[LINK] 'NZ Bank lets customers turn off contactless paymt'

[Roger Clarke]

[The public is finally getting the message through about the appalling, anti-consumer design of the PayWave and PayPass schemes.

[This report from NZ re-confirms that Australian financial institutions, together with Visa and MasterCard, misinformed the public, i.e. lied, when they said that the facilities can't be turned off at a card-level.]

[For the background story, written 4-1/2 years ago, see:
http://www.rogerclarke.com/EC/CPS-12.html


New Zealand bank ASB lets customers turn off contactless payments
Fraser Simpson
Payment Eye
21 Apr 15 
http://www.paymenteye.com/2015/04/21/new-zealand-bank-asb-lets-customers-turn-off-contactless-payments/?utm_source=PaymentEye+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ca1e515048-21_04_2015_NL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3bd2a3a3c5-ca1e515048-5360657

New Zealand bank ASB has released a new update on its mobile app, giving customers the chance to disable contactless payments after complaints of security risks.

The bank has answered the calls of many customers who have been unhappy with the lack of choice regarding their debit and credit cards. Major Banks in New Zealand now only issue contactless credit and debit cards, which allow sums of up to $80 to be transferred instantly without a PIN number.

Customers concerned about security have complained about having no ability to turn the function off, while several shoppers have reported having the wrong card in their wallets charged.

ASB's credit card leader Glen Martin said that a ''small but vocal minority'' of its customers were unsatisfied with the contactless payment service. Another feature included in the update is the ability to block temporarily misplaced cards.

Although this new feature gives ASB customers the choice to decide how they make payments, ASB leaders don't think that the number of contactless payments will decrease.

''What ASB has done is they've listened, they've given the cardholder some choice. If we look at the numbers, it's gone from one million to over five million (transactions a month) in the space of a year. It's not like people don't like it, they're using it,'' said Caroline Ada, Visa country manager for New Zealand and the South Pacific.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University