Remove RFID chip from Commbank Visa Card

**admin** · 09-02-15, 12:59 PM

I recently received a new visa card which by default has Visa Paywave. I dont want to use it. Commbank wont disbale it for customers, saying you dont have to use it. Of course every console operator in the world basically forces you so its not like you have a choice.

Anyway, I read that paywave is dont using a RFID chip in the card and if you can locate it, simply mark it with a felt tipped pen, get a hole puncher and punch the fcker out. But after a brieft look holding it up to the sun, I cant see it so I thought I would ask if anyone knows anything about them.

TIA

**admin** · 09-02-15, 01:11 PM

If I turn on NFC on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S5), my phone emits a beep when I put the 2 together.

Presuming that the S5 uses the finger print reader section to read, it beps when it gets to the location of the main smart card type chip. Obviously I cant punch that out....I am wondering if that means it is near it ?

**admin** · 09-02-15, 01:15 PM

The mystery deepens.....maybe I was wrong, it seems the bottom of the phone is detecting it.

**best4less** · 09-02-15, 01:47 PM

Just having a quick look at my card there seems to be a aerial built into the card as a copper track going around the card 3 ish times

Maybe cutting the track near the chip might diminish the output enough to make it inoperable

I will see if I can upload a picture

**mandc** · 09-02-15, 01:49 PM

The rfid is a part of the chip...you can kill the antenna this way

**best4less** · 09-02-15, 01:59 PM

I was on the right track :P

**admin** · 09-02-15, 02:03 PM

I cant find the chip on either of my cards, a brand new Commbank Visa or a year old Commbank Mastercard.

I might have to find some better batteries for the torch

**JasonC** · 10-02-15, 12:26 PM

I don't think places will let you swipe your card if it is chip enabled - especially with a hole in it
you might be better of just squishing the chip and pleading ignorance - not punching a hole right through it

**Drift** · 10-02-15, 12:34 PM

Seriously why? Put two strips of alfoil in your wallet if you're that worried.

**Skepticist** · 10-02-15, 01:44 PM

The last mastercard I was issued is transparent making the antenna plainly visible without any special lighting but I haven't felt the need to disable it. It needs to be within a centimetre or so of the scanner antenna to be recognised and the limit on paywave transactions makes it fairly secure. More of a concern is that the card's external data (name, account #, expiry etc) on the surface of the card can be used online for much larger transactions by anyone with no confirmation or proof of identity whatsoever so, whatever you do, don't lose the card.

**vnboost** · 10-02-15, 05:04 PM

nuke it for 3 sec

**Uncle Fester** · 10-02-15, 06:19 PM

...in the microwave

**Antennaman** · 10-02-15, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Drift

Seriously why? Put two strips of alfoil in your wallet if you're that worried.

I'm not worried.

I have a stainless steel wallet.

**vnboost** · 10-02-15, 07:14 PM

The wife got me one of these wallets for my birthday and it does the job.

**admin** · 11-02-15, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Drift

Seriously why? Put two strips of alfoil in your wallet if you're that worried.

I presume this was to me ? I said why in the first post and it has nothing to do with aluminium in my wallet. I dont want to use it, Visa Pay Wave is compolsory and the CommBank wont remove/disable it. I am sick of console operators "paywaving" me when I dont want to be "paywaved". They are annoying, almost as annoying as supermarket employees trying to force you to use the self service checkout.

Does anyone know if Australia Post Load and Go or Woolworths prepaid credit cards have these annoying features ? If so, I might close my credit card with the Commonwealth and just use prepaid.

**admin** · 11-02-15, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Skepticist

The last mastercard I was issued is transparent making the antenna plainly visible without any special lighting but I haven't felt the need to disable it. It needs to be within a centimetre or so of the scanner antenna to be recognised and the limit on paywave transactions makes it fairly secure. More of a concern is that the card's external data (name, account #, expiry etc) on the surface of the card can be used online for much larger transactions by anyone with no confirmation or proof of identity whatsoever so, whatever you do, don't lose the card.

Thanks for the reply.

I wasnt sure exactly what chip (and where) was responsible. My mastercard is also transparent, so I had a second look and found the antenna as you suggested. I wacked it with a hole punch, it didnt put a hole through the card but its obviously stopped paypass working as my S5 with NFC on cant get a beep out of it

I will presume that Visa has one in the same place and try with my new card. (lol@ my mastercard, new one is due next month : )

**admin** · 11-02-15, 10:16 AM

Oh happy day, I have disabled both

How to disable Mastercard PayPass and Visa PayWave on Australian Credit Cards (they do appear to differ to the US examples in YouTube videos.

Lay your card down in front of you, looking left to right.

Each card has a large smart card chip on the left hand side (roughly centre) of it. The RFID antenna runs from the centre of the chip to the left hand edge of the card.

If you damage the antenna, it wont work with RFID (paywave) transactions. As you can see from the image, I have (very poorly) added a red line wear the antenna runs.

My hole punch didnt have enough grunt to cut a hole, so I will hammer it flat

**Uncle Fester** · 11-02-15, 10:21 AM

Just out of curiosity, why don't you use a simple ATM card?

AFAIK they don't have PayWave, or has that changed now too?

**admin** · 11-02-15, 10:43 AM

My wifes replacement Mastercard has just turned up and after a quick look, they have rerouted the antenna to make it harder for people to disable it.

I will post up some pics with new and old cards with the antenna route.

Photo shows the antenna lines much better than the naked eye.

Old on left, new on right

At a guess I would say I will have to be carefull here.....the old one just has on the left, line from chip to magnetic strip and on the right, antenna out.

The new one is trickier ...if I punched the same spot I would take out the line from the chip to the magentic strip.