User profile for user: Doug Weiner
Doug Weiner Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Amex and different last 4 digits on receipts

This is most probably going to turn out to be a security feature but the change is problematic. Seems my Apple Pay Amex number and my plastic Amex are different.


How this all effects me the user: Without the printed receipt, I can't return things I bought with Apple Pay.


At Home Depot, i bought some stuff with Apple Pay. Three days later went to return it, but didn't have my receipt. So normally, at Home Depot, they can find your purchases with your credit card. So I whipped out my Amex (the same one on my Apple pay account) and swiped it at the Home depot return desk, and none of the items would come up as being associated with the card. Later, I checked my amex account on-line and the original charge was there. Strange. I finally tracked down my receipt and low and behold, the last 4 digits of the credit card number is different than my plastic Amex. A few phone calls later to Home Depot and Amex and no-one seems to know and of course I am told to call Apple Pay…. like do they even have a phone number?


I pulled out another receipt from another store that i use Apple Pay, and low and behold, it too has a different last 4 digit Amex number but the same as the Home depot receipt.


So Apple Pay and Amex at least are printing different card numbers than the plastic ones, probably for security.


The issue here is you would assume that your plastic card and Apple pay are the exact same number and would use them interchangeably and could track purchases as if you had a second secure card. However its more like a parent card (plastic) and a disobedient teenage child (Apple Pay) that is associated with the parent but not really under full control and you can't easily account or track that child.


Simple moral of the story for now: Don't lose receipts.


Better answer, Apple should keep all of those Apple Pay transaction receipts on your phone, so you could locate past orders. Maybe 90 days of past receipts.


I am sure this is going to happen to others. Hope this helps.


Doug

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2), 12g RAM, 64g SSD boot, 500g user

Posted on Jan 10, 2015 6:55 AM

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8 replies
User profile for user: lkrupp
lkrupp
User level: Level 7
23,569 points

Jan 10, 2015 12:47 PM in response to Doug Weiner

Open the Passbook app on your iPhone. Tap your Amex card and then tap the Info icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see two items, your Card Number and your Device Account Number. Apple Pay uses the Device Account Number and it is locked to your iPhone. The merchant (Home Depot) never sees this number, the transaction is between Apple Pay and Amex. You’re right, this is all about security. As for receipts, not going to happen for security reason too. Home Depot asks you at the time of purchase if you want the receipt emailed to you. Do that and you won’t have to rummage around for receipts.


This is all about security and if you are not willing to play the game then don’t use Apple Pay. There is a price for security and part of that price is some measure of inconvenience. And if you don’t want to play the game then don’t scream when you get ripped off either. Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and CurrenC are here, chip based credit cards are coming soon in 2015. The world is changing and we need to adapt or suffer.

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User profile for user: Doug Weiner
Doug Weiner Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Jan 10, 2015 1:24 PM in response to lkrupp

The security is great. My 'suffering' is that there is a reasonable expectation on how the process would work based on how Credit Cards and receipts have worked in the past, and that Apple and Amex did not make it clear they were making a shift. Also the visual feedback in Passbook has the same CC number as the plastic version. So its unreasonable to expect me to guess that the new different number on the printed receipt was 'security' and not a mistake of some sort. Remember, my initial post was a calm summation of what I worked out after 6 days. In reality it looked more like this:


1) Bought stuff at Home Depot.

2) Went to return some of it without a receipt. Slide my card and the cashier said this wasn't the card I used. But it was (in my understanding.) Upset at forgetting my receipt. Want store credit? No. What the heck!?

2a) Worried I was losing my mind and memory.

3) 4 days later, Found the receipt. Relief. WAIT! Printed number didn't match the card. Did I use someone else's card? Did Home Depot not implement Apple Pay correctly?

4) Guilty pleasure - hey maybe somebody else is going to pay my bill!!

5) Reality, somebody is going come looking for the money.

6) Frustration, I can't return these things. Am I stuck with store credit?

7) Confusion, how do I even handle this. Can I call Apple Pay…. NO.

8) Called Amex. They didn't know why the receipt number would be different. Strange.

9) Back to guilty pleasure.

10) Checked on-line. Home Depot charge was definitely there. End of guilty pleasure for sure.

11) Called Home Depot corporate - receptionist didn't know. Told me to call the local store. This is not my job! Stlll want to returnthe items. They are taking up room in my office.

12) Called local store. Accountant was able to find my receipt in Home Depot records but also didn't know why numbers were different. Told me to come back into and see what we could do. Hopefully the credit would go back to my card. Resignation.

13) Moment of inspiration.. Realized there was one other store I was using Apple Pay AMEX. Found a receipt and poof! Same printed number!

14) Enlightenment.


All I am saying, that my life would been a lot simpler if Apple or Amex had informed me during the registration process of the card, or when I called AMEX that they said they changed the number printed on the receipt for security reasons. Or better yet, put those last 4 digits in the visual feedback of Passbook.


PS. That Device Account field…. you can't click on it to expand it. Which means, if you have the font set a little larger, you can't see this number. only a digit or two.

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User profile for user: JWilkey
JWilkey
User level: Level 1
4 points

Apr 27, 2016 1:40 PM in response to Doug Weiner

Similar problem with different situation. Purchased groceries at Trader Joes. Thought I'd try the Apple Wallet on my iPhone. Used one of my credit cards and transaction went through fine. Later when entering my receipts into QuickBooks, I could not remember which card I used in Apple Wallet. I thought easy fix and looked for last four digits of my card on receipt. The four digits on the receipt did not match any of my cards. Spent 15 minutes checking all my QuickBooks credit card numbers with no match. Set the problem aside and waited two days. Downloaded my credit card transactions into QuickBooks a couple of days later and the charge finally showed up in one of my accounts. I then realized that Apple Wallet must change the last four digits of the account number. Did an online search on the subject and found this thread. This is an annoyance, which will make it a bit more difficult to enter receipts into the proper accounts in accounting software.

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User profile for user: jayband
jayband
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 5, 2016 8:05 PM in response to Doug Weiner

Here's a problem I ran to with ApplePay.... At least for retailer that doesn't require another swipe, having the receipt will solve your return problem. My situation is this:


1) purchased an item in footlocker using ApplePay AMEX

2) receipt of last 4 digit != to physical plastic card

3) Try to return the item and the cashier won't even take it since the footlocker return process require another "swipe"

4) The return require showing them the card that has the "virtual" 4-digit shown in the receipt which I don't have!!

5) Tried to explain to them and they have no clue, they basically can't distinguish if the transaction was using credit card A and return to credit card B (which of course is not allowed)


At least I am filing a claim from AMEX for return protection. Someone got to figure this out or I will never use Apple Pay anymore

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Amex and different last 4 digits on receipts

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