When will every Visa card have contactless?

[Anonymous]

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@SBR249 wrote:

I believe Capital One has been issuing contactless versions of the QS and Venture One by default since at least April of 2017. I recently got the new version of the QS and it was contactless. I think the Savor is also issued with contactless by default since it came out. Don't know about other cards. 

The Citi Costco card also has contactless by default. I don't know if it's just that card or if Citi has contactless versions of other cards as well. 

Other than those two, AmEx is probably the farthest along in RFID adoption. They make available contactless versions of a "majority of consumer cards" and also the Blue for Business and Starwood Guest business cards. You just have to call them and request them. I myself recently requested the contactless versions of the ED and BCE. With those two being transparent they actually look pretty cool, with a few extra antennae loops around the top. 

Edit: seems that Wells Fargo also issues a lot of contactless cards as well. And according to this (https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/contactless-tap-and-go-cards-us-market.php), the Venture can also come in contactless version. 

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Making them available isn't going to drive adoption. For most consumers, they'll try to do it with the card already in their wallet and balk at the reader when it doesn't work as they insert their card to read the EMV once more.

@SBR249 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@SBR249 wrote:

I think the lack of readers probably isn't as big of an issue. While contactless payment transaction limits are gradually being increased or eliminated in places like the UK, it's possible that initial large scale deployment in the US will still limit them to mostly low-value transactions due to security reasons. That means not every place needs to have contactless capable terminals because many places just don't see lots of transactions under $30 or $50. Many places that do see low-value transactions like McDonald's, Starbucks, and many public transit systems already have the equipment to accept contactless payments. So the adoption strategy may be to target those places first, get people used to using contactless, then in 3-4 years when the current batch of cards is being replaced, the demand for contactless will increase. 

As someone who has a few contactless cards, the US doesn't have a limit for contactless payment. I also don't think the lack of a limit will be that big of an issue considering that the US mostly doesn't use PIN in the first place.

Don't worry, I carry contactless cards as well, both those issued in the US and those issued in the UK, I'm well aware that US cards don't technically have a transaction limit. However, if you look at the terminal configuration guide for Visa, they specify that additional verification (ie signature) will generally be required for transactions over $25-50 which essentially negates the benefits of contactless payment anyway.

Not sure what you were trying to say in the second part but my point is that given the possible initial built-in restrictions on contactless transaction values, it may make sense to target initial deployment at retailers that handle high-volume, low-value transactions to maximize uptake. In any case, many of those retailers are probably already equiped to handle contactless payments so the hardware investment may already have been made. 

Seeing as Visa is the last of the main four to even support signatures, I suspect it'll go the way of the dodo with them as well in the not-too-distant future.

[SBR249]

No, making contactless cards available alone isn't going to drive adoption. Which is why I pointed out that the confluence of various factors such as the suitability (given current restrictions) of contactless payments for low-value transactions, the availability of cards, and the fact that large merchants that handle high-volume, low-value transactions are already equiped with readers that can handle contactless transactions make that sector of retail the ideal place to push for increasing people's exposure using contactless. 

Also, I never meant to imply that restrictions on higher-value transactions in terms of verification requirements are meant to be long term or permanent. The UK is already lifting transaction limits and restrictions as retailers update their POS readers and it only took about a card replacement cycle since contactless really began taking off. These restrictions were probably always meant to be interim measures. But nevertheless, these restrictions are an important part of reassuring consumers that contactless technology is viable and secure during initial deployment.  

[Anonymous]

My 3 month old Venture is not contactless.

[Anonymous]

Grasshopperstudent comment: "Seeing as Visa is the last of the main four to even support signatures, I suspect it'll go the way of the dodo with them as well in the not-too-distant future". Got'ta love your perspective! As I was reading this thread the exact same perspective hit me ... when is Visa going to join the rest of network providers?

[Anonymous]

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@SBR249 wrote:

Also, I never meant to imply that restrictions on higher-value transactions in terms of verification requirements are meant to be long term or permanent. The UK is already lifting transaction limits and restrictions as retailers update their POS readers and it only took about a card replacement cycle since contactless really began taking off. These restrictions were probably always meant to be interim measures. But nevertheless, these restrictions are an important part of reassuring consumers that contactless technology is viable and secure during initial deployment.  

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I'd say those measures are less necessary in the US since our first exposure to it was basically stuff like Apple Pay (which effectively always require authentication). I suspect that if we tried contactless cards again before Apple Pay, there'd be a massive backlash.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Grasshopperstudent comment: "Seeing as Visa is the last of the main four to even support signatures, I suspect it'll go the way of the dodo with them as well in the not-too-distant future". Got'ta love your perspective! As I was reading this thread the exact same perspective hit me ... when is Visa going to join the rest of network providers?

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One of the factors that caused contactless to fail the first time, IMO, is the networks having signature waivers for small transactions. Maybe Visa learned from this and will only implement such a thing for contactless--if they ever bother.

[SBR249]

Speaking from a consumer's perspective, I recently used my new AmEx BCE contactless at a supermarket, even without signature requirement for regular small value chip-dip transactions, I still prefer contactless. It's quicker, you don't need to fumble with the card slot (which on many readers is actually kind of hard to see with the shiny plastic and the way they are usually positioned), the card never leaves your hand so you don't need an annoying chime to remind you to take out the card. For me it's not a competition, given the choice, I'd use contactless everytime if possible even over mobile wallets like Apple Pay. But then again, I just returned from a few years in the UK and already got used to contactless being used everywhere so I may be an outlier. 

[Anonymous]

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@SBR249 wrote:

Speaking from a consumer's perspective, I recently used my new AmEx BCE contactless at a supermarket, even without signature requirement for regular small value chip-dip transactions, I still prefer contactless. It's quicker, you don't need to fumble with the card slot (which on many readers is actually kind of hard to see with the shiny plastic and the way they are usually positioned), the card never leaves your hand so you don't need an annoying chime to remind you to take out the card. For me it's not a competition, given the choice, I'd use contactless everytime if possible even over mobile wallets like Apple Pay. But then again, I just returned from a few years in the UK and already got used to contactless being used everywhere so I may be an outlier. 

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I used my contactless AMEX at Wegmans today, the total was $51.14, but didn't require a signature. Last I checked, anything over $50 required a signature. I wonder if something has changed? 

[SBR249]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@SBR249 wrote:

Speaking from a consumer's perspective, I recently used my new AmEx BCE contactless at a supermarket, even without signature requirement for regular small value chip-dip transactions, I still prefer contactless. It's quicker, you don't need to fumble with the card slot (which on many readers is actually kind of hard to see with the shiny plastic and the way they are usually positioned), the card never leaves your hand so you don't need an annoying chime to remind you to take out the card. For me it's not a competition, given the choice, I'd use contactless everytime if possible even over mobile wallets like Apple Pay. But then again, I just returned from a few years in the UK and already got used to contactless being used everywhere so I may be an outlier. 

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I used my contactless AMEX at Wegmans today, the total was $51.14, but didn't require a signature. Last I checked, anything over $50 required a signature. I wonder if something has changed? 

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Could be an AmEx thing rather than a contactless thing. AmEx seems to be further along on their contactless deployment than the other networks with a majority of their consumer cards being available with contactless. So maybe they have fewer restrictions or higher threshold limits. The restrictions I mentioned before were specific to Visa transactions.