Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

redcat wrote:
Maybe this time next year LT/Oyster Card will have figured out how to
take my money on-line ;-)

The issue here is one of Transport for London trying its best to reduce
its liability for credit card fraud.

Visa and Mastercard both put extremely strict requirements for how to
accept card payments online. I know, because I've been involved in the
merchant side of things.

Since the large majority of legitimate online oyster card top-ups come
from cards issued by UK banks, it's probably in TfL's interest to do
their own bit of credit scoring of each transaction, and a foreign
issued card might not by itself raise alarm bells, but a foreign issued
card that can't have an address validation performed might be rejected.
Visa's Address Validation Scheme, which most online retailers use to
limit their liability to fraud, should work with both UK postcodes and
US zipcodes. Likewise, the CVV2 check (number on the signature strip)
should work with US issued cards in exactly the same way as European
cards. They may also use the IP address to attempt to geolocate the user.

My suggestion is that if TfL's website isn't accepting valid card
details with valid address validation, and valid CVV2 details online,
then top up at either the ticket machine, or ticket office when you land
in London. It only takes you a minute or two; probably less time than it
took to post to usenet about it.

--
Simon Hewison

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

In article
,
(MIG) wrote:

On Apr 16, 9:14*pm, wrote:
In article
,

(Mizter T) wrote:
the 'big' ticket machines take notes and coins (and give change)

None of the ones I've seen give change for Oyster top-up other than
for multiples of £5 or £10. I think card top-up is similarly limited
to such multiples.

Since I almost invariably need a receipt for the value of the journey
I am making I either have to have exact change or go to a ticket
window.

And the cruellest trick is that it offers "other amount" as if as an
alternative to multiples of £5, and then takes your whole tenner
before asking how much.

I thought it was now clearly "Exact money only"?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

On Apr 16, 10:33*pm, wrote:
In article
,





(MIG) wrote:
On Apr 16, 9:14*pm, wrote:
In article
,

(Mizter T) wrote:
the 'big' ticket machines take notes and coins (and give change)

None of the ones I've seen give change for Oyster top-up other than
for multiples of £5 or £10. I think card top-up is similarly limited
to such multiples.

Since I almost invariably need a receipt for the value of the journey
I am making I either have to have exact change or go to a ticket
window.

And the cruellest trick is that it offers "other amount" as if as an
alternative to multiples of £5, and then takes your whole tenner
before asking how much.

I thought it was now clearly "Exact money only"?

--
Colin Rosenstiel-

You'd think that would relate to a previously specified amount, but it
decides that the exact amount is whatever you happen to feed in.

Actually I guessed what it might do and didn't care, but it's not
consistent with other ticketing facilities where you specify what you
want before paying.

It's a bit analogous feeding in money to a normal ticket machine
before it decides where you can get a ticket to for exactly that
price.

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

tim..... wrote:

I've just come back from SA and about 6 times out of 10 was asked to enter
my pin in the machine. But the assistant still printed off the copy receipt
and asked me to sign as well - every time!

tim


Belt and suspenders. Or maybe urban guerrilla thief-cathing? I wish the
banks/cc companies would get their acts together and make it easy for
the customers. I don't mind signing, or these days even showing my
driver's license. But I'm awfully unhappy when I take my merchandise to
the desk and attempt to *pay* only to be treated like a credit card thief.

Cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

Simon Hewison wrote:
redcat wrote:
Maybe this time next year LT/Oyster Card will have figured out how to
take my money on-line ;-)

The issue here is one of Transport for London trying its best to reduce
its liability for credit card fraud.

Visa and Mastercard both put extremely strict requirements for how to
accept card payments online. I know, because I've been involved in the
merchant side of things.

Since the large majority of legitimate online oyster card top-ups come
from cards issued by UK banks, it's probably in TfL's interest to do
their own bit of credit scoring of each transaction, and a foreign
issued card might not by itself raise alarm bells, but a foreign issued
card that can't have an address validation performed might be rejected.
Visa's Address Validation Scheme, which most online retailers use to
limit their liability to fraud, should work with both UK postcodes and
US zipcodes. Likewise, the CVV2 check (number on the signature strip)
should work with US issued cards in exactly the same way as European
cards. They may also use the IP address to attempt to geolocate the user.

My suggestion is that if TfL's website isn't accepting valid card
details with valid address validation, and valid CVV2 details online,
then top up at either the ticket machine, or ticket office when you land
in London. It only takes you a minute or two; probably less time than it
took to post to usenet about it.


Yes, I will use the machine. But where I take the underground from the
station is always jam-packed. the windows and the machines have queues.
Last year I just breezed in with my pre-loaded oyster.

I didn't mind spending time on usenet :-) Everyone was nice and helpful
and I got good info.

But re the business about credit scoring -- I buy stuff from, say,
Amazon UK and never have a problem; from other UK sites as well, big and
small. I never have a problem.

Cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

"tim....." wrote in message
...

"Graham Harrison" wrote in
message ...

"redcat" wrote in message
m...
Martin Deutsch wrote:
On Apr 16, 12:36 pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will accept
a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Thank you for those. The interactive map is very good. And I am somewhat
comforted by the chip information. But it says they've stopped upgrading
the page 3 years ago. Hopefully, it still holds that card machines
recognize the overseas magstrip/card and will allow me to sign.

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat

When chip and pin was being introduced one of my local retailers said to
me here in the UK "I won't be able to accept anything except chip and pin
from 14th February". "Really I said, what are you going to do if some
comes in with a chip and sign card" (they do exist for some disabled
people). He looked a little perplexed. "and", I continued "are you
telling me that if someone from outside the UK comes in with a chipless
card tries to use it you are going to refuse their business?". Next
time I saw him he said that he had phoned his acquirer and asked the
questions I had posed and now had a different view. Trouble is too many
people are too parochial - he at least was prepared to investigate and
change his position.

I've just been in New Zealand where I got totally confused. I have a
chip and pin card. They would swipe it and the machine would usually
say something to the effect of "insert the chip". They did that and
then sometimes it would ask for my pin and others print something for me
to sign.


I've just come back from SA and about 6 times out of 10 was asked to enter
my pin in the machine. But the assistant still printed off the copy
receipt and asked me to sign as well - every time!

tim



Yup - got that in Hong Kong, and I had somewhere else in the past (can't
remember where). I'm less sanguine about it than you seem to be. I
always question it but, in the end, I do sign.

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

On 16 Apr, 14:16, redcat wrote:
n.

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

On Apr 18, 10:48*pm, Joxroach wrote:

On 16 Apr, 14:16, redcat wrote:

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

You Can:

Have a look at this clip from the BBC's Look North

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/new...7045300/704539...

Unfortunately that news report is utterly misleading, as it suggests
that thumbs prints could be used in place of a PIN at the point of
purchase - in actual fact the 'system' is all about applications for
credit as can be seen on the gent's website:
http://www.freeidprotection.co.uk/

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

"Graham Harrison" wrote in message
...

"tim....." wrote in message
...

"Graham Harrison" wrote in
message ...

"redcat" wrote in message
m...
Martin Deutsch wrote:
On Apr 16, 12:36 pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will
accept a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept
a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Thank you for those. The interactive map is very good. And I am
somewhat comforted by the chip information. But it says they've stopped
upgrading the page 3 years ago. Hopefully, it still holds that card
machines recognize the overseas magstrip/card and will allow me to
sign.

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat

When chip and pin was being introduced one of my local retailers said to
me here in the UK "I won't be able to accept anything except chip and
pin from 14th February". "Really I said, what are you going to do if
some comes in with a chip and sign card" (they do exist for some
disabled people). He looked a little perplexed. "and", I continued
"are you telling me that if someone from outside the UK comes in with a
chipless card tries to use it you are going to refuse their business?".
Next time I saw him he said that he had phoned his acquirer and asked
the questions I had posed and now had a different view. Trouble is too
many people are too parochial - he at least was prepared to investigate
and change his position.

I've just been in New Zealand where I got totally confused. I have a
chip and pin card. They would swipe it and the machine would usually
say something to the effect of "insert the chip". They did that and
then sometimes it would ask for my pin and others print something for me
to sign.


I've just come back from SA and about 6 times out of 10 was asked to
enter my pin in the machine. But the assistant still printed off the
copy receipt and asked me to sign as well - every time!

tim



Yup - got that in Hong Kong, and I had somewhere else in the past (can't
remember where). I'm less sanguine about it than you seem to be. I
always question it but, in the end, I do sign.

where did I say I objected?

tim

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

In message
, at
14:48:59 on Sat, 18 Apr 2009, Joxroach remarked:
I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You Can:


Have a look at this clip from the BBC's Look North

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/new...00/7045390.stm

I think that story conflates two ideas. On is the "Thumbsecurity" scheme
http://www.thumbsupsecurity.com/, the other is the more recent idea that
if applying for extended credit (like buying a sofa) you should mark
your Experian record with a note that says "only accept applications for
credit if the thumbprint matches".

http://www.eastscotlandfraudforum.or...protection.asp
--
Roland Perry