Credit cards future unlikely to include swipe

MasterCard and American Express are looking at a new system, which will mean the end of handing over your credit card to an assistant.

This will make the usual way the credit card work, obsolete and safer, as it involves not handing the credit card over, you will simply have to put your credit card next to a special scanner, that will read your details from the credit card and confirm the purchase, though you will receive a receipt, to keep for your records.

It is thought that this will make it safer from the chances of fraud, though it is not infallible. The system will use radio frequency identification; this is not encrypted and could be obtained by a crook with the right equipment, though they would have to be directly next to you to catch your credit card details. But the plus point is, they may have your credit card details, but the account number within the contactless cards, is only readable on the shops RFID system, so trying to use the card with card not seen procedures such as the Internet and telephone shopping wont work.