UK leads smartcard trials

Shopping will never be the same...

British shoppers will soon be using a pin number to buy petrol, groceries and clothes under a trial scheme being launched today. The trial is part of a move by the UK banking industry to introduce personal identification numbers (pins) for all credit and debit card transactions in an attempt to crack down on fraud. Instead of the traditional method of signing a receipt and leaving the retailer to check the signature, smartcards will be issued to consumers who will then key in a pin number at the till. Over the next three years all 100 million credit, debit and charge cards in the UK will be re-issued with chips and pin numbers. The total cost of implementing the programme is estimated to be some £1.1bn. Most European countries are following suit. According to Chris Pearson, CEO of the Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs), it is a move that will affect every cardholder in the UK. "We are confident that the start of the pin programme will be remembered as the defining moment in the fight against plastic card crime, Pearson said in a statement. Retailers taking part in the trials include Dixons, M&S, Sainsbury's, Texaco and Wickes.