On Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:46:48 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , at 00:33:53 on
Sun, 26 Feb 2012, Charles Ellson remarked:
http://conversation.which.co.uk/mone...tactless-card/
refers to a PIN being used for any transaction over 15 UKP or any
taking the running daily total over 50 UKP.

The £50 limit is mentioned in a blog comment, I think I'd like to see
the words coming from a bank.

£50 sounds a lot like "the average amount you'll run up before meeting a
random PIN check". Do any of the banks publish the algorithm?

Barclays themselves seem to present it as a random check but various
reports/reviews/etc. by third parties on an assortment of dates imply
a 50 UKP cumulative "trigger" which presumably does not need all
following transactions on the same day to be PINned unless they also
trigger any warning signs typical of fraudulent activity.

Does the card accumulate a daily total to police this £50 limit? I
hadn't heard that.

"For example, a pre-set limit for Visa payWave transactions will be
set by the card issuer. This limit is automatically reset each time a
standard chip and PIN transaction is conducted. If this pre-set limit
is ever exceeded, the Visa payWave terminal will automatically ask for
a chip and PIN transaction to be conducted."
[http://www.visaeurope.com/en/cardhol...ave/faqs.aspx]

That does not directly match Barclays's version but does seem to imply
that the card "knows" what limit it was last advised. Not being able
to balance that against following waved transactions would seem to be
a major opportunity to make a series of small transactions before it
became necessary or possible to "phone home" again. Unless there is a
mobile 'phone connection (or an offline CandP enabled terminal ?) this
presumably means you are stuffed if you pass your limit trying to pay
on a train or bus.