PIN-Based Debit Hits Internet, but Without PIN

ARLINGTON, Va. – Traditional ATM cards, which rely on a customer entering a Personal Identification Number to authenticate transactions, have found the Internet a tough market to enter. But the New York-based NYCE Network has made a way to allow PIN-based cardholders to make at least a limited number of transactions online. The Speedpay service, a subsidiary of the E Commerce Group, a New York based-firm owned by Denver-based First Data, which also owns NYCE, began accepting NYCE branded cards in January. Cardholders using the service can make payments on utility bills, telephone bills and other recurring payments with their NYCE cards. But the arrangement is not a true breakthrough, however, because the Speedpay service does not require customers to use their PINs once they have registered for the service, which costs about $5 per transaction. It is considered unlikely that a criminal would steal someone’s card in order to pay their bills, the company said.