 Pay at Destination
On Sun, 04 May 2008 11:06:21 +1000, kerry wrote:
> This has to be the best and simplest idea I've seen. They are using the
> new tap on a screen type credit/debt cards that have not reached Oz yet.
>
> It's amazing that you can tap a card/tag on the screen and it will
> search a database, charge you and open the barrier in a second or two.
> That's progress!
Non contact debit/credit cards 'scare' me. Means any one with a stolen
reader can read your details by just brushing past you. If the banks
think they will be able to keep the technique for read the cards a secret
they are dreaming. Stolen card data is simply worth too much to organised
crime.
The fact that the subway card read is working so fast means it isn't
actually verifying the card with the bank, it's just recording the data
and reconciling it later.
Smart card ticketing systems ala London Oyster and Singapore Ezlink
store data on the card, it doesn't have to look up any databases at the
time of 'tap in', it just exchanges data with the card and works out the
back end stuff 'offline'. You could, if you have the equipment, encode
false data and defraud the operator, but unlike the Credit card case,
it's hardly worth the trouble. |