Stephen's card came from Wells Fargo, and he had no trouble getting it replaced:
To do this I called the "800" number on the back of my card. I had to identify myself to an automated system and request the automated system connect me with a banker. When connected with a real person I requested to have a card issues without the Pay Wave feature. Most phone bankers do not know what RFID is. It is best to refer to it by its retail name. The request was taken care of in less than 5 minutes. The current card I have is still valid if I wish to use it. When I receive the new one I can activate it and destroy the old one.We know that Citibank is also willing to provide non-RFID cards upon request, and this blogger says so is Chase—so if you're not ready to embrace your RFID future, it's worth giving your card issuer a call.
(Thanks to Stephen!)
awwww... i was looking forward to smashing my CC w/ a hammer, but i guess the phone call works just as well...
]]>Citibank sent me a paypass keychain as part of the NYC subway trial (to move to a similar debit system instead of metro cards) and I loved it. I still use the paypass on the key chain, but I never thought about someone being able to lift my debit card info from it. I was worried about losing it somehow and someone going on a spending spree, but you can only charge $150 a day to it, and Citibank protects the account up to $150 a day so you'd get it all back.
]]>Right now, I count 2 cards in my wallet that's RFID tagged. Sometime this summer, when my debit card expires, the count will go up to 3. And, if I continue my routine of visiting a college in Boston this winter, it'll be 5. Maybe 6 if I go for another credit card.
Am I crazy enough to have a Faraday caged wallet? Hell yes!
]]>Don't get me wrong. I'm not technophobic. But what I would want is something that requires action from me. A form of active acceptance, not passive. While it would not prevent theft or charges necessarily it would be similar to a physical act of a signature.
]]>There are 2 primary thoughts on the "safety" of the product. Range of sensitivity and encryption of the info.
I'll agree that most people seem to over exaggerate the fear into instant theft and use. And the encryption is there to prevent that. On the other hand think about this. All they need is a copy of that encrypted packet. Then they can take all the time they need to decrypt it. It's what happens in most bank security issues or other privacy breaches.
]]>Protip, folks. These kinds of RFID chips don't just blast your credit card out upon request to just any ol' sweetheart with a few electrons to spare.
]]>@Mercurypdx: OK I just tried the hammer and smashed my finger. You are now on my "to sue" list.
@eyesonly: Perhaps those are "RF" waves, maybe, possibly, hmmmm
]]>Just be sure that you are, in fact, dealing with an RFID chip if you want to disable it.
]]>why must people persist in making life easy for thieves?
]]>Of course, I suppose that I am just taking their word for it that there's no RFID in the new ones, but they went back to my old account numbers. They had "upgraded" my accounts, which naturally required new account numbers, but there was no benefit that I could see in the new account type. Apparently certain varieties of their rewards accounts are available only with RFID cards. At least, that's what the third CSR I spoke with told me. This new one that they put me on was one of those types, so I told them to put me back on my old Dividend cards.
]]>Where do I buy an RFID reader? I'd love to find the Chase's CEO's credit card number and have fun with that...
]]>Citi seems to call it "PayPass," but I'm not sure if they only do RFID in keyfob format or if they put it in conventional cards (like Chase does) as well.
]]>They can already clone Passports, credit cards are inevitable.
*barring smashing a finger with a hammer
]]>Timmus
Behind the Hot Water Pipes
c/o Third Washroom from the Left
Victoria Station, London SW1E 5NE
It's usually marked somehow. Any kind of indicator that you can pay without swiping it, like by tapping it against or holding it near a sensor is also a dead giveaway. Also, it'll usually be marked as such a card using their name for the ability, have a small, visible lump in it someplace, or even a fully exposed microchip in a clear area.
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