A couple of weeks back, I attempted to purchase a cake using my credit card and the staff asked me to “key in my PIN” to confirm the payment. I didn’t have a PIN. That’s not the bank’s fault as they did send me a new PIN-enabled credit card which I conveniently forgot because I was too lazy to activate the function. 😛
Choosing a cake that I almost couldn’t pay for, because I didn’t activate my PIN-enabled credit card.
Long story short, I was given an option to pay for the cake with cash or go through the manual process of using my signature to proceed with the payment. I opted for the latter because the main reason why I own credit cards is so that I don’t need to carry cash around.
Prior to my cake purchase incident, I encountered a similar issue in Bangkok when I was unable to produce a PIN for one of my purchases at Terminal 21. Fortunately, Jien was with me and his credit card is PIN-enabled and activated so he paid on my behalf.
Did you know that most major petrol stations in Klang Valley now require a 6-digit PIN for credit card payment?
I only found out when I was attempting to fill up my petrol tank and my credit card wasn’t PIN-enabled. And I had no cash!
If you’re traveling out of the country, it’s best to ensure you activate your Visa PIN-enabled cards as most countries accept PIN payment cards only. My credit card was also rejected at a petrol station in Bangsar as the transaction require a PIN-code which I didn’t have. And I had no cash in hand! After two three close (and embarrassing) calls, I immediately called the bank to activate my card as I don’t want to risk getting into a situation where I can’t pay for my items. #shyonly
PIN & PAY is easy to use – you only need to remember the 6-digit secret code that you decide on and you’re good to go! Using the PIN-enabled card is even easier as the cashier will swipe your credit card, wait for the prompt before handing over the machine for you to key in your 6-digit code.
Most local retailers have already migrated to PIN & PAY as of 1st January 2017. From 1st July 2017, you will no longer get to use your credit card at domestic points of sale if you don’t have a PIN.
So quick, get your PIN-enabled credit card activated. If your bank hasn’t sent you your PIN-enabled credit card, do call them and get them to send one over to you soonest.
*The views expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of Visa and associated companies.
For more information, head over to https://www.visa.com.my/personal/features/pinandpay.shtml.