FAQ on Contactless Payments
1. What are the limits?
Contactless Payments are safe, quick and convenient and are intended to reduce the use of cash. Customers can only pay using a Contactless card if the total transaction amount is below £10 and this is not their fifth Contactless transaction since their last standard Chip & PIN transaction. This limit will increase as Contactless Payments become more common and wide-spread.
2. What about Fraud?
Contactless Payments are safe and have minimal risk for customers and retailers.
To prevent fraud and protect the cardholder, the owner/customer must enter their four-digit PIN code after every fifth Contactless transaction. This is to prove the customer is still the card owner and limit the damaged caused by lost or stolen cards. However, every time a standard Chip & PIN transaction is completed, your cumulative total of Contactless transactions is reset to zero.
There is also a periodic check where the card owner will be forced to enter a PIN code during a Contactless transaction. In genuine situations, the cost of fraudulent transactions will not be passed back to the retailer or the cardholder.
3. How does it work? What about security?
Connect a Contactless reader to the Ocius card payment device and download the latest version of Ocius software. You are now ready to accept Contactless Payments. By utilising radio transmissions, payment is taken by holding a Contactless card in very close proximity to a Contactless reader.
A customer can still pay by Chip & PIN despite the transaction amount being less than £10. It is the customer’s choice. Commidea’s Ocius solutions will take payment via Contactless if a card is held against the reader, or will take payment via the usual Chip & PIN route without any additional activities needed to be performed by the till operator.
4. How fast are the transactions?
Once the card has been tapped against the Contactless reader, it takes less than one second to complete the Contactless Payment. The whole transaction is significantly faster than cash or chip & PIN.
5. What equipment do I need at the till?
All you need is a Contactless card reader device incorporated into existing or new POS equipment. Commidea can quickly provide a cost-effective ‘out of the box’ Contactless Payment solution to existing and new customers.
6. How large is the Contactless reader?
The reader is roughly the size of an adults hand and sits on a stand alongside the Commidea terminal.
7. How much does it cost?
Commidea’s Contactless solution is very cost-effective. From as little as £13.49 a month, any retailer that is not a Commidea customer can have the most advanced Chip & PIN solution on the market with the additional functionality of accepting Contactless Payments.
For existing Commidea customers, we can provide you with all the equipment and software you need for Contactless Payments from as little as £3.49 per month – that’s all hardware, software and processing!
You will need to contact your acquirer/bank to find out the cost of each Contactless transaction. However, one of the benefits of the Commidea solution is that it is pre-certified by all UK acquirers meaning you can change acquirer and negotiate better rates without having to change your Chip & PIN supplier/hardware or go through the timely and costly exercise of the approvals process.
8. What happens if a routine security check is requested?
The transaction will need to be undertaken as a full chip & PIN (contact) authorised transaction.
9. What about Cash Back?
The standard rules on Cash Back will not change. Only participating retailer locations will be able to process Cash Back by way of a full chip & PIN transaction.
10. What about receipts for Contactless transactions?
Following the trial and research by the UK acquirers, it has been identified that many cardholders do not want receipts for small transactions. However, receipts should be available but only given to customers when they request one.
11.How will we know if the card is Contactless enabled?
The card will have the following mark indicating that it is capable of low value payments.
12. How do I process refunds?
Refunds can be completed in the exact same way as they currently are i.e. by using the existing Chip & PIN process.
13. Why is the launch only in London?
The official launch of Contactless Payments needs to be in a confined location that reflects the issuing of cards. All UK Acquirers are issuing Contactless enabled cards to their customers starting in the London area. After the launch in London, it is expected that Contactless Payments will go nationwide.
14. How can I take part in the London Launch or wider roll-out?
Simply contact Commidea by calling 08444 828245 or email Contactless@commidea.com
We will send you an information pack, pricing and an order form. Once we receive the completed order form, we will send you all the hardware and software which can be self-installed or an engineer can install it for you. It really is as simple as that!