Using PIN versus TAP, and RFID in general - any opinions?

Scooter

Member
From another thread....

I’ve noticed this year that several places that I’ve visited had interact debit but TAP only.

Just an FYI on TAP:

My wife's friend lost her bank Access Card (she had it in one of those pocket sleeves on the back of a cell phone). It was only less than a day before she realized and called her bank about it. By that time, there was over $600 drawn from her bank account. She had a bloody hell of a time to get the money back.

Coincidentally before that, I went to my local TD bank to get TAP taken off my bank Access card completely (I hardly use debit anyway). I also wanted to get the TAP amount reduced from $100 down to say $50 on my TD VISA, but they told me it was VISA that had to do that. The bank could not do it.

Also read an article where experts advised that TAP is safer than PIN. Since if your PIN is stolen by a crafty thief, or by one of those hacked card machine readers, then you have ZERO recourse with the bank or credit card.

And then after all that, there's the possibility of people walking close by you to pick up your card details using portable RFID card readers, if you don't have an RFID blocking wallet (a piece of tin foil surrounding your card will protect the same).

Any opinions or first hand experiences out there? Any tricks?

I guess the bottom line is.... be careful out there.
 
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