I think it’s not acceptable, that we are forced by the banks to use a bankcard with a reduced security. With a card with PayPass function anybody can withdraw a lot of money – just he has to do it n small steps (20 EUR or what).
A few weeks ago i have loosen my card. Ok, it can happen, not a problem, You can apply for another one. the problem was, that I observed this only after 3 days, and the card was somewhere at the Heathrow airport…
It was a card with PayPass, so without any pincode or whatever it was possible to use it many times daily to pay less then 20 euros. OK, i invalidated the card through the net.
Later i tried to get a new card – without payPass, of course.
It was not possible. (?!?!?)
I cant understand this. in the card there is a chip and a special RFID antenna. During the “manufacturing”, or better to say, personalizing of the card should be possible to deactivate the RFID function. But this possibility does not exist.
Ok, searced the net after this type of stories. i have found some.
https://www.paypass.com/pdf/public_documents/FINAL_Paypass_Aquirer_V3_LR.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australia_Bank_Paypass_Card.png
To know exactly, where the aerial is, you need an X-ray picture. Any card could have a different placed coil.
How a card with PayPass function looks like (this is mine)
And You can be sure: a card will not work with a punched antenna…
By the way – on the card You have written all the data, which You need to start an illegal internet transaction. So, I whipped off the 3 character CVC code from the backside of the card. It was not very easy, as it is burned with laser in the material. But a good knife goes deeper, then the laser 🙂
Am I paranoid? I don’t think so. I hate, when the bank decides in a question, which has a strong influence on my personal security.
http://feilipu.me/2013/07/16/paywave-paypass-deletion-via-rfid-antenna-kill/
DIGITAL CANON repair blog 
THIS WORKS. I have an OTP Bank Maestro PayPass card (just for the web searchers). I pierced a hole with 3 mm diameter, close to the far (right) edge of the car. The distance of the center point of the hole is 3.0 mm from the edge. I tried to cut TWO circuits together.
Actually the hole is on the center line of the magnet track (on my risk), and I have already paid with this card, used in ATM, and opened bank entrance after work hours, successfully. I tried to pay with PayPass function, at different times, patiently, and no response. It’s KILLED. So this seems to be the right way to make this card safe. (As much as we can.)
Thanks a lot for the scheme, you have shielded me from a heart attack.