I often pay for things over the phone using my credit card. Water, electricity, gas, phone bills, congestion charge, train/plane tickets etc. This is fine. Except every time I do this I have to do the punch in my 16 digit code and/or 8 digit account number and/or 6 digit sort code and/or 8 digit date of issue, and/or 8 digit date of expiry….that’s a potential grand total of 46 digits…a lot of margin for error here. If you get one digit wrong you have to go the whole process all over again. It gets a bit old. Also his doesn’t stop people from paying for stuff over the phone with your card. Mobile phones need to have the function where you can just insert your chip&pin card in the side, enter your PIN on the keypad and it automatically sends all the appropriate data,….followed by a little recorded message of a questionably sexy woman saying “your payment has been received - thank you”
-- shinobi, Nov 01 2005

Of interest http://stories.indo...m/article_288.shtml
Using a mobile phone as a gateway/cache for security credentials and credit details is a big topic at the moment. [Jinbish, Nov 01 2005]

I kinda like the idea because unlike a lot of the phone/wallet ideas this is an actual fact an idea about simplifying the input of data to the phone. The fact that it is credit details and a swipe device is almost seperate from the concept.

In a similar way to [IT's] suggestion it is not an immediate marriage of phone and 'user presence' (credit details).
-- Jinbish, Nov 01 2005


//every time I do this I have to do the punch in my 16 digit code//

You could program your card number into one of the slots for pre-programmed telephone numbers. Then you'd only have to press one button.
-- DrBob, Nov 01 2005


[Making mental note to "borrow" DrBob's mobile phone next time we go out for a drink.]
-- DrCurry, Nov 01 2005


Well is it really any less safe than giving your credit card number to someone over the phone?
-- DrBob, Nov 01 2005



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