Contactless cards again! [OT in uk.d-i-y]

There's several Youtube videos on disabling them but I suspect they're using US cards pre-Chip and Pin and it looks like you'd damage that area as well. Andy C

I don't believe I've seen one of these. Is it obvious what they are? Or might I find that the CC company sent me one when the current card expired and I didn't know it?

Put "contactless card symbol" into Google.

I see, thanks. Hmmm, looks like it's too late.

If you carry it around, keep it in a lead sheath!

Silver is best, then copper, but aluminium foil seems quite good, as tested with Oyster cards, which use the same near field communication standards. Lead is likely to be relative non-conductive. Sandwiching them between two Oyster cards may also trigger a multiple card error.

You can get foil lined card sheaths, and even foil lined card wallets (e.g. google "rfid blocking wallet").

The foil probably detunes the circuit, as well as screening it.

I seem to recall that my bank wrote to me saying they were going to issue these things, and to object if you did not want one. I did, and later they sent one anyway. I wrote and pointed out I had requested not to have one, and they said basically "tough, its policy now!"

Advantage is they can probably only grab £20 at a time.

Depends how good you are at playing "guess the icon".

Contactless cards icon is "))))" with each one getting bigger.

If you have a Barclaycard chances are it as this functionality now.

A carefully placed drill hole should do the trick.

If anyone asks, you drilled it to keep cards on your keychain like those Tesco Clubcard thingies.

Theo

But they can probably do it multiple times before being asked for a PIN

- and rack up quite a bill in the process.

Roger Mills explained on 20/05/2013 :

A sheet of cooking foil, in with the notes of your wallet, would probably be enough to defeat it.

CapitalOne didn't provide an option of any kind - they just sent out the new cards. I had several irate phone conversations with their CS staff - all to no avail - so I told them to stuff their card!

I assume they believe that if transactions are easier to carry out, people will use them for small purchases in preference to cash, and they (the card companies) will get lots of extra revenue.

Do you have a template for where it needs to be drilled? [I assume that it's not as simple as drilling out the contactless icon].

If it's like our cards at work (mifare classic) then a small crack at the edge is enough to break the antenna and stop it working :-(

Darren

I believe it's £50/day max and they promise to refund any fraudulent transactions.

Therefore £80

Surely *someone* has access to an X-ray machine so that we can map how to disable them without shafting the chip!

By shining a bright LED torch though various MiFARE type cards I can easily see the aerial wires running round the cards, but on a Barclays contactless card I can't see anything other than the chip itself ...

So how do you prove that *you* didn't make the transaction?