Anyone have a payment ring or smart ring?
Discussion
I have no idea if this should be in Gadgets, Watches, or Finance.
I like the idea of an NFC ring for payments, but have no idea if any of the brands out there are any good, are they reliable, how much they cost, and so on.
The idea of just waving my hand over the contactless payment point of Tube barriers like some kind of wizard as the gate magically opens, really appeals to me. That as well as not having to get my phone out of my coat for paying for drinks at a bar. You get the idea.
I have read that Apple are developing a smart payment ring, which would be ideal as it would no doubt seamlessly integrate into my already existing Apple Pay account and ecosystem, however this could be a long way off, if it even exists beyond a rumour.
I was looking at the McLear RingPay 2 in silver, as it just looks like an ordinary wedding band. But the annoying thing is that it expires permanently after 3 years apparently, which seems a bit rubbish if you've paid £120 for it.
https://mclear.com/product/ringpay-silver/#ring_fa...
Anyone got a payment ring?
I like the idea of an NFC ring for payments, but have no idea if any of the brands out there are any good, are they reliable, how much they cost, and so on.
The idea of just waving my hand over the contactless payment point of Tube barriers like some kind of wizard as the gate magically opens, really appeals to me. That as well as not having to get my phone out of my coat for paying for drinks at a bar. You get the idea.
I have read that Apple are developing a smart payment ring, which would be ideal as it would no doubt seamlessly integrate into my already existing Apple Pay account and ecosystem, however this could be a long way off, if it even exists beyond a rumour.
I was looking at the McLear RingPay 2 in silver, as it just looks like an ordinary wedding band. But the annoying thing is that it expires permanently after 3 years apparently, which seems a bit rubbish if you've paid £120 for it.
https://mclear.com/product/ringpay-silver/#ring_fa...
Anyone got a payment ring?
Edited by Mont Blanc on Friday 1st March 14:57
Yes. I have a McLear ring pay (in Silver). I bloody love it!
The only negative, which isn't really a problem, is that it's not linked directly to my bank account, instead I have to have an account with McLear and funds are transferred to that, automatically, I can select various levels/limits via the app.
A positive is that if used abroad the fees are minimal and the clearing rate isn't a rip off, compared to a lot of bank cards. It's not dissimilar to say Starling Bank, who are very good/fair on foreign usage.
I got mine as a compromise, but I'll probably go the whole hog when it expires and get chipped in my thumb muscle.
The only negative, which isn't really a problem, is that it's not linked directly to my bank account, instead I have to have an account with McLear and funds are transferred to that, automatically, I can select various levels/limits via the app.
A positive is that if used abroad the fees are minimal and the clearing rate isn't a rip off, compared to a lot of bank cards. It's not dissimilar to say Starling Bank, who are very good/fair on foreign usage.
I got mine as a compromise, but I'll probably go the whole hog when it expires and get chipped in my thumb muscle.
PushedDover said:
21st Century Man said:
get chipped in my thumb muscle.
get what what?Mont Blanc said:
the annoying thing is that it expires permanently after 3 years apparently, which seems a bit rubbish if you've paid £120 for it.
Mine was £85 about a year ago, but since then I've been sent marketing offers with prices as low as £60 (for Black or White). If they're pitching it at £120 now that's a big hike!Perhaps sign up for updates/offers? See what they send you?
21st Century Man said:
Yes. I have a McLear ring pay (in Silver). I bloody love it!
The only negative, which isn't really a problem, is that it's not linked directly to my bank account, instead I have to have an account with McLear and funds are transferred to that, automatically, I can select various levels/limits via the app.
A positive is that if used abroad the fees are minimal and the clearing rate isn't a rip off, compared to a lot of bank cards. It's not dissimilar to say Starling Bank, who are very good/fair on foreign usage.
I got mine as a compromise, but I'll probably go the whole hog when it expires and get chipped in my thumb muscle.
The Mclear in silver is by far the nicest one out there that I have seen.The only negative, which isn't really a problem, is that it's not linked directly to my bank account, instead I have to have an account with McLear and funds are transferred to that, automatically, I can select various levels/limits via the app.
A positive is that if used abroad the fees are minimal and the clearing rate isn't a rip off, compared to a lot of bank cards. It's not dissimilar to say Starling Bank, who are very good/fair on foreign usage.
I got mine as a compromise, but I'll probably go the whole hog when it expires and get chipped in my thumb muscle.
I have no issue at all with the ‘top up’ system they use. I think it is quite sensible.
I still think they are a cool piece of tech!
21st Century Man said:
An RFID chip, the size of a grain of rice, it's injected into the thumb muscle. Fully editable with a scanner attached to a PC or a laptop. All cards can be put onto it, debit/credit, including store/loyalty cards, and added or removed as expired and replaced. Very popular in Scandinavia apparently. One just waves one's hand across the reader.
If I wave my wallet over a contactless terminal it tells me "Select one card only". How does that work if they're all loaded on one chip?
Mont Blanc said:
contactless payment point of Tube barriers like some kind of wizard ... not having to get my phone out of my coat for paying for drinks at a bar.
Until a year ago, I didn't really use my phone to pay as it seemed more faff than just using a card, but had a debit account & a credit card linked to the wallet app (Android phone).This changed when my company credit card was not re-issued on expiry & replaced by a virtual card via Pleo.
Works OK, but if I get on the tube I can't just touch the card as before - have to get my phone out, unlock it, open the wallet app, select the right card to use etc.
My phone is set up to use my current account as default for contactless so I have to scroll through on screen to use my business card or another.
No idea how a ring would work unless you only want to pay from a single account.
OzzyR1 said:
Works OK, but if I get on the tube I can't just touch the card as before - have to get my phone out, unlock it, open the wallet app, select the right card to use etc.
My phone is set up to use my current account as default for contactless so I have to scroll through on screen to use my business card or another.
No idea how a ring would work unless you only want to pay from a single account.
Are there no shorter routes? iPhone had a double click of the side button and preferred card is there ready to go.My phone is set up to use my current account as default for contactless so I have to scroll through on screen to use my business card or another.
No idea how a ring would work unless you only want to pay from a single account.
Maybe I could corner the market on sales of single Faraday gloves. Thriller…Baroque attacks said:
OzzyR1 said:
Works OK, but if I get on the tube I can't just touch the card as before - have to get my phone out, unlock it, open the wallet app, select the right card to use etc.
My phone is set up to use my current account as default for contactless so I have to scroll through on screen to use my business card or another.
No idea how a ring would work unless you only want to pay from a single account.
Are there no shorter routes? iPhone had a double click of the side button and preferred card is there ready to go.My phone is set up to use my current account as default for contactless so I have to scroll through on screen to use my business card or another.
No idea how a ring would work unless you only want to pay from a single account.
Cheers for that - will give it a try.
Kind regards
A Luddite Esq.
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