sleeve that slides over the credit card and blocks electronic signals from accessing the magnetic strip.

 

I hope others don't misinterpret your tip as something that applies to EMV chip cards (Chip & PIN / Chip & Signature). Only chips that use RFID are "skimmable" and I don't know of many cards that still incorporate this technology. I had a card that did previously, but the credit card companies seem to have given up on trying to adopt this technology, since it just enables you to hold your card against a reader, rather than swipe it, which really doesn't save the customer any time.