Chip and Pin

I got my own bankcard a few weeks ago and forgot to write about it until tonight. It took a few weeks to get Margo's bank account converted to a joint account and get my card sent to the proper location.

Bankcards here have chips in them. Whenever you use them, you enter a 4-digit PIN, which is immediately verified because it's on the card. The reason I wanted to write about this is that this system has two neat advantages. One is that, if you lose your card, it's a little harder for a thief to use it. The other is that, whenever you use it at a merchant's, they put the card into a handheld reader (often a wireless one), hand it to you so you can enter your PIN, then take out the card as it prints your receipt. The thing is, it never leaves your sight. Even in a restaurant, the waitperson comes to your table with a wireless reader, processes your card right there, and hands it back. It's one less opportunity for fraud and I like it.