- All but one of SA's "big five" banks allow consumers to disable the 'tap and go' function on their bank cards.
- No signature or PIN is required when using contactless bank cards for purchases under R500.
- Consumer journo Wendy Knowler says many bank clients are still concerned about the safety of the contactless cards.
"Would you like to tap?" It's become a common question at till points across the country but not all South Africans trust contactless bank cards.
In South Africa, no signature or PIN is required when using contactless bank cards for transactions under R500.
Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler says many bank clients still fear that the "tap-and-go" feature on bank cards is easy for criminals to exploit.
However, the ombudsman for banking services says complaints about fraud related to contactless bank cards remain relatively low.
The ombud says about two cases per month were reported in the last year.
So, can card holders deactivate the popular "tap-and-go" feature on their cards if they want to?
According to Knowler, all but one of SA's "big five" banks allow consumers to disable the function.
Here's a look at what each of them says:
- Nedbank: Customers can switch the "tap and go" feature on and off on their Money App, or online banking.
- Standard Bank: Clients can use the self-service function on the app to disable the setting.
- Absa: The feature can be deactivated on their banking app, in a branch, or via the contact centre.
- Capitec: Cardholders can choose not to activate the tap to pay function when they get their card at a branch. They can also change the activation status later at a branch or on the banking app.
- FNB: Clients cannot turn off the functionality on their cards.
"All FNB cards are contactless-enabled and the function can’t be disabled as it is a core feature of the product,” says FNB Card CEO, Chris Labuschagne.
“We encourage our customers to transition to device NFC payments and the use of virtual cards as the next evolution of payment convenience and security.”
This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Can you turn off the 'tap and go' on your card? Here's what SA's 5 top banks say
Artmotion S.Africa
