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Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

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Brusilov
Established Contributor

Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

I just PC'd from the Cash Rewards card to the Travel Rewards card and noticed the chip on the new card is different and smaller than the one I had on the other card (and also as pictured on their website):

 

 

Instead of the 8 contact fields pictured above, this one had 6.  Similar to this:

 

 

Forgive my ignorance but does the type of chip design matter at all as far as acceptance overseas? 

Message 1 of 8
7 REPLIES 7
eddie84
Valued Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

Hmm.. I just checked all of my cards that have EMV chips and all of them have 6 contact fields (Citi, Amex, BofA, etc).  Also I don't think it'd make any difference in terms of acceptance since it's still chip and signature.

Message 2 of 8
nyancat
Established Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

C4/C8 aren't necessary, they're optional contacts. They can be used as an antenna test interface on dual-interface cards, but they're not necessary contacts.

American Express Blue Cash Everyday - $11,000; American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday - £3,000; American Express Rewards Credit Card - £7,500; Aqua Reward Mastercard - £3,500; Bank of America Travel Rewards - $5,000; Barclaycard Freedom Rewards - £3,500; Citi Forward - $5,800; Discover It - $10,000; Halifax Clarity - £1,500; HSBC Platinum with Rewards - $5,000, MBNA Everyday Plus - £3,500
Message 3 of 8
crunching_numbers
Valued Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

I just returned from Europe. My Hyatt has the larger chip and my B of A has the smaller one. They were both accepted just fine.

Starting Score: 693 TU FICO, 679 EQ FICO
Current Score: FICO 8 = 844(9/15) EQ, 827 TU, 811 EX (7/15); mortgage FICO= 758 (9/15)EQ5, 797 TU4, 748 EX2 (7/15)
Goal Score: 750+, but shooting for the 800's
Hyatt Visa Sig ($23K), Amex BCP (24.8K), BofA Travel Rew Sig (22.5K), B&N World MC (22.3K), Amex RP Gold (NPSL w/ S&T), Cash+ Sig (20K),United Mil+ExpSig (16.3K), FNBO Visa (13.1K), Hilton Surpass (10K), Freedom Visa Sig (8.6K), Disc It (16.4K), Citi Dia Pref MC (3.7K),Sam's MC (10K), Wally (7.5K), JCP(5.3K), Costco (2K)
Message 4 of 8
Brusilov
Established Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card


@nyancat wrote:

C4/C8 aren't necessary, they're optional contacts. They can be used as an antenna test interface on dual-interface cards, but they're not necessary contacts.


Thanks, good to know!

Message 5 of 8
Anf_dude
Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

The Cash Rewards Card Now Has The Smaller Chip Too. I Requested A New Card A Few Weeks Ago And Noticed That Too. I Like The Bigger Chip A Lot Better.

I Also Noticed Though That The Visa Signatures Have Always Had The Smaller Sized Chips.
Message 6 of 8
crunching_numbers
Valued Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

My Hyatt card is a Visa signature and it has the larger chip.

Starting Score: 693 TU FICO, 679 EQ FICO
Current Score: FICO 8 = 844(9/15) EQ, 827 TU, 811 EX (7/15); mortgage FICO= 758 (9/15)EQ5, 797 TU4, 748 EX2 (7/15)
Goal Score: 750+, but shooting for the 800's
Hyatt Visa Sig ($23K), Amex BCP (24.8K), BofA Travel Rew Sig (22.5K), B&N World MC (22.3K), Amex RP Gold (NPSL w/ S&T), Cash+ Sig (20K),United Mil+ExpSig (16.3K), FNBO Visa (13.1K), Hilton Surpass (10K), Freedom Visa Sig (8.6K), Disc It (16.4K), Citi Dia Pref MC (3.7K),Sam's MC (10K), Wally (7.5K), JCP(5.3K), Costco (2K)
Message 7 of 8
Anf_dude
Contributor

Re: Different Chip Design on New BofA Travel Rewards Card

Just A Quick Question, When Should I Make Sure My Account Is PIF Or A Very Low Balance By If It Says “Next closing date:11/19/2013”

I've Put A Lot Of Usage On It Last Month To This Month But Have Paid It Off As Soon As Its At $300 Balance. I Just Don't Want It To Keep Reporting A High Balance. It Seems Like All My Statements Average At $450-Ish. Thanks.
Message 8 of 8
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