CBA PayPas

Today I found out that the Commonwealth Bank has a new "feature" called PayPass or Tap 'n Go. I'd recently seen it advertised on TV and wondered what the implementation was like.

The idea behind this technology is that you can make a transaction without needing to sign or enter your PIN when making a purchase. You just wave your card in front of a reader and the transaction is complete. There is no physical contact between your card and the reader - in fact you don't even need to take your card out of your wallet.

I learnt the following:

1. The transaction limit is $100 per transaction.
2. There is no limit to the number of transactions.
3. You cannot set a limit.
4. You cannot opt-out.

I contacted the bank customer service team via phone to confirm what I learnt. Initially there was some discussion about the $100 limit, but this was finally confirmed.

I asked the bank why I was unable to limit my exposure to this "feature" since I was concerned about my personal security as well as issues relating to RFID. The bank's response was: "You don't need to take your card with you, you can just leave it at home."

I asked to escalate the call and ended up speaking with a team leader in the Rapid Resolution Team who after some discussion began to understand my concerns and they created a case for me.

I've been promised a response in writing.