If you are in a position where you cannot remember Credit Card pin codes. Do banks provide a workaround? Can you please advise me. The question was posed to me by an elderly gentleman who is a sole carer for his wife with dementia. He fears he is having memory problems.
Remembering Credit Card Pin Codes
- Thread starter arun
- Start date
Yes, you can. You can get something called a chip and signature card. The gentleman in question should contact his bank and/or credit card company and request this. It can be difficult sometimes to get (it shouldn't be, but anything slightly unusual can cause banks problems) but he is entitled to request and get one.
Hi
My wife has a chip and signature VISA credit card from Abbey.
She mixes numbers up, and demanded a chip and signature card when everyone was told they had to have chip and pin.
We have no problem at all with it.
When she pays for goods she puts the card in the chip and pin machine in the shop, and the machine tells the assistant to check the signiture.
You will probably find that the person at the Bank tells you that there is no such thing as a chip and signature card. But there is, and it works well.
Regards
Clive
My wife has a chip and signature VISA credit card from Abbey.
She mixes numbers up, and demanded a chip and signature card when everyone was told they had to have chip and pin.
We have no problem at all with it.
When she pays for goods she puts the card in the chip and pin machine in the shop, and the machine tells the assistant to check the signiture.
You will probably find that the person at the Bank tells you that there is no such thing as a chip and signature card. But there is, and it works well.
Regards
Clive
For someone experiencing mild difficulty, for most cards you can CHANGE the pin number (at the hole in the wall machine) to one which would be easier to remember.
For instance if the cardholder's birthday was 23rd April 1928, you could choose 2328.
A trusted friend, son or daughter would probably be able to assist with this if necessary.
For instance if the cardholder's birthday was 23rd April 1928, you could choose 2328.
A trusted friend, son or daughter would probably be able to assist with this if necessary.
I don't know that that's such a good idea Lynne (i.e the choice of a birthday as a pin). I'm certain that people do do it, but it's always considered a bad idea. I'm reasonable certain that if someone got hold of the card and it was subsequently discovered that the pin was your birthday, the bank might well be sticky about it. They seem to be using this pin system as an excuse anyway: if you lose your card and someone uses it, then they assume that you were careless with your pin.
My Mum's account was with NatWest and I arranged a chip and signature card for her with no trouble at all. I didn't have to prove or show them anything, I just told them she had dementia and that was that.
My mum has also got a chip and sig card from NatWest without any problem, though they are aware that she is having problems and gets a bit confused. A shopkeeper suggested it when mum tried to use her cheque book because she couldn't remember her pin. The problem is that they had to send her a new card and I wasn't going to be around when it arrived and was worried mum would get them muddled. The bank suggested that when she got the new one she should take both cards to the bank and they would 'check' them to make sure she was using the right one (and destroy the old card). She told me last week she had them both in her bag ready to go to the bank but I still don't know if she's done it.
If you're a long distance carer like me and are concerned that someone might be accessing your loved ones bank accounts you can (at NatWest at least) become a third party agent. This involved filling in a couple of forms and mum signing them (she's still able to understand things like that at present). I now have a cheque book in both our names so I can pay bills that can't be done by direct debit, and I also have access to her accounts online so I can see when money is going out and check with her that she knows about it. I can also move money from one account to another as she had far too much in her current account but couldn't understand that she could still get at it if she moved it to her deposit account.
Chris
If you're a long distance carer like me and are concerned that someone might be accessing your loved ones bank accounts you can (at NatWest at least) become a third party agent. This involved filling in a couple of forms and mum signing them (she's still able to understand things like that at present). I now have a cheque book in both our names so I can pay bills that can't be done by direct debit, and I also have access to her accounts online so I can see when money is going out and check with her that she knows about it. I can also move money from one account to another as she had far too much in her current account but couldn't understand that she could still get at it if she moved it to her deposit account.
Chris
Dear Arun
We spoke to our bank about my Dementia and we were told to speak to our Branch manager at a private meeting and he would sort things out. If this is not done different departments would refuse to accept what others have said, and this causes extra stress to those concerned.
I do know that managers are quite human when they know they are dealing with a person with memory problems, and can suggest other ways of getting around this problem.
Best Wishes
Ken
We spoke to our bank about my Dementia and we were told to speak to our Branch manager at a private meeting and he would sort things out. If this is not done different departments would refuse to accept what others have said, and this causes extra stress to those concerned.
I do know that managers are quite human when they know they are dealing with a person with memory problems, and can suggest other ways of getting around this problem.
Best Wishes
Ken
Hmmmmm .....
Nasty experience well documented here was the minute I mooted to mum's bank she was becoming 'mentally incapable' and all accounts were frozen ... thank Goodness I had EPA to waft in front of bank and was duly registered very soon after mum could not manage a 'PIN' machine - or alternatively was so proud of herself she could remember a sequence of four numbers and would write it down willingly for anyone who asked ......
To go right back to the original post, if someone with dementia is being looking after by someone who themselves is admitting having memory problems ... who is looking after their interests and financial security? To me in this situation it would be right for a bank to ignore 'workarounds' and put a freeze on transactions (especially if it involves credit - not a 'Chip and PIN' debit card which can only exhaust the available funds in account - not an available credit limit) until the financial security of the account holders was proven?
Karen, x
Nasty experience well documented here was the minute I mooted to mum's bank she was becoming 'mentally incapable' and all accounts were frozen ... thank Goodness I had EPA to waft in front of bank and was duly registered very soon after mum could not manage a 'PIN' machine - or alternatively was so proud of herself she could remember a sequence of four numbers and would write it down willingly for anyone who asked ...... To go right back to the original post, if someone with dementia is being looking after by someone who themselves is admitting having memory problems ... who is looking after their interests and financial security? To me in this situation it would be right for a bank to ignore 'workarounds' and put a freeze on transactions (especially if it involves credit - not a 'Chip and PIN' debit card which can only exhaust the available funds in account - not an available credit limit) until the financial security of the account holders was proven?
Karen, x
