Warning to those using (or planning to use) UK credit or debit cards for paying for online purchases!

[OJAS]

Looks like UK banks are moving to a verification system based on passwords sent to mobiles. What is potentially worrying for those of us who use our UK credit and debit cards for making online purchases from Thailand (as I occasionally do) is whether it will only be possible for passwords to be sent to UK mobile numbers or whether these could also be sent to Thai (and other non-UK) mobile numbers.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46399707

 

[kkerry]

My Australian cards (credit & debit) send the verification to my Thai number, just had to arrange it with my bank. A small annoyance is I need to call and change the number when I travel to and from Australia as their system doesn't allow me to update it online or keep two numbers listed. They also send me an SMS if there are any large or unusual transactions.

[Crossy]

Yeah, Nationwide got me a little while back when I went to use my Nationwide Credit Card online, it's been a long time since I used it and it wanted to send the authorisation text to my long defunct UK mobile.

 

I paid by alternate means and have since (I think) changed my number to the Thai one (after finding my card reader and giving it new batteries), Nationwide accepts international numbers, or at least appears to, not tried it in anger yet. 

[topt]

I had this for the first time yesterday using Amex to buy something from a UK site. They sent a OTP to both my UK mobile and my email which was fortunate.

I will have to make sure my UK mobile is charged up and switched on next time I buy anything online. 

[LongTimeLurker]

The article says that it's part of an EU directive to be implemented by September 2019 but as the UK won't be in the EU at that time it shouldn't be implemented.

 

The only bank I have that uses such OTP is K-Bank in Thailand which just means I always have to carry my Thai SIM card with me to make purchases. My UK bank uses Verified by Visa.

[CharlieH]

Just get a UK sim, dual sim phone, and job done.

That's what I have been using/doing for years.????

[LongTimeLurker]

3 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Just get a UK sim, dual sim phone, and job done.

That's what I have been using/doing for years.????

I don't live in UK so have no need for a UK sim card.

[CharlieH]

Just now, LongTimeLurker said:

I don't live in UK so have no need for a UK sim card.

Do you have a UK bank account ?

[LongTimeLurker]

2 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Do you have a UK bank account ?

IoM bank account, UK credit card

[CharlieH]

Just now, LongTimeLurker said:

IoM

And does/will that require you to be notified by OTP ? as per the OP ?

[grego49]

3 hours ago, kkerry said:

My Australian cards (credit & debit) send the verification to my Thai number, just had to arrange it with my bank. A small annoyance is I need to call and change the number when I travel to and from Australia as their system doesn't allow me to update it online or keep two numbers listed. They also send me an SMS if there are any large or unusual transactions.

Same with my citibank acc in oz works well for me.

[LomSak27]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

Yeah, Nationwide got me a little while back when I went to use my Nationwide Credit Card online, it's been a long time since I used it and it wanted to send the authorisation text to my long defunct UK mobile.

 

Might be more than just UK cards - Two weeks back with Wells Fargo, (US BANK) online wanted a transaction verification sent to a phone number. Note - they never have before. Only some fast messaging to my brother, and putting his number up, saved it. It was a large transfer, but it was not going to go through without that code which they wanted, sent to an old phone number, which no longer exists. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Crossy]

17 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

And does/will that require you to be notified by OTP ? as per the OP ?

My IoM bank calls my Thai number when I do certain transactions, I have to enter a number displayed on my computer screen into the phone to make things happen. They also have excellent live help (with voice authentication - entering your mother's maiden name is so 20th century) when it all goes wrong.

[jackdd]

So it's just like "Verified by Visa" which exists since years already, just that it's now enforced by law.

I have a cheap second phone with a German sim card to receive such SMS. If you need to use it frequently a dual sim phone is of course more convenient.

[Horatio Poke]

My UK banks send authorisation codes to my Thai mobile number.  It's never been a problem.

[phutoie2]

Not sure if Nationwide have implemented this yet as at short notice last week I purchased air and rail tickets online for a trip back to UK,. Just used my NW debit card as usual.

 

Before leaving I went and got a new Bangkok Bank mastercard and left my generally useless Union pay card with the wife (I got one of those rare good ones in case you all think I'm bonkers), so this morning I take a stroll into town and on the ATM machine is a Union Pay sticker.

[falang1969]

No problem with Lloyds.

 

My Thai number mobile number is registered with them and their verification system calls me on that number when I want to make a payment.

[OJAS]

18 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Just get a UK sim, dual sim phone, and job done.

That's what I have been using/doing for years.????

But easier said than done in topping it up in my experience! I used to have an O2 sim card, but had to let it expire because it was only possible to top it up online with a UK credit card as validated by a UK post code - which, since my UK credit card is registered to my Thai address, was a tad difficult in my case. O2 confirmed to me that there was no other way in which I could top up the sim card from Thailand. Since a condition of the particular O2 package to which I had subscribed was that I had to make a voice call with it every 6 months, there was clearly no way in which I could have kept the sim card alive for ever and a day by simply not using it to make calls or send texts.

[LongTimeLurker]

19 hours ago, CharlieH said:

And does/will that require you to be notified by OTP ? as per the OP ?

No, it's Verified by Visa