Which merchants can charge Laser without PIN numbers?

[Mercantilist]

Last year PTSB swapped my ATM card for a Laser card. They claimed that it was more secure because it came with chip and PIN technology.

But some merchants can charge Laser without any PIN being input. If this merchant makes a note of the number on the front of the Laser card, they have the ability to remove any amount of money from your account, anytime, without your authorisation. They could not do this with the ATM card. So the Laser card is less secure.

I want to avoid doing business with merchants that charge Laser cards without a PIN. Where can I get a list of these businesses?

 

[dieseldave]

On terminals i work on for retailers, they give out two receipts one for merchant reconcilliation and one for the customer, only difference in receipt is the customer copy card number is starred out so if they lose it or throw it in the bin no one else can use it, but the merchant will still have a copy until he has payment received. The only scenario i can think of is they mixed you up with someone else maybe a regular customer and pick out your number by mistake. It's a big issue with people like yourself at the moment, it's up to the bank whether try print the card number on receipts. I'll ask the lads i work with if they know what banks don't print out the numbers.You'll then have to keep an eye for what type of terminal the merchant has, e.g. UB have a silver Axalto, Payzone (through AIB Authorisation) Black hypercom, BOI have a Black hypercom, AIB - Black Ingenico

 

[8till8]

I don't think your right in saying that retailers can take money without your authorisation, this would be considered fraud/theft.
However you can give authorisation in ways other than using your PIN, for example on the internet when you give your CCD number or over the phone (which the retailer processes as cardholder not present transaction)
However a retailer merchant account has a lot of obligations that they must comply with and if they don't then the credit card merchant company simply deducts the money from the retailers accounta and refunds the customer. Its very pro-card holder and anti-merchant (for obvious reasons). There is even a very long time period when a card-holder can dispute a transaction, upto 6 or 9 months, I can't recall which.

 

[Joe1234]

I'm currently disputing a transaction with my credit card company on the basis that the card was given, put through the terminal but the PIN was never entered. My account was still charged.
The reason the PIN was not entered was when I queried with the manager why I could not be billed in sterling (instead of euro) he gave us the meal for free. He decided to do this after the card had been entered into the terminal. I'm currently waiting on my credit card company to get back to me.

 

[dieseldave]

Update, I checked with the lads, they reckon every terminal prints a merchant copy with your card number and expiry, and a customer copy with them starred out, so the merchant would have your details to do a mail order transaction, I personally would be furious if my details were being mis-used, maybe have a chat with your bank and tell them this retailer robbed from you.

 

[Mercantilist]

so the merchant would have your details to do a mail order transaction

Can any retailer put through a "mail order transaction" on a Laser card, or is it just certain big retailers?

Whats the point of having a PIN if the retailer can charge your card without it?

 

[dieseldave]

Yeah, for example you order flowers and pay by laser over the phone, all they do is enter the number and expiry date manually. The pin number is a face to face transaction and mail/phone order you give the number out yourself, and no one but yourself should have that card number.