My payment card was just a bit too wide to fit in my cellphone’s cover. The phone’s own NFC antenna is at the top - and I use it all the time - so the card had to be at the bottom of the cover to avoid triggering the phone all the time, in portrait orientation so-to-speak.
So I dissolved the card in acetone to extract the NFC chip and its antenna, then carefully reshaped one end of the antenna so it’s a bit less wide (and since I couldn’t modify the length of the wire or the number of turns in any way to avoid de-tuning the antenna too much, I sort of accordioned one side of the rectangle to accommodate the extra length of wire).
Then I set the new shape of the antenna permanently by carefully applying a piece of packing tape over it, flipped it over, taped over the other side to seal everything, then carefully cut around the new, ultra-thin, stubbier contactless payment “card”.
What I modified was in fact a contactless payment token. It had the form factor of a payment card, but it only does NFC.
I have another card for chip+pin.But I almost never use it where I live, because all limits were lifted on contactless payments a few years ago. If I try to pay something really expensive contactless, it will ask me for the pin - which is specific to the payment token.
Do you mind if I ask what bank issued those? Why? Does the chip+pin also tap or are they features on totally separate cards?
I’ve never heard of a separate tap to pay token (outside of perhaps transit passes or like, arcade cards), and never a card based tap transaction that asks for a pin.
Payment tokens are very common. Usually they’re sold as keychains, wristbands or rings, and they’re provisioned to work with the myriad of payment processors out there - which aren’t banks.
in my case, it’s a token from iCard. The way it works is, it’s connected to a regular bank account number with an IBAN number (supplied by iCard when you activate the token), and you transfer money to it that you can then spend with the contactless token. The nice thing is, if you lose it, you can’t lose anymore money than you put on it.
Amazing, I have never thought of that! I have always carried my card behind the phone, which is a bit too thick for my liking, but this is such a great idea, thanks for sharing!
I looked high and low for one where I could place my creditcard size tracker that isn’t also a flip cover, just a simple cover with a creditcard slot seems almost trivial.
Knowing the reliability of our postal services, I would very much prefer to receive it in person. Of course there are security measures (activating it only when you get it and so on), but still.
Our bank will just print a new one on the spot for you if you go to their office. As long as you’re ok with your name and card number not being embossed. They have to order away the embossed ones – but you can still pick them up in person.
I’ll do one better:
My payment card was just a bit too wide to fit in my cellphone’s cover. The phone’s own NFC antenna is at the top - and I use it all the time - so the card had to be at the bottom of the cover to avoid triggering the phone all the time, in portrait orientation so-to-speak.
So I dissolved the card in acetone to extract the NFC chip and its antenna, then carefully reshaped one end of the antenna so it’s a bit less wide (and since I couldn’t modify the length of the wire or the number of turns in any way to avoid de-tuning the antenna too much, I sort of accordioned one side of the rectangle to accommodate the extra length of wire).
Then I set the new shape of the antenna permanently by carefully applying a piece of packing tape over it, flipped it over, taped over the other side to seal everything, then carefully cut around the new, ultra-thin, stubbier contactless payment “card”.
Now it fits really smartly in my cellphone cover!
Next time someone calls me a maniac, I’ll show them this.
Definitely doesn’t live up to their username.
The fact it’s secured with a piece of sellotape is just *chef’s kiss*.
You are fucking crazy. I love you.
Peak Lemmy behaviour I love it
I just wanted to say your dad is definitely proud of you dude
“Please use chip reader”…
Have you ever run into difficulty with needing to authenticate with chip+PIN? Like while traveling?
That would be my big concern with this; it would make it very difficult to pass a PIN check, to say the least!
Super cool idea. I might just try it myself and see if I run into issues.
What I modified was in fact a contactless payment token. It had the form factor of a payment card, but it only does NFC.
I have another card for chip+pin.But I almost never use it where I live, because all limits were lifted on contactless payments a few years ago. If I try to pay something really expensive contactless, it will ask me for the pin - which is specific to the payment token.
Do you mind if I ask what bank issued those? Why? Does the chip+pin also tap or are they features on totally separate cards?
I’ve never heard of a separate tap to pay token (outside of perhaps transit passes or like, arcade cards), and never a card based tap transaction that asks for a pin.
Payment tokens are very common. Usually they’re sold as keychains, wristbands or rings, and they’re provisioned to work with the myriad of payment processors out there - which aren’t banks.
in my case, it’s a token from iCard. The way it works is, it’s connected to a regular bank account number with an IBAN number (supplied by iCard when you activate the token), and you transfer money to it that you can then spend with the contactless token. The nice thing is, if you lose it, you can’t lose anymore money than you put on it.
I love this.
Amazing, I have never thought of that! I have always carried my card behind the phone, which is a bit too thick for my liking, but this is such a great idea, thanks for sharing!
deleted by creator
Fairphone 6 has an add-on exactly for this.
I looked high and low for one where I could place my creditcard size tracker that isn’t also a flip cover, just a simple cover with a creditcard slot seems almost trivial.
Wow.
Kudos for the effort. With that said, this would definitely raise some eyebrows if you have to return the card when getting a new one.
I’ve never had to do that… Just say you lost it.
Depends on how fussy the bank is, but yeah.
The bank just mails the new card to me. I still have old debit cards.
Knowing the reliability of our postal services, I would very much prefer to receive it in person. Of course there are security measures (activating it only when you get it and so on), but still.
Our bank will just print a new one on the spot for you if you go to their office. As long as you’re ok with your name and card number not being embossed. They have to order away the embossed ones – but you can still pick them up in person.
You clever, I like.
That is serious dedication.
Well, what if you need an actual card for identification in the bank or something similar? Do you just show them the dissolved one?
The only time I’ve gone to my bank in the last 20 years was to get a new card, or to open a new account at a new bank.