Warning: Hotel Data Breach

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't forget, if someone gets hold of your card number plus the 3 digits on the reverse, they can still spend, spend, spend (usually by phone) and the chip doesn't make any difference to this type of card fraud.

 

That is true.

[Krazy Kruizers]

That's true. My poor wife for some reason has had three card numbers compromised and actually tried to be used. In every case it actually was not a stolen number in the sense they'd taken her card but that somebody had made up a fake card using a random number generator. Funniest call was a Visa card rep calling the house and asking for Carey. She answered and the rep said "Hmmm....you're obviously not in Pakistan trying to buy $3,000 in camera equipment." :eek::D None of the stolen numbers had the right name on the card or connected with the account.

 

What a story.

[GeriatricNurse]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards. From my understanding that's a pretty common practice outside of the US, particularly in Europe and Asia. The US companies argue that it's not a cure-all but it would appear that the compromise of accounts is significantly lower when credit cards have RFID chips. It's not that I have a fist full of cards but I have a number and not one of them has a chip.

 

It is also common practice in Canada too! :) I have had chip-enabled bank debit/credit cards for several years! My bank issues new credit cards every three years! As well, my bank branches in Canada have chip-enabled terminals at the Customer Service Representative (teller) stations for added security! ;)

I certainly would NOT feel very comfortable or secure if my credit/debit cards did not have a chip! :eek:

[Randyk47]

I certainly would NOT feel very comfortable or secure if my credit/debit cards did not have a chip! :eek:

 

Unfortunately the banks down this side of the border aren't giving us a choice. :( I'd request replacements right now if I knew the new ones would have chips.

[iancal]

It can happen anywhere. Our friend had their card compromised at Target in Bellingham.WA. Part of that huge screw up at Target.

[sppunk]

Unfortunately the banks down this side of the border aren't giving us a choice. :( I'd request replacements right now if I knew the new ones would have chips.

It's a dual problem - the card issuers can give them out (all our cards now have C&P) but merchants have to pay for the upgrades. Most merchants in the US are using 30+ year old technology for card reading and don't want to make the investment, they want the banks to buy the hardware.

 

Stealing a magnetic strip's card info is amazingly simple; it'll be happening more and more and more until the merchants are forced to change over.

[Randyk47]

It's a dual problem - the card issuers can give them out (all our cards now have C&P) but merchants have to pay for the upgrades. Most merchants in the US are using 30+ year old technology for card reading and don't want to make the investment, they want the banks to buy the hardware.

 

Stealing a magnetic strip's card info is amazingly simple; it'll be happening more and more and more until the merchants are forced to change over.

 

Apparently, and this might just be so much hype and disinformation, there are also easy ways to "hack" or steal chip information. I know that I went ahead and purchased an RFID blocking wallet for our last Med trip and got RFID blocking folders for our new passports last fall for our trip in May. May be nothing more that paranoia on my part but I decided it was a relatively inexpensive investment for what might or might not be a real problem. Not having one I'm not sure but I assume chip enabled cards also have the magnetic strips so they can be used at merchants who have not made the investment? Obviously merchants in Europe had not apparent problems accepting my non-chipped cards so they still had the hardware/technology to read the older magnetic strip information.

[sppunk]

Apparently, and this might just be so much hype and disinformation, there are also easy ways to "hack" or steal chip information. I know that I went ahead and purchased an RFID blocking wallet for our last Med trip and got RFID blocking folders for our new passports last fall for our trip in May. May be nothing more that paranoia on my part but I decided it was a relatively inexpensive investment for what might or might not be a real problem. Not having one I'm not sure but I assume chip enabled cards also have the magnetic strips so they can be used at merchants who have not made the investment? Obviously merchants in Europe had not apparent problems accepting my non-chipped cards so they still had the hardware/technology to read the older magnetic strip information.

Most EU countries don't have stripe readers - they manually enter the numbers to authorize the payment. HOWEVER, a growing number of merchants won't accept mag cards, especially in the Netherlands.

 

C&P cards are MUCH more secure than the standard mag-strip cards. Our AmEx Platinum and Chase Sapphire Preferred has the chip and the strip since in America it must have it. I wish we'd get into the 20th century in card security ...

[startwin]

We've had Chip & Pin cards in Canada for years now. I don't understand why the US is so slow in catching up. In the UK and Europe they went to C&P at least a decade ago, possibly more. Nothing is 100% but it sure is much more secure than the magnetic stripe and signature.

[sail7seas]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards. From my understanding that's a pretty common practice outside of the US, particularly in Europe and Asia. The US companies argue that it's not a cure-all but it would appear that the compromise of accounts is significantly lower when credit cards have RFID chips. It's not that I have a fist full of cards but I have a number and not one of them has a chip.

 

I agree -- yesterday I got my new Amex Card and today DH got his.

 

We were hoping that they would have had the new chips in them.

 

No suck luck.

 

I just saw a small clip in one of our newspapers that AmEx is starting to issue chip and pin cards upon request.

 

If ours were renewing, I would request that protection.

 

[chrispb]

That's true. My poor wife for some reason has had three card numbers compromised and actually tried to be used. In every case it actually was not a stolen number in the sense they'd taken her card but that somebody had made up a fake card using a random number generator. Funniest call was a Visa card rep calling the house and asking for Carey. She answered and the rep said "Hmmm....you're obviously not in Pakistan trying to buy $3,000 in camera equipment." :eek::D None of the stolen numbers had the right name on the card or connected with the account.

 

That's scary. Shame we can't use random number generators to come up with winning lottery numbers;)

[RJ2002]

I just saw a small clip in one of our newspapers that AmEx is starting to issue chip and pin cards upon request.

 

If ours were renewing, I would request that protection.

 

 

If you have the Platinum card, I believe they will issue the pin & chip version to you at any time, free of charge. You don't have to wait until your card is up for renewal. Not sure of the rules for the other cards though.

[mamaofami]

I heard on last night's 6PM news, that Amex will have the chips for all cards available in the fall. It seems we are way behind other countries in not having this chip.

[sail7seas]

If you have the Platinum card, I believe they will issue the pin & chip version to you at any time, free of charge. You don't have to wait until your card is up for renewal. Not sure of the rules for the other cards though.

 

 

Thanks for this.

We'll contact them.

I'm a little surprised they didn't send them automatically to Platinum card holders.

 

Edited February 6, 2014 by sail7seas

[sail7seas]

I heard on last night's 6PM news, that Amex will have the chips for all cards available in the fall. It seems we are way behind other countries in not having this chip.

 

 

U.S. card holders are huge targets as most other advanced countries have been using chip and pin card for a long time.

 

Card issuers must have thought they were saving money.... wonder if they still think so. Then again, it isn't them that pays for all those loses, is it? Seems to me, it's us. :rolleyes:

 

[mamaofami]

U.S. card holders are huge targets as most other advanced countries have been using chip and pin card for a long time.

 

Card issuers must have thought they were saving money.... wonder if they still think so. Then again, it isn't them that pays for all those loses, is it? Seems to me, it's us. :rolleyes:

 

 

The NBC news report said it would cost Amex about $1 per card. A big loss for them, but they make millions every year and it's a small enough price for them to pay to bring our cards up to date. We also have a visa card so we can have something for those places that don't take Amex. I haven't seen or heard anything about a chip in their cards yet.

[RJ2002]

Thanks for this.

We'll contact them.

I'm a little surprised they didn't send them automatically to Platinum card holders.

 

 

I did want to correct something. Apparently what Amex is offering on the Platinum Card is "pin & signature" capability, not true "pin & chip". Here is a credit card blog entry about it:

 

http://thepointsguy.com/2013/01/amex-platinum-and-centurion-now-available-with-smartchip/

 

We downgraded our Platinum Card to Gold back when the United/Continental merger occurred and the airport lounge benefit went away, so I hadn't been keeping up with all the details on the Platinum card.

 

Didn't want to mislead you. :)

[sail7seas]

The NBC news report said it would cost Amex about $1 per card. A big loss for them, but they make millions every year and it's a small enough price for them to pay to bring our cards up to date. We also have a visa card so we can have something for those places that don't take Amex. I haven't seen or heard anything about a chip in their cards yet.

 

 

Chip and Pin cards are starting to be available in U.S. and it is about time.

Considering the annual membership fee for Platinum cards, it would be good if they start sending them to cardholders.

 

Here is a link:

 

http://creditcardforum.com/blog/chip-and-pin-credit-cards-usa/

 

Edited February 6, 2014 by sail7seas

[GeriatricNurse]

Apparently, and this might just be so much hype and disinformation, there are also easy ways to "hack" or steal chip information. I know that I went ahead and purchased an RFID blocking wallet for our last Med trip and got RFID blocking folders for our new passports last fall for our trip in May. May be nothing more that paranoia on my part but I decided it was a relatively inexpensive investment for what might or might not be a real problem. Not having one I'm not sure but I assume chip enabled cards also have the magnetic strips so they can be used at merchants who have not made the investment? Obviously merchants in Europe had not apparent problems accepting my non-chipped cards so they still had the hardware/technology to read the older magnetic strip information.

 

Our new issue Canadian passports now have RFID blocking features so there is no requirement, for example, to place them inside an RFID blocking compartment/wallet! :) Also, my newly purchased 'pacsafe' travel bag has RFID blocking compartments in it, suitable for (non RFID passports/non chip credit/debit cards)! ;) Do the USA passports have RFID blocking features? :confused:

[Randyk47]

Chip and Pin cards are starting to be available in U.S. and it is about time.

Considering the annual membership fee for Platinum cards, it would be good if they start sending them to cardholders.

 

Here is a link:

 

http://creditcardforum.com/blog/chip-and-pin-credit-cards-usa/

 

 

You're going to love this.....the US version of the EMV chip is not the same as the European version. I called AMEX and indeed they are starting to offer EMV enabled cards but they're Chip and Signature chips, not Chip and Pin. So I asked "how does that work in Europe considering they use Chip and Pin?" The answer is that it doesn't work as a chip enabled card since there is no embedded PIN. Of course the rep went on to say "But not to worry Dr. K, your card will be accepted just like it always has been." That made me feel better....NOT. Of course, to make me feel even better, I notice looking through the list of the other cards now offering EMV chips none of them are cards I hold. :(:)

[Randyk47]

Our new issue Canadian passports now have RFID blocking features so there is no requirement, for example, to place them inside an RFID blocking compartment/wallet! :) Also, my newly purchased 'pacsafe' travel bag has RFID blocking compartments in it, suitable for (non RFID passports/non chip credit/debit cards)! ;) Do the USA passports have RFID blocking features? :confused:

 

Yes, it does have the RFID blocking technology now. Not sure if that's new technology or an upgrade that happened before or after I got my new passport last August. Maybe it's always been that way but rather than guess I bought a folder that offers blocking. It wasn't like it cost a lot to get one that had the blocking feature and we wanted new folders so...... :)

[RJ2002]

You're going to love this.....the US version of the EMV chip is not the same as the European version. I called AMEX and indeed they are starting to offer EMV enabled cards but they're Chip and Signature chips, not Chip and Pin. So I asked "how does that work in Europe considering they use Chip and Pin?" The answer is that it doesn't work as a chip enabled card since there is no embedded PIN. Of course the rep went on to say "But not to worry Dr. K, your card will be accepted just like it always has been." That made me feel better....NOT. Of course, to make me feel even better, I notice looking through the list of the other cards now offering EMV chips none of them are cards I hold. :(:)

 

There is a thread over on the Northern Europe & Baltics forum about Pin & Chip. I would advise you to have a clear head when you start reading it, and also have a Tylenol or aspirin handy for afterward.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1976233

 

There are evidently only a few true "pin and chip" cards currently available in the US.

Edited February 6, 2014 by RJ2002

[Randyk47]

There is a thread over on the Northern Europe & Baltics forum about Pin & Chip. I would advise you to have a clear head when you start reading it, and also have a Tylenol or aspirin handy for afterward.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1976233

 

There are evidently only a few true "pin and chip" cards currently available in the US.

 

It didn't make my head hurt but it left me wondering even more why US banks/financial institutions are being different. The merchant equipment business notwithstanding, that could be solved over time, why have a different standard? Makes no sense even with the explanations. Nuts. :(