19 April 2016

Daily Mail: Millions of High Street shoppers are still refusing to trust contactless cards - Third admit not using the technology to pay

Nearly a third of shoppers still do not trust contactless cards. People waving their cards across payment machines has become an increasingly familiar sight on the High Street. But despite the rising popularity, millions of people – particularly the middle aged and the elderly – remain wary.

Some 31 per cent of shoppers never use contactless cards because they do not trust them, according to research from consultancy firm Future Thinking.

This distrust grows more widespread the older people get, with 43 per cent of consumers aged over 55 never making contactless payments compared with just 22 per cent of under-35s.

The report – which surveyed more than 2,300 people – does not specify why so many of the people surveyed are wary of using the machines.

Introduced in 2008, there are more than 81million contactless cards in circulation and almost 320,000 terminals in shops around the country.

They look like any other debit or credit card, but contain a tiny radio receiver which – when waved close to a ticket machine or terminal at a shop checkout – can be used to make payments.

But consumer campaigners have raised fears the cards may be exposing millions of customers to the risk of fraud. According to industry figures, £2.8million was lost on contactless cards to fraudsters last year, while £7.75billion was spent on them.

Tests conducted by consumer group “Which?” last July found thieves armed with scanners could capture the numbers and expiry dates on the cards and use them for online purchases.

Its researchers tested ten cards – six debit and four credit – and found all of them had the security flaw.

Nevertheless, the UK Cards Association said fraud on contactless cards is extremely rare and customers are fully protected for fraudulent payments on their cards.

Full article

© Daily Mail