Verifying Every Google Pay Transaction Now?

[snuffy]

I was out and about yesterday, and every time I used my phone to tap (using Google Pay), it refused to work until I verified it was me, by, for example, scanning my fingerprint. I found this very infuriating and was wondering why this had suddenly started, because I've never had this before, and so was there something wrong with my account/card ?

Anyway, having done some searching, it seems like this has just been introduced by Google. You have to unlock the phone and re-verify ever purchase if it's not been recently unlocked (with 2 or 3 minutes), and unlocking by face or keep unlocked whilst on your body is not good enough either.

A bit more searching and I found you can disable this new feature, but only for public transport payments.

Has anyone else recently had this happen? My initial thought is that it has now made using my phone to tap a waste of time, I might as well just use my card instead, since I don't have to verify that.

[Glade]

Yep noticed the same.

Should be the same as the card limit so it's seamless for day-to-day transactions.

[Corso Marche]

I prefer it this way, purely for security reasons. But I might be in a minority on that.
I still carry a small RF-blocking wallet with me 95% of the time. But when playing around with the NFC scanner on my phone a couple of years ago I realised the wallet wasn't all that effective.
Just a few months ago I was looking at the same wallets being sold in a retail store and got the sales spiel so without revealing I already owned one I asked if I could try my cards in it. Placed the cards in the wallet, pulled the phone out of my other pocket and swiped past the new wallet only for the NFC reader to detect the cards. Surprise and uncertainty on the face of the sales assistant was the outcome.

So yeah, for contactless I prefer to authorize each time. Otherwise anyone passing by me in a crowd could tap 'n go without me realising.

[abzmike]

Corso Marche said:

I prefer it this way, purely for security reasons. But I might be in a minority on that.
I still carry a small RF-blocking wallet with me 95% of the time. But when playing around with the NFC scanner on my phone a couple of years ago I realised the wallet wasn't all that effective.
Just a few months ago I was looking at the same wallets being sold in a retail store and got the sales spiel so without revealing I already owned one I asked if I could try my cards in it. Placed the cards in the wallet, pulled the phone out of my other pocket and swiped past the new wallet only for the NFC reader to detect the cards. Surprise and uncertainty on the face of the sales assistant was the outcome.

So yeah, for contactless I prefer to authorize each time. Otherwise anyone passing by me in a crowd could tap 'n go without me realising.

I appreciate that is a risk, but how much does it actually happen?

[snuffy]

Glade said:

Yep noticed the same.

Should be the same as the card limit so it's seamless for day-to-day transactions.

Yes, that's what I think, It's £100 in the UK, so it should be the same, otherwise you might as well go back to chip and PIN.

Unlocking my phone isn't the issue for me, but having to do it again is. Say you order a drink at the bar, I'll get my phone out ready to pay, unlock it (because I don't want to hold people up by pissing around once the machine has been presented). And now what do I have to do ? Piss around because it's now going to lock the wallet app in the time I've been waiting for said ordered drink.

The whole idea of tap and go is that it's quick if you are making small payments (you might argue that £100 isn't small, but that's a different matter). Now it's tap, piss around, re-tap.

[Corso Marche]

Tad bit over-reactionary maybe. If the phone is in your hand it's but a momentary tap on the fingerprint sensor whilst your holding it and waiting for the payment terminal.
It's not actually taking any longer for me to use it anyway.

[snuffy]

Corso Marche said:

Tad bit over-reactionary maybe. If the phone is in your hand it's but a momentary tap on the fingerprint sensor whilst your holding it and waiting for the payment terminal.
It's not actually taking any longer for me to use it anyway.

If the phone is in your hand, unlocked, it's unlocked. There is no fingerprint sensor until you tap on the payment device, and then it asks you to to scan your fingerprint again. And then 3 minutes later, if you have not completed your transaction, you have to do it again.

BUt I have now found it's actually possible to rescan, by opening the Wallet App, and if it needs re-scanning, it says so at the top and then you can rescan it.

But before, all I had to do was unlock my phone, I didn't have to open the app as well.

Or, bin all that nonsense off and use a card, which is what I shall now do.

[xx99xx]

snuffy said:

Corso Marche said:

Tad bit over-reactionary maybe. If the phone is in your hand it's but a momentary tap on the fingerprint sensor whilst your holding it and waiting for the payment terminal.
It's not actually taking any longer for me to use it anyway.

If the phone is in your hand, unlocked, it's unlocked. There is no fingerprint sensor until you tap on the payment device, and then it asks you to to scan your fingerprint again. And then 3 minutes later, if you have not completed your transaction, you have to do it again.

BUt I have now found it's actually possible to rescan, by opening the Wallet App, and if it needs re-scanning, it says so at the top and then you can rescan it.

But before, all I had to do was unlock my phone, I didn't have to open the app as well.

Or, bin all that nonsense off and use a card, which is what I shall now do.

I was going to say the same about the 2 seconds it takes to read a fingerprint. However, I wasn't aware that you have to do a 2nd fingerprint scan, even when the phone is unlocked.

This does not happen on my Google phone (all latest updates etc). I last used my phone for contactless payment in a shop on Thursday last week, so maybe it's changed since then. I do have to scan fingerprint if using Google pay for online transactions.

I still don't think a 2nd fingerprint scan is going to hold anyone up significantly though.

[C G]

I had this for a week or so and now it's gone again and I can pay without verifying.

[Corso Marche]

snuffy said:

If the phone is in your hand, unlocked, it's unlocked. There is no fingerprint sensor until you tap on the payment device

That's the difference in our uses I'd guess.

I've 7 cards from 4 banks in G Pay, and I need to use them all regularly daily.
(Business/Personal, then sub divide into Debit/Credit etc)
I unlock the phone just as I go to tap to make sure the correct card is selected for that expense. Which is why I've not noticed any extra inconvenience - I always need to make sure it's hitting the correct account.

[Gren]

I've not noticed the difference, mainly because I get my phone out of my pocket and unlock (fingerprint or face) it a few seconds before I'm due to pay. Now unless the machine takes more than a couple of minutes to sort out the payment then I'm never going to have to unlock it a second time.

Quickest way if this does happen is to switch of the phone and then scan print again

[Riley Blue]

I've never had to do this additional verification step when using Goggle Pay/Wallet, not even yesterday when I paid £20 for a book, despite the message at the top of the screen: 'For your security, you need to verify tat it is you before paying' and a link: 'Verify that it's you'.

Could it be because I use a PIN to unlock my phone? Barclays require this if you want to add a Barclaycard to Google Wallet.

[snuffy]

Corso Marche said:

That's the difference in our uses I'd guess.

I've 7 cards from 4 banks in G Pay, and I need to use them all regularly daily.
(Business/Personal, then sub divide into Debit/Credit etc)
I unlock the phone just as I go to tap to make sure the correct card is selected for that expense. Which is why I've not noticed any extra inconvenience - I always need to make sure it's hitting the correct account.

Indeed. I just have one card in my Google Wallet, so I never need to open the app in order to pay, as it's always running and there's nothing to select. BUt as you have several cards, you do always open the app first, obviously so you can select the one you want.

[snuffy]

Riley Blue said:

I've never had to do this additional verification step when using Goggle Pay/Wallet, not even yesterday when I paid £20 for a book, despite the message at the top of the screen: 'For your security, you need to verify tat it is you before paying' and a link: 'Verify that it's you'.

Could it be because I use a PIN to unlock my phone? Barclays require this if you want to add a Barclaycard to Google Wallet.

From what I can see, it's only just started, and it might be one of these gradual roll outs so not every has it yet. As I say, Friday was the first time I saw it.

Yes, if you unlock your phone with a PIN or fingerprint, then that also unlocks the wallet app to allow payment, but only for 3 minutes. If you unlock with your face, or because it's connected to another device (say your watch), or you have enabled on-body unlock, that does not unlock the wallet app.

[Actual]

Riley Blue said:

Could it be because I use a PIN to unlock my phone? Barclays require this if you want to add a Barclaycard to Google Wallet.

How did you add your Barclaycard to Google Wallet?

I have previously spoken to Barclays customer services and I just tried again and it didn't work.

Previously the Barclaycard app allowed cards to be added to a phone but that feature was removed and the advice was to use Google Wallet but Barclaycard cannot be added to Google Wallet.

I really want to be able to have my Barclaycard back on my phone again so any info on how it works would be great.

[Riley Blue]

Actual said:

Riley Blue said:

Could it be because I use a PIN to unlock my phone? Barclays require this if you want to add a Barclaycard to Google Wallet.

How did you add your Barclaycard to Google Wallet?

I have previously spoken to Barclays customer services and I just tried again and it didn't work.

Previously the Barclaycard app allowed cards to be added to a phone but that feature was removed and the advice was to use Google Wallet but Barclaycard cannot be added to Google Wallet.

I really want to be able to have my Barclaycard back on my phone again so any info on how it works would be great.

You're correct, my mistake - sorry.

It is my Barclays debit card that is in Google Wallet but like you I'd like to be able to add my credit card too.

[stevoknevo]

snuffy said:

Riley Blue said:

I've never had to do this additional verification step when using Goggle Pay/Wallet, not even yesterday when I paid £20 for a book, despite the message at the top of the screen: 'For your security, you need to verify tat it is you before paying' and a link: 'Verify that it's you'.

Could it be because I use a PIN to unlock my phone? Barclays require this if you want to add a Barclaycard to Google Wallet.

From what I can see, it's only just started, and it might be one of these gradual roll outs so not every has it yet. As I say, Friday was the first time I saw it.

Yes, if you unlock your phone with a PIN or fingerprint, then that also unlocks the wallet app to allow payment, but only for 3 minutes. If you unlock with your face, or because it's connected to another device (say your watch), or you have enabled on-body unlock, that does not unlock the wallet app.

I only have one card in my wallet also and haven't stumbled across this as of yet despite using it at least a dozen times between Saturday/yesterday and today - however I only unlock my phone with the fingerprint scanner as and when I get presented with the terminal or when I select to pay now at a till.

[xx99xx]

Used Google pay again today, no second confirmations required.

I have 1 card in my Google wallet. A Curve card, so I can 'faff' about and change which actual card I want the money to come from afterwards if needed.

[antogranto]

snuffy said:

Corso Marche said:

Tad bit over-reactionary maybe. If the phone is in your hand it's but a momentary tap on the fingerprint sensor whilst your holding it and waiting for the payment terminal.
It's not actually taking any longer for me to use it anyway.

If the phone is in your hand, unlocked, it's unlocked. There is no fingerprint sensor until you tap on the payment device, and then it asks you to to scan your fingerprint again. And then 3 minutes later, if you have not completed your transaction, you have to do it again.

BUt I have now found it's actually possible to rescan, by opening the Wallet App, and if it needs re-scanning, it says so at the top and then you can rescan it.

But before, all I had to do was unlock my phone, I didn't have to open the app as well.

Or, bin all that nonsense off and use a card, which is what I shall now do.

Thank goodness I haven't seen anything like that on my phone yet. Used it today. Probably not rolled out to everyone yet, they're testing and watching reactions. It would really annoy me to unlock it twice. After all, the phone has already scanned my fingerprint, why do it again literally right away?

[snuffy]

antogranto said:

Thank goodness I haven't seen anything like that on my phone yet. Used it today. Probably not rolled out to everyone yet, they're testing and watching reactions. It would really annoy me to unlock it twice. After all, the phone has already scanned my fingerprint, why do it again literally right away?

Now here's a thing; last week I had an email from Google informing me that they have made a change, in that if your use your phone to buy anything in the Play store, you will have to confirm it's you again. But, in the settings, they allow you to control this new feature, such that it's "always", "after x hours", "after y hours" or "never".

They managed to send an email about that change, and then let you choose if you want to use it or not. I don't really buy any apps from the play store (maybe one I think ever), so I'm not bothered. But I do use contactless payments, but it seems Google can't be arsed to tell me or tell me have a choice in the matter (apart from when I'm paying for public transport).