As of October 4th 2016, all new cards issued by The Energy Credit Union come with Interac Flash® capability. The card has the ability to “tap and pay” for small purchases, without having to insert your card or enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Members who do not want the contactless Interac Flash® service on their card are free to opt out by letting the CU know in writing that they are choosing to opt out.
Benefits of Interac Flash®
- Speed and convenience of moving through the purchase transaction
- Ideal for small purchases
- Not having to enter your confidential PIN where others could see it
- Your card never leaves your hand
Using Your Card to Pay
First, the store’s point-of-sale terminal must accept this form of contactless payment. Look for the contactless logo 
on the device screen or simply ask the business if they accept Interac Flash®. Then follow these steps:
- Tap your card against the terminal’s screen, or hold it no more than 4 cm away.
- A beep and/or an approved message on the screen will indicate that your transaction has been completed.
- The purchase will automatically be deducted from your primary chequing account.
Security Measures Implemented with Interac Flash®
- The contactless feature can’t be used for more than $400 in purchases in a row. Once that limit is reached, your PIN must be used. This resets your limit, and you can again use Interac Flash® for your purchases. A limit is placed on how large a purchase can be made at any one time. – up to $100
- From time to time, a point-of-sale terminal will randomly disallow the use of the contactless method for the transaction, and prompt you to insert the card and enter your PIN. This ensures that the rightful card owner is using the card.
- Interac Flash® uses secure chip processing and a secure RF smartcard technology with exclusive functionality and security. Each transaction is unique and encrypted, thus unable to be copied. No personal information is ever sent in a transaction, only an encrypted payment code to complete your transaction.
- Additional information on security and the Interac Zero Liability policy can be found on the Interac® website.
- If you would like to opt out of the contactless service, you can at any time by letting the CU know about your request in writing.
