New debit/credit cards where all the details are on one side

[armalites]

I now have two of these, surely this is bad idea from a security point of view? With modern phones it's amazing what you can take a picture of from a distance it would be so easy to harvest the details

 

[Bullet2012]

The best ones have no details on them at all

 

[daleyd]

American Express cards have had all the details on the front for a long time, including the security code.

 

[Beanwood]

Perhaps it's because you only use the security code online, and thats now covered by 2 Factor Authentication?

 

[mart]

Perhaps it's because you only use the security code online, and thats now covered by 2 Factor Authentication?

AND over the phone.

 

[Welderpaul]

Scratching the 3 figure security code off your card is always a good start

 

[sickpup]

On mine the numbers are all on the back so as you insert it in a card machine none of the numbers are showing, if you touch with the card the same way no one will get a picture of the numbers. Aimple piece of security.

 

[RichardM]

AND over the phone.

When ringing up goods should only be sent to the card holders registered address.

My card's all on one side,"blank" side uppermost for card readers.

 

[pint]

my cards all on one side, but i use my modern phone to pay for stuff.

 

[brightspark]

my cards all one side not a problem . only use it at the electrical wholesalers screwfix and the petrol station .i think id notice someone with a camera and if i did they would get a boot up there jacksie

 

[bricol]

Why are they any worse than the old embossed style?

Amusingly, the other month in a restaurant for lunch in Oympia, Wa, the card reader wasn't . . . out came the old carbon duplicate flip/flap machine from under the counter . . . poor lass had to write every thing in - the only thing still working was their embossed company details plate.

I still remember a very senior engineer at a company i worked for in Cincinnati 20 plus years ago, telling me he didn't sign credit cards, 'cos if you did, someone could copy his signature if they stole the card . . . this being the day when you signed a ticket and if the cashier was doing their job, they compared signatures . . . he seemed to have missed the idea that if his card got into someone else's hands, they could simply sign it and job's a good 'un . . .

 

[Nomad]

I've got to be where all the details are on one side, its always seemed like a backwards security step (done to save costs when printing?)

 

[cheb]

Embossed cards are more likely to snap that printed ones, the embossing raises a stress point.

 

[tom2207]

The new flat ones look very strange at the start , but you soon get used to them .