# So am I the only guy on the planet that uses the wave function on his credit card? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2016, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473 "2016-05-10T10:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/21 "2016-05-10T21:04:34Z")
I just got my first “wave” enabled card. Not that I haven’t had cards for years. I have. My credit card companies are just now getting around to sending these out. I had completely forgotten about Apple Pay. I shall have to experiment with that. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/22 "2016-05-10T23:12:16Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I know my particular style of card is slowly becoming obsolete in favor for the chip cards. But still. > > I have a card where all you have to do is wave it over the reader as opposed to swiping the magnetic strip. > > Every time I do this, and I mean EVERY TIME, the cashier will say something to the effect of: > > " you have to swipe it in that thing there." (Like I’m a dumbass) > > Or > > “What are you doing?” :dubious: > > And then when it works, their eyes get glazed over in amazement: > > “Wow! How did you do that?!” > > I just don’t get it. It’s not like these types of cards are new. They’ve been around for a long time now. How do cashiers not know this?! > > The mind boggles. RFID and chip cards are not mutually exclusive. Here in Canada virtually all credit cards have both, and the magnetic stripe is almost never used. The thing about the RFID “wave” is that it’s limited to a specific low ceiling amount that varies by merchant, usually no more than $100, because there’s no verification. It’s a nice thing to use not just for its quick convenience, but something you appreciate when you read that the keypads you otherwise have to use often have more germs on them than typical public toilet seats. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/23 "2016-05-10T23:49:31Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Like CFL lamps, they came, never really got much public traction, and they were gone. Really? CFLs? _Everyone_ I know used them. They were sold in the Billions… ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/24 "2016-05-11T01:26:13Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > W = xR + yB > > or any number of functions listed here: [Wave function - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_function) Me too. \*Gives Sigene quantum physics secret handshake \* ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/25 "2016-05-11T01:58:44Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The part that I am not getting here is why I would want to wave in preference to swiping. It is a nifty technological trick, but I’m not seeing why one is better than another. For my debit card and Visa, if I swipe it I thne have to enter the code. Wave and it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/26 "2016-05-11T03:13:48Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The part that I am not getting here is why I would want to wave in preference to swiping. It is a nifty technological trick, but I’m not seeing why one is better than another. It’s quicker. Cards here in Aus come with a magnetic strip, a chip, and the wave. You can do what you like. Waving is common. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/27 "2016-05-11T06:16:24Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Really? > CFLs? > _Everyone_ I know used them. > They were sold in the Billions… As LEDs come into increasingly widespread use and get better and the price comes down, CFL’s are on the way out. Yeah, they had their day, but were widely disliked (see: All the threads you can find on this subject right here on this board). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/28 "2016-05-11T07:45:31Z")
Are you sure it’s a wave? It might be a particle. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/29 "2016-05-11T08:45:04Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > I’m guessing you live someplace a little more technologically savvy than I do. We’re scheduled to get running water next year, here. You might want to start with walking-slowly water. I find it interesting that this tech is viewed as “new” in much of Europe (it’s been around longer in NA) whereas chip cards are “old hat” in Europe but new in Canada and the US. Evidently the magnetic strips were being perceived as not good enough in multiple markets, but different replacement technologies were developed and implemented in different locations and are crossing over now. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/30 "2016-05-11T12:07:34Z")
I imagine the “wave” is treated with the same disdain as Apple Pay. I love paying with my watch: I double-tap the button, hold it close to the terminal, and watch as the clerk looks on in amazement–about a third of the time. Most stores now have the hardware that supports chip+pin and contactless payment, but Apple Pay seems to require several other components, any one of which might be missing. One ShopRite I go to has everything, and I pay happily there; the other has the same terminals, with faux bogus RF readers on the top that don’t actually light up. CVS pharmacies have it all set up, but disabled all contactless payments as a corporate decision. Jersey Mike’s Subs takes it (to the surprise of the workers), but Old Navy’s terminals accept it and fail for no apparent reason (both businesses are listed by Apple). I always get the feeling that I am the only one who likes paying this way, since it is such a pain to find places that actually accept the payment. If more people were like me they would all change quickly, since all other things being equal I choose where to purchase stuff based on whether I can pay with Apple Pay. ETA: I’m with you **Senegoid** , those CFL bulbs were an annoying temporary resting place between the beauty of inefficient warm incandescent light and nice, inexpensive, and amazingly efficient LED bulbs. I have had my porch light burning for 18 years, and it has gotten progressively cheaper to do so over the years. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/31 "2016-05-11T12:40:52Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what **Nava** said. My previous card (and enabled terminals) had that logo on them. it’s basically just RFID/NFC. OK what does “that logo” look like?. I have a Mastercard with a chip in it (a sort of gold square)-- is that the logo you’re talking about? I have a bus fare card that “taps” the reader when boarding the bus. But there are no logos of any kind on it, nor visible chips or anything else. But it works when I tap the reader. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/32 "2016-05-11T12:58:49Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The part that I am not getting here is why I would want to wave in preference to swiping. It is a nifty technological trick, but I’m not seeing why one is better than another. At the end of the day, this is probably the biggest reason using RFID chips never took off. It does not offer a compelling enough benefit to the consumer to swiping. If you want to change the behavior of the masses from swiping a card to something else, that something else needs to be VERY compelling. Wave, swipe, it is nearly the same motion and takes nearly the same amount of time. Add to that the inconsistent roll-out by the banks and merchant processors of the capability and you get a nifty technological trick that never had a chance at mass adoption. I can swipe everywhere. If I can only wave at certain merchants, or less than all merchants, then I’m going to default to my known behavior of swiping the card because it is quick, simple, and works everywhere. MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/33 "2016-05-11T13:22:02Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > I think I’d be nervous about using that kind of card, since I’d always wonder if it might get picked up by the reader just by being in my pocket. I’ve been told that this actually happens. But whether it’s rumors or actual facts, I never checked. For the record, this system exists in France, but apparently only works for amounts below €20. I only discovered it when one day, a cashier just wawed the card I handed him above the card reader instead of actually inserting it. I had no clue it could be done, and it happened again only once since even though apparently it has been possible for a while with most regular cards and regular card readers. But neither customers nor sellers seem to be aware of it. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/34 "2016-05-11T13:44:18Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I know my particular style of card is slowly becoming obsolete in favor for the chip cards. But still. > > I have a card where all you have to do is wave it over the reader as opposed to swiping the magnetic strip. > > Every time I do this, and I mean EVERY TIME, the cashier will say something to the effect of: > > " you have to swipe it in that thing there." (Like I’m a dumbass) > > Or > > “What are you doing?” :dubious: > > And then when it works, their eyes get glazed over in amazement: > > “Wow! How did you do that?!” > > I just don’t get it. It’s not like these types of cards are new. They’ve been around for a long time now. How do cashiers not know this?! > > The mind boggles. My credit card machine takes the tap function. The only time it is used is by accident. If a client has the tap function enabled on their card, then when they go to swipe, it detects the rfid chip, and gets very angry if it wasn’t a good tap. The fact the the client does not even know that what they have is a tap enabled card makes it even more frustrating, because they don’t know why my credit card machine is screeching at them. So, in the last 4 years, I think maybe there was one person who intentionally used the tap function, and about a dozen that did it by accident. If anything that boggles the mind, it is people that don’t know what it is that they are carrying around in their very own wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/35 "2016-05-11T21:37:50Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You might want to start with walking-slowly water. > I find it interesting that this tech is viewed as “new” in much of Europe (it’s been around longer in NA) whereas chip cards are “old hat” in Europe but new in Canada and the US. Evidently the magnetic strips were being perceived as not good enough in multiple markets, but different replacement technologies were developed and implemented in different locations and are crossing over now. Not true of Canada. I imagine the chip+pin cards have been used here for a decade. Mine have the logo PayPass on them but lack the symbol. Nonetheless they can be waved. But the merchant sets the max amount required before you have to enter the PIN. My drugstore allows $100, but the supermarket allows only $50 (when have I spent under $50 at the supermarket?) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/36 "2016-05-11T22:59:37Z")
No, you are not the only one. I’m using the wave function on your credit card also. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/37 "2016-05-12T16:44:52Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > OK what does “that logo” look like?. I have a Mastercard with a chip in it (a sort of gold square)-- is that the logo you’re talking about? I have a bus fare card that “taps” the reader when boarding the bus. But there are no logos of any kind on it, nor visible chips or anything else. But it works when I tap the reader. [http://www.idstronghold.com/images/products/Default/radio\_waves.jpg](http://www.idstronghold.com/images/products/Default/radio_waves.jpg) In the upper right on this card: [http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/zwipe-mastercard-2.jpg](http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/zwipe-mastercard-2.jpg) and on this one [![](https://armourcard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Visa-RFID.jpg) ](https://armourcard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Visa-RFID.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/38 "2016-05-12T17:49:04Z")
Nope. I have no images like that on any of my cards. Not even on my metro bus pass card, which can only be used by tapping it on the reader in the bus. There is no chip, and no magnetic stripe on the back. [http://www.railfanwindow.com/gallery2/d/144806-2/Houston+METRO+Q+Card.jpg](http://www.railfanwindow.com/gallery2/d/144806-2/Houston+METRO+Q+Card.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/39 "2016-05-12T17:54:31Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Me too. \*Gives Sigene quantum physics secret handshake \* Me three. I thought there was maybe some new fangled credit card that operated on QM principles. I want one. Then I can purchase something and not purchase it at the same time!! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473/40 "2016-05-12T18:07:36Z")
TLTE: No, wait, I take that back. It’s on the newest version of my Royal Bank of Canada Interac card. But not on the previous card that it replaced a year ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-am-i-the-only-guy-on-the-planet-that-uses-the-wave-function-on-his-credit-card/754473.md?page=3)