has PC Financial MasterCard issued new cards with chips yet?

angel_wing0 wrote: ↑nice, going to call in and see if i can get one

Why are you of all people interested in chip+pin credit cards? We all know their real purpose is to offload liability onto the customer!

Paulfistinyourface wrote: ↑I don't know if I understand your post or not.

If it's a chip reading machine and your CC has a chip, it will make you insert the card. It will not accept a simple swipe. I was at Canadian Tire the other day and tried to swipe my Visa when going thru the self-checkout. The machine wouldn't proceed until I inserted the chip into the slot. I didn't realize this particular Can.Tire had the chip-reader until that moment. Heh.

And I was at another store recently that wouldn't accept a swipe of my chip-based Visa. I can't remember where it was though, but the cashier was as surprised as I was. She didn't realize that they had just gotten new credit card machines.

These chip readers are more and more common. We're getting then where I work by the end of the month. And the girls in accounting tell me that if your CC is chipped then that's the only way it'll accept them. In other words - no swiping the stripe of chipped cards.

Not entirely true, I was at the vet's office the other day and to my surprise they had a chip machine but I forgot my pin and they were able to do the old fashioned swipe without the pin.

I have noticed it is usually with the small to medium businesses that uses the PIN machines. It is actually annoying to use considering you have to remember a PIN for everything now a days.

west wrote: ↑Not entirely true, I was at the vet's office the other day and to my surprise they had a chip machine but I forgot my pin and they were able to do the old fashioned swipe without the pin.

I have noticed it is usually with the small to medium businesses that uses the PIN machines. It is actually annoying to use considering you have to remember a PIN for everything now a days.

A lot of terminals still have chip override enabled while the transition is taking place. This is how a lot of the fraud was happening in Europe when chip was first introduced, by forcing a magnetic transaction. Sometimes it's a function you push or a couple chip error reads will let you fall back (like inserting the card upside down a few times).

In a similar matter, every time I go to either Loblaws, Loblaw Superstore or the Real Canadian Superstore, a cashier asks me if I'm collecting PC points?

That question got me confused. I don't understand what the cashier expects to see - a membership card? or my PC financial debit card or PC MasterCard - just to collect the points?

I wonder whats your lads experience with the PC MasterCard. I'm not going to trust that particular card nor won't be applying it real soon....

one other thing, I'm quite upset with PC's marketing tactics and some sponsorship stuff. If I'm not mistaken, it used to be the sponsor of Canada's Wonderland (an amusement park in Vaughan, Ontario). If PC financial were to be the sponsor of Toronto's CNE or Vancouver's PNE - then I don't mind.....

mada726 wrote: ↑In a similar matter, every time I go to either Loblaws, Loblaw Superstore or the Real Canadian Superstore, a cashier asks me if I'm collecting PC points?

That question got me confused. I don't understand what the cashier expects to see - a membership card? or my PC financial debit card or PC MasterCard - just to collect the points?

s/he is expecting a yes or no answer

mada726 wrote: ↑In a similar matter, every time I go to either Loblaws, Loblaw Superstore or the Real Canadian Superstore, a cashier asks me if I'm collecting PC points...

You do realize you could have asked her to explain what she meant right?
The cashier was probably referring to the PC Points that PC cardholders get when using their own grocery bags.

angel_wing0 wrote: ↑s/he is expecting a yes or no answer

Oh I get now! I guess I clearly misunderstand the "question".

Milfman wrote: ↑You do realize you could have asked her to explain what she meant right?
The cashier was probably referring to the PC Points that PC cardholders get when using their own grocery bags.

Well, that's quite good. Even though I have an account with PC Financial, I'm not going to apply for the PC MasterCard any time soon (as I have both the BMO SPC MasterCard and the RBC Rewards Gold Visa)........at least two credit cards are enough for me....

angel_wing0 wrote: ↑as the rep said, since the pc mc' chip are not fully working, most of the chip machines will let you swipe the pc mc...he could be wrong of cuz, i am just being a messenger here.

I think they are blowing smoke here. If the card has PIN authentication set up on the card, then you will be asked for it at all chip terminals. If it doesn't have PIN enabled in the chip parameters, then it will act as a Chip and Signature card (like chip cards in HK for example)

Shawguy wrote: ↑Would this mean that MBNA cards will have chips soon too?

MBNA has said (on their website) that chip cards are coming this year (2010)

west wrote: ↑Not entirely true, I was at the vet's office the other day and to my surprise they had a chip machine but I forgot my pin and they were able to do the old fashioned swipe without the pin.

I have noticed it is usually with the small to medium businesses that uses the PIN machines. It is actually annoying to use considering you have to remember a PIN for everything now a days.

tkyoshi wrote: ↑A lot of terminals still have chip override enabled while the transition is taking place. This is how a lot of the fraud was happening in Europe when chip was first introduced, by forcing a magnetic transaction. Sometimes it's a function you push or a couple chip error reads will let you fall back (like inserting the card upside down a few times).

Businesses which have standalone credit card terminals (that are usually leased from the merchant provider) are the ones that see Chip and PIN first because the terminal is swapped out for them, and/or software updates are pushed out automatically. Larger retailers which have "integrated" credit/debit processing with their POS system take longer to implement Chip because they often need to do software upgrades, hardware upgrades, testing, and sometimes require additional certification.

What you experience when a chip card is being forced as a 'swipe' transaction is known as a 'Magnetic Fallback'. As tkyoshi mentioned, some terminals permit this to aid in the transition. However it is at the merchant's discretion to process a fallback transaction as they accept full liability for the transaction when this occurs.

just got the card....pretty good. Desgin and everything is the same except for the extra chip =p

Have you used the card yet? When you put it in, it spits out a receipt that you still have to sign... no pin to enter

Since PC mastercard was offering a 5000 bonus for signing up online, I registered for one. How likely will they decline a CC for me since im a student?

Shawguy wrote: ↑Have you used the card yet? When you put it in, it spits out a receipt that you still have to sign... no pin to enter

well as the rep said, the pin function is not working 100%...but no i havent used it.

I have a PC bank card and I wonder if it's possible to collect PC points - without using the PC bank card to make purchases at the Loblaws family of stores (sans T&T)?

mada726 wrote: ↑I have a PC bank card and I wonder if it's possible to collect PC points - without using the PC bank card to make purchases at the Loblaws family of stores (sans T&T)?

You have to pay using your PC bank card to get points (I assume you mean the debit - though the PC MasterCard works too). It's not a strict points system like Shoppers Drug Mart, you have to pay using their card.

Hairball wrote: ↑You have to pay using your PC bank card to get points (I assume you mean the debit - though the PC MasterCard works too). It's not a strict points system like Shoppers Drug Mart, you have to pay using their card.

I wish that there should be a way on linking my PC MasterCard with my PC bank card - either by on the telephone or online. Is that possible?

By combining my PC MasterCard with my PC debit card, the "process" is simply "streamlined".

One other thing, I cannot explain why PC Financial cannot set up shop in Quebec for it's no fee bank account....how will Quebecers be able to open such an account?

mada726 wrote: ↑I wish that there should be a way on linking my PC MasterCard with my PC bank card - either by on the telephone or online. Is that possible?

By combining my PC MasterCard with my PC debit card, the "process" is simply "streamlined".

One other thing, I cannot explain why PC Financial cannot set up shop in Quebec for it's no fee bank account....how will Quebecers be able to open such an account?

Something to do with the laws in Quebec. Same with a lot of contests. They aren't eligible.

EPcjay wrote: ↑Something to do with the laws in Quebec. Same with a lot of contests. They aren't eligible.

It has to do with language and financial regulations. That's for the theory part but I'm living in Quebec and have been using PCF since 2004 without any issue.

All is required is to travel to a pavilion such as Ottawa or Cornwall, 2 pieces of ID and you're in. TFSA, banking, payrolll ... are all supported except for RSP. And the nice thing about PCF in Quebec is that they have an ABM agreement with National Bank so there's plenty of ABM's available due to National Bank being part of The Exchange.

Thanh wrote: ↑the nice thing about PCF in Quebec is that they have an ABM agreement with National Bank so there's plenty of ABM's available due to National Bank being part of The Exchange.

..so pcf has an agreement with Exchange/National Bank in Quebec but not the rest of Canada...?!

Thanh wrote: ↑It has to do with language and financial regulations. That's for the theory part but I'm living in Quebec and have been using PCF since 2004 without any issue.

All is required is to travel to a pavilion such as Ottawa or Cornwall, 2 pieces of ID and you're in. TFSA, banking, payrolll ... are all supported except for RSP. And the nice thing about PCF in Quebec is that they have an ABM agreement with National Bank so there's plenty of ABM's available due to National Bank being part of The Exchange.

I don't recall any evidence that PC Financial has an agreement with the National Bank on utilising the National Bank ATMs nor the ATMs that are on the Exchange Network.

angel_wing0 wrote: ↑..so pcf has an agreement with Exchange/National Bank in Quebec but not the rest of Canada...?!

You and I may already know that PC Financial customers already can access their accounts at any CIBC ATM nationwide. When I was in Quebec (as I said earlier), I can easily access my PC Financial accounts seamlessly.

mada726 wrote: ↑I wish that there should be a way on linking my PC MasterCard with my PC bank card - either by on the telephone or online. Is that possible?

By combining my PC MasterCard with my PC debit card, the "process" is simply "streamlined".

One other thing, I cannot explain why PC Financial cannot set up shop in Quebec for it's no fee bank account....how will Quebecers be able to open such an account?

Why not just pay with PC Mastercard at check out, then pay your PC Mastercard bill via online banking and double-dip points? When they first started the PC Mastercard, they even encouraged the double-dip.