SA has been waiting on the use of smart bank cards for sometime and I was pretty excited when my bank agreed to issue an EMV credit card to me, specifically for my trip overseas last week.
I had heard from a friend who travelled through Europe that a chip-enabled card was a must, since he had had trouble purchasing anything on his old magstripe card. He bemoaned SA's lack of forward thinking, especially for the business traveller.
EMV-compliant cards are smart card-enabled banking cards that require the bearer to type in a PIN (like a debit card) when they use it and are supposedly much more secure than traditional magstripe cards. My colleagues probably wanted to strangle me as I paraded my shiny smart chipped card before any and all who would look.
On the day before I left, I found an excuse to use the card at my local Woolworths - which uses a point-of-sale (POS) device issued by my bank. Needless to say, the card worked like a dream and as I packed away my new woollen socks, I had no doubt that I would get along just fine in Europe.
As all good stories go, there needs to be a villain and a battered hero, and Johannesburg International Airport happens to be this story's villain.
Joburg's own Dracula
Having to check in three hours before an international flight gives one a long time to meander around the duty-free section of any airport, which is what I dutifully did for half an hour or so after my bags were on their way to the plane.
If the local cards are having trouble crossing brand boundaries, what are international travelers using international bank card standards going to experience?
Candice Jones, Journalist, ITWeb
I bought an adapter at the duty-free counter, also paying on the card, and all seemed just fine. Again the POS device was issued by the bank that holds my accounts. The first sign of trouble came after I decided to have a beer in the international departures smoking lounge.
The waiter gave me a bemused look at the POS device beeped menacingly at us, and I stood dumfounded, it had worked everywhere so far. I was the maiden in Dracula's arms - the blood draining from my face was the proof. Not quite the battered hero - but you get the idea.
The waiter apologised profusely and asked if we could go to another POS device half way across the airport to see if my card would work.
Normally, I would pay in cash, but I had only euros on me and the guy could not give me change, so I agreed. After almost an hour and about six machines later, we finally got my card to work. I also managed to check every device we used and every single one was of a different bank to the one I use.
Jo'burg International is a disaster as is, without having to actually wonder around the chaos trying to find a place where my cards work; it raises the question: is SA ready for the EMV card?
If the local cards are having trouble crossing brand boundaries, what are international travellers using international bank card standards going to experience? I returned only yesterday afternoon and my European trip has maxed out the card, so I have not had a chance to test the theory outside of the airport, but one would think the banks would at least have managed to get that right - it being the first point of contact for most to the country.
International disaster
Having said all of that, our French compatriots don't seem to have it right either. On more than one occasion I had to reinsert my card into a reader around three or four times before the chip would actually be read.
More than once I had to pay cash for things, because the card type was not accepted. I tried to fly between Nice and Paris on my credit card, only to have the POS read "General decline of card". I panicked, thinking that I had already reached my card limit, but the card itself was just not accepted.
For the most part, I like the idea of the security the new EMV cards provide, but if it's going to be this much trouble, then perhaps I will stick with my ancient debit card that barely shows the brand label anymore. At least I know that it will work.
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