Wondered if anyone else has had an issue with this:

I was placing an order with an online merchant, using the Chase CO Mastercard. It popped up an error stating that the vendor would not accept any non-SecureCode enrolled credit cards, and to contact your card issuer.

Turns out that Chase is one of several banks who did not adopt the SecureCode verification system. Of course Chase blame the vendor for limiting my options by requiring the use of that protocol, and the vendor blames Chase for not adopting the protocol!

Bottom line - Chase will now lose my business at that merchant.

Anyone in the know, to know whether this is something Chase might eventually adopt? I was going to write to Chase to express my frustration, just so it is in record. Is it worth letting someone at CO know that Chase are limiting the use of their cards in this way? Anyone else similarly inconvenienced?

If you're referring to the 3 digit code on the back of the card, I have several Chase UA Mileage Plus cards and they each have the code on the back. Odd that the CO cards wouldn't also have the code on the back.

No it's not the standard 3 digit code on the back.

http://www.mastercard.com/us/persona...es/securecode/

Totally different thing that you have to enroll in with Mastercard, but are unable to do so with Chase.

Well, had I been reading very carefully I would have noted you were talking about Mastercard, after all it said it right in the title. All of my cards are Visa cards.

Having said that I do have one Mastercard (non Chase), but have never seen the Secure Code, nor have I had anyone ask for it. Interesting concept though.

I never remember my secure code and have to jump through the hoops of answering all the identity questions - rather annoying.

I am surprised a vendor requires it. What are you trying to purchase?

CDs from Tower.com. Of all "every day" boring things! No mp3 player here! :-)

I see the securecode thing as just another dumb password I have to remember. I don't see how it benefits me.

its another layer of security, it would 'benefit' would with less fraud but in reality it probably benefits the merchant much more as it would (I imagine?) make chargebacks lot lets likely or may be even totally impossible. Visa has a similar scheme called 3d-secure

i agree. and with most people we use the same passwords over and over... so it's just another layer of "security" we'd have to go through.

How is anyone supposed to remember all the passwords we need now?

Add to that randomly assigned user names/IDs and you've got a mess brewing.

A lot of out of country purchases require this now (Especially train and airfare). I had never heard of it until I tried to book a train in Spain. Visa has the exact same program and calls it Verified by Visa. Oddly, Chase supports the Visa one but not the MasterCard one. Discover and Amex are still trying to come up with a system vendors will get behind; I feel like they'll have the exact same thing soon.

This exists because companies have begun storing credit card information in incredibly insecure ways and it gets stolen by hackers. Without a physical card, you pretty much can only use it on line or to pay a bill over the phone. The SecureCard and Verified passwords are stored by Visa and Mastercard themselves, so a hacker can't* get them and so can't use your card for a transaction that requires this added security.

*If a hacker got them, it would be some mission impossible style stuff and probably involve actual infiltration of a data center somewhere.