mia

There is a Wikipedia article on this topic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_identity_theft

This article reports a test based on capturing data at the time the card is used:

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2015/07/...rd-flaw-409322

Flyertalk's primary thread on Contactless payment is here, and is frequented by people who know much more about the security aspect than I:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...artphones.html

This is true of legitimate readers, but it appears the range can be extended:

http://hackaday.com/2013/11/03/rfid-...m-3-feet-away/

tmiw

The HID cards used in the demo video also operate on a different frequency (125 kHz) from credit cards (13.56 MHz), so that might be relevant too.

NYCRuss

Just got off of online chat about my SimplyCash Plus. Contactless is not currently "supported." Rep didn't have an ETA for when it will be.

LAXRuss

Interestingly, I recently called AMEX to upgrade my U.S. PRG card to the contactless payment. The agent asked me if I was really certain that I want contactless payment because he claimed that once I upgraded, I could never go back to a non-contactless card. I felt like the agent was almost trying to dissuade me from requesting the contactless payment card.

tmiw

I got a similar warning when I requested EMV on my old Blue Cash card. Perhaps he thought you were going from a non-EMV card?

mia

Some agents do not understand the difference between EMV and Contactless, even if I say "Contactless feature" and never use the term chip. It will be interesting to see if the card you receive actually has the Contactless feature.

alexjohnson

I'm back in London and Apple Pay using my EMV non-contactless US Amex Platinum still does not work on the London Underground. It has worked in every other location I have tried in London, e.g. Starbucks, a Waitrose supermarket, etc.

When asking about this previously someone speculated it was because the underlying card was not contactless and that the setup was analogous to a swipe which was why it was being rejected (I may have the detail not quite right). That doesn't really explain why it does work elsewhere: the last time I was in London Starbucks didn't work with Apple Pay and I needed to produce photo ID, as I did in Whole Foods for my Chip & Signature card.

Nonetheless I am happy to see I can now ask for a contactless Amex cards: we'll see. I would like to give up my Oyster card, as one last thing to remember to pack, and the Ł20 floor for auto top-up is quite high. Does anyone have experience of getting a US Amex to work with Apple Pay on London Transport?

alexjohnson

You need a UK address (at least for auto top-up) - albeit it that it seems you can put what you want in there as it works for me using a version of my US address and an arbitrary post code - and they definitely won't have an app because Oyster is being phased out in favor of contactless payment cards.

tmiw

It's not that the physical card itself isn't contactless--it's how AmEx provisioned the card in Apple Pay that's the issue. In short, they're only using an older version of contactless for US cards which does not work with the newer version that the London Underground. An easy way to see what I mean is by tapping using a Visa or MC at Walgreens and comparing the receipt with one gotten by using AmEx; in particular there is no "AID" line with the latter unless you tap a physical AmEx card.

Anyway, I posted this on their community forums but haven't gotten a response back yet (the newer contactless version also allows for "device verficiation", which enables signature-free transactions regardless of the amount). Maybe they'll change how the cards are provisioned eventually.

alexjohnson

That's a great summary of it, thank you. So you're saying that I should expect that even with a new contactless card of the kind that's been available for a couple of weeks the set-up of that card will still be of the previous technology and so unlikely to work? I guess the only way to know is to try but that's not very encouraging.

tmiw

They're only using the older contactless version with Apple Pay, not the physical cards. A card containing the contactless function should work on the Underground with no issues.

DMSFCA

Just called Centurion CS. They can't do the titanium card with the contactless payment. They are sending an additional platinum card to be used as the account for contactless.

It's just a regular card so once the card arrives THEN then can request a contactless version of that card 10 days after you have the first one. Apparently there isn't a button to order a contactless card from the start, they can only upgrade an existing card to a contactless one.

Kind of a pain to carry a second card just for contactless use but I'm a sucker for trying new payment methods.

alexjohnson

I called yesterday and asked for both my Platinum and Corporate Platinum cards to be replaced with contactless cards. The rep seemed to know what I was talking about, and two new cards came today. The Platinum is contactless - it has the logo on the back - but otherwise looks the same and they didn't even include a leaflet.

The Platinum Corporate is literally identical to my current chip card even down to the expiration date... and does not have the contactless logo. It's annoying as it is the one I use when I travel, and which would be more useful as a no-PIN get-around at ticket kiosks. Before I deal with CS reps, does anyone know if they are supposed to be supporting Corporate cards?

Stgermainparis

Has anyone used an Amex contactless card on the London Underground successfully? I've just requested replacements for our Amex Plats and am counting on using them in lieu of oyster card. Would love some reassurance that this has been tested/done. I plan on using the physical card (not Apple pay).

I just requested a contactless replacement card for my Amex Plat so that I can use on London Underground. Chat CSR was great and processed request quickly. But I'm wondering in anyone has had success with using Plat on the contactless payment points in stations or on buses.

mia

Yes, it does work.