Magstripe or not magstripe - an odd experience

[bill]

I just had a strange experience I had this evening, using my Monzo card at a Q-Park parking machine.

It went like this:

1. Put card in machine and wait
2. Take card out as instructed, without even asking for a PIN
3. Machine said ‘card declined’
4. Monzo app said ‘Declined, please use Chip & PIN’ (this was weird because the machine was a Chip & PIN machine)
5. Switched on ‘Magstripe ATMs’ in the app
6. Put card back in
7. Enter PIN as instructed
8. Transaction went through

It seemed weird because even if the machine was trying to use magstripe initially, I thought magstripe payments were always enabled by default anyway, even if ATMs were switched off? And I have no idea why a machine with a PINpad would bother using magstripe in the first place anyway.

[Rat_au_van (Em)]

Sounds like it could be SCA?

[bill]

No, not that - I still had about £80 on my “next Chip and PIN” limit, and the car parking was for about £4.

[Rat_au_van (Em)]

Is it normally chip and dip where you don’t need a pin? That would be your £30 offline limit

[bill]

I don’t think so - once I switched on Magstripe ATMs, it asked for a PIN, and the transaction was for £4, so well under the £30 limit.

[kolok]

I reckon it would have asked you for chip and pin the 2nd time regardless if magstripe was on.

That magstripe toggle is for atm withdrawals, not payments, in store magstripe still works with it toggled off.