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Rogers SureTap Wallet Review

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Paying by tapping your phone instead of your credit card seems like a great idea. The technology has been around ever since NFC came out, and there are a few banks that have applications that are capable with it. Now Rogers is getting into the banking game. Since they are a telecom the process should be easy? Right? What’s required:

1) NFC capable phone
2) NFC Sim card
3) Application that will tie all this together
4) A card that’s compatible with the application

Lots of requirements are required, not to mention there are some phones that are NFC capable however are not included with the application which automatically excludes the user. At the time of writing these are the handsets that are compatible with the Rogers SureTap Wallet App:

Samsung GALAXY Alpha™
Samsung GALAXY Note 4™
Samsung GALAXY Note 3™
Samsung GALAXY Note II™
Samsung GALAXY S4™
Samsung GALAXY S III™
Samsung GALAXY S5™
HTC One™
HTC One (M8)
LG G3
LG G Flex
LG G2
LG Optimus G
BlackBerry® Z10
Sony Xperia® Z3
BlackBerry® Z3
Samsung Core LTE
BlackBerry® Z30
BlackBerry® Q10

I went to the Rogers store and picked up a NFC sim card listed at $9.99+tax at the time of purchase. Rogers (over the phone) was offering free NFC sim cards, however I wanted a NANO sim card and I had a feeling because I was testing it with Z10 that Rogers would mail me Micro sim card instead.

Swapping current nano sim card to NFC nano card was fairly easy on Rogers.com My Account. The change was instant, took less than 2-3 minutes to do.

Next was to download the application. Since I was using a BlackBerry Z10 I went to the BlackBerry World app and download Rogers SureTap Wallet. I registered and apparently during the registration process there is additional information that is burned on the NFC sim card. The process was easy and I had my Rogers SureTap Wallet successfully installed. The security involved is a 4 pin password requirement along with two security questions.

Now to add a card, at the time of posting Rogers was offering their branded Rogers MasterCard with additional credit included. I added the card and this process did take a bit for the card to be downloaded (approximately 2 hours). Once that was done I was set. Time to test.

Here’s the list of merchants that is successfully worked:

  • Metro
  • McDondals
  • Tim Horton’s
  • Pizza Pizza
  • Harveys
  • LCBO

The list of merchants that did not accept suretap (seem to accept only swipe or chip insertion):

  • Target
  • Walmart
  • Wendy’s

How to get SureTap to work:

When the merchant tells you the total, and asks you how you are paying. Simply say Master Card. The merchant will usually tell you “go ahead when ready”. On your phone click on the SureTap Wallet app, type in your 4 digit password, click on your Rogers MasterCard and click on Pay Now. Place your handset over the terminal (rest it on top of it if you can). Wait for the “beep”, and leave it for additional 2-3 seconds. That is. The coin term “TAP”, does not work. I find it that the transaction would initiate, however time-out after the beep.

Please note that I had the application pre-loaded each time with my 4 digit code entered, the only step left was to click on Pay Now. I found that on Z10 it took a while to do it from scratch, and one of the merchants cash register actually timed out while I was trying to load the application. For full proof use, load it ahead of time while the merchant is scanning the merchandize.

Security:

The most common scenario is that people will end up switching phones, or wipe the phone clean (format it). What happens to the SureTap Wallet then? Also what if I wanted to run SureTap from a backup, was it possible? Here we go.

First test was, I backed up my Z10. I grabbed my BlackBerry Passport and tried to restore SureTap Wallet to it. Keep in mind that Passport is not on the accepted list of phones. The restore was successful, however the application would get stuck on the splash screen. SureTap wins this one.

Next, I wiped the Z10 clean and performed a restore of just the SureTap Wallet application. When I loaded the application I received strange errors, that the proper sim card wasn’t inserted, etc. SureTap wins this round as well.

Next, I wiped the Z10 one more time, and freshly installed SureTap Wallet application. It asked me for my 4 digit password. I entered it, and all of a sudden it presented me with the 1st security question (please note that you are only asked the 4 digit code when you setup) that I created a month ago. The odd part was that I actually forgot. Not to mention that the responses were case sensitive. I got my first response wrong, and then I was presented with a second security question. Needless to say, I typed that one wrong as well.  The application locked me out. SureTap wins. I was asked to call Rogers for them to unlock the application.

I phoned Rogers, and the rep unlocked it. A temporary 4 digit password was sent. However, here’s the kicker, when I entered the 4 digit temporary password, it said that the code was wrong. I typed in my own 4 digit and it accepted. Strange. First flaw in the SureTap system. What would happen if I forgot my 4 digit password?

Next, I had to guess if my 2 security words were case sensitive or not. I got the first security question wrong, the second one “I think” I got right, however I got stuck on verification for good 20 minutes. The verification eventually timed out and booted me back to my 4 digit password. After I typed in my 4 digit password, I managed to guess my first security word. The security verification passed and it went to this screen that I haven’t seen as of yet:

Updating Rogers Suretap Wallet

However, after about 5-10 seconds I receive the screen below(tested with LTE, 3G, EDGE and WIFI)

Rogers Suretap Wallet Try Again

After you click on “Try Again”, it takes you back to your 4 digit password. The process and the cycle are in the never ending loop. I tried reinstalled the application, reloading the operating system. Nothing worked.

I reached out on twitter to @RogersHelps (Really helpful staff at Rogers). The rep refreshed my account, and tried a few things out, however nothing really changed. The issue was escalated and it could take 10 days to fix.

Final Words (Review):

Rogers Suretap Wallet seems to work, I do find it slow on my Z10 (hence I had to have it pre-loaded while the cashier scans the product). I found it NOT to be a TAP solution, more like HOLD and WAIT to pay.

Word of warning, there doesn’t seem to be any contingency plan if you forget your 4 digit number. The temporary 4 digit number that was sent via text by Rogers never worked. And according to the SureTap Rogers rep the two security words if you forget them completely it is a pain to recover. I personally think that you are SOL if you forget the two security words. Kiss your wallet goodbye.

I’m curious how they will fix my problem, I have the 4 digit password and the security words. It seems to me that there might be a additional layer of security that has blacklisted my sim card or my IMEI. Unfortunately, I don’t have another approved device to try and test if the situation would change with a different IMEI.

I have to wait 10 days for them to fix the issue. When you think about it, 10 days is unacceptable, especially when money/paying is involved. I will keep you updated if my Wallet gets sorted.

UPDATE (January 14, 2015): Nothing from Rogers yet. However, I did mess around with the application a bit more. My intention was to lock myself out on purpose and give Rogers a call. I inputted wrong responses and got locked out. But I was able to get back into the application each time. Please note that the original lock-out, I was not able to get back into the application. This time around, I can get back into it each time. I didn’t want to mess with my 4 digit number though, that might be next if Rogers doesn’t solve this issue.

UPDATE (January 22, 2015): I called Rogers SureTap Wallet 1-855-640-7914 phone number. The rep I got told me that they no longer have access to accounts as of Monday. And that the back office team is working on the issues. My ticket has also not been viewed yet. Therefore, who knows how long until I see my SureTap Wallet again.

Please do note that I did try to access SureTap Wallet and the connection kept timing out. I got a new JAVA error which I’ll post later.

UPDATED (March 2, 2016): Rogers has officially decided to pull the plug with SureTap as of April 30, 2016. If you have funds, try to spend them or request a refund: https://suretap.com/refund/

It was a very promising project that failed at launch. Too many different handsets, and every handset had some sort of an “App” issue. Its a shame. RIP Rogers SureTap

Rogers down for 3 hours due to software glitch

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Rogers wireless has approximately $9.42 million wireless customers and all of them were down between 6:00 PM and 10:30 PM. The most interesting part is that voice and SMS were down, however DATA was up and running.

The apparent software glitch was due to heavy traffic and was not handled properly by the switching system causing a major crash. There have been no specific reports of how the software works and what it has to do with switches. The assumption is that there is a two way system where one voice is carried over and the other signals between the towers, therefore when you are driving it makes sure that it switches you over to the nearest tower to you. Allegedly that’s what failed which caused the primary system to run into a loop.

There is an underlying denial that hacking was involved taking down the system.

Current result and resolution is the update of the current software thats being used (fixing the hole) and giving all the postpaid subscribers a day of service refund (if you are paying $30 monthly, you would get $1 discount on your next bill).

The most disturbing factor in all of this is that 911 was not functioning. Interesting part is that Rogers recommends users of having a land line if they are required to make 911 phone calls. Who has a land line anymore?

PRO TIP: If your provider is ever down, take out your sim card, reboot the phone and let the phone roam on any network to make that important 911 call. Hopefully, you can do all of these steps while in an emergency situation. Or get a Bell land line.

Rogers Trade-Up Program (cash for your phone)

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Ever wanted to avoid Kijiji.ca or Ebay.ca and just go to your local Rogers store and trade your old phone for cash. Now you can. Of course the trade-in value is not as high as you would get on the website mentioned above, however there are no hassles. As long as the screen is responsive, the phone powers up and it actually works, you will get the cash.

QUOTE YOUR DEVICE

Some common devices/prices:

Rogers iPhone 4 (16GB) = $90.00

Rogers iPhone 4S (16GB) = $185.00

Rogers iPhone 5 (16GB) = $280.00

Samsung S4 = $160.00

Blackberry Z10 = $150.00

Blackberry Q10 = $170.00

Wireless Wars Rogers, Bell, Telus

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Has anyone observed wireless priced plans on August 7 vs. August 8? Lets say that in one day data dropped from 6gb to 500mb and voice stayed the same. Oh and the price somewhat stayed the same. Why the change? Well it’s a tactic used by the big 3 telco’s to stick it to CRTC for lowering 3 year plans to 2 year max and by not allowing the big 3 to bid on the upcoming spectrum. Who got screwed? In the end the consumer did of course. Nothing new there.

What’s frustrating is that if you look at Bell Mobility website vs. Rogers wireless the pricing and the offering changed on the same day. Do the telecoms sit in one room and decide what they will offer? Isn’t that somewhat price fixing? I assume its legal, gas stations have been doing the same for decades.

Best part is the website Fair For Canada, it’s a complete joke full of lies and deception. Guess what, all 3 telecoms were in on the website as well.

In conclusion, I doubt that Verizon would lower the priced plans but at least it’s an alternative choice to the big 3, and my hope is that they don’t sit in the same room to decide what prices they will offer the following day.

Rogers wireless offering as of August 22, 2013

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Bell mobility offering as of August 22, 2013

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Porting Issues (FreePhoneLine/Fongo) to Rogers

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Rogers Wireless Home Phone porting at first seemed easy. It took about 5 days for the number to be ported. I was porting a number that is originally from FreePhoneLine/Fongo to Rogers. After the number did get finally ported the first issue was that any phone call that came from FreePhoneLine/Fongo would not go through and there was a mysterious message saying “The number you have reached is not in service”. But with that same ported number I was able to call FreePhoneLine/Fongo numbers.

The support at FreePhoneLine/Fongo was pretty good. Took about 10 emails, and about 8 hours or so, and the problem was on their end. The main switch was fixed and I was able to call from FreePhoneLine/Fongo to the newly ported number that was at Rogers now.

New Problem: If you call the ported number from Skype, you will get that same message “the number you have reached is not in service”.

Not sure who to contact for that issue. I did speak with Rogers and they did do a number refresh, but that didn’t do anything (except reset my answering machine).

 

Rogers Wireless Home Phone

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An interesting email appeared in my inbox from Rogers Wireless which is one of the big 3 telecom providers out here in Canada. Their offer:

Wireless Home Phone Plan for $9.99 – (includes: Unlimited Canada Wide Calling, Call Display, Enhanced Voice mail)

I was impressed, and noticed that the service was not available until July 23rd (the email was received few days prior).

On July 23rd, I went to a local Rogers Store. I was asked if I was a current Rogers subscriber, I responded that I was. I provided my current wireless number. The clerk retrieved a device, placed it on the counter. The cost for the device was $29.99+tax (no contract). I paid for the device via credit card. The clerk had asked if I wanted to port a phone number. The number I provided to be ported was from FreePhoneLine (now known as Fongo). The system immediately accepted the port and apparently my port date was scheduled 5 days later. That was that. Well not really. (Porting Issues)

The device was easy to put together, there was a SIM card and a backup battery. The SIM card is the standard size and there was a label of LTE on it.

Wireless Home phone worked immediately. The router (or home phone device) has two telephone jacks in the back, a usb port and a power button. I had a wireless base that I hooked up to it and oddly enough an old Bell telephone taking up the second port.

The sound quality is superb. Its been a couple of weeks now, and I have not had any drop calls, no static, no issues. Nothing! The price point is incredible and will surely get attention from the Cogeco and Bell in areas such as Oakville and Burlington.


The target market is for areas where Rogers is unable to provide their regular Home Phone service.

 

UPDATE (Aug 28): The other party seems to hear a banging noise that lasts about 10 seconds and then it goes away. On my end I hear a tiny barely noticeable clicking sound, but apparently its really loud on the other end. I have the unit 200 meters away from the nearest electronic device (I have tried two different locations, and same result). It could be the wireless phone base? Another odd piece of information is that the problem doesn’t occur on every phone call. I can’t figure out what the heck it is. Anyone else experiencing this? Please comment.

UPDATE (Sept 11): I have swapped the current V-tech cordless phones and upgraded to Panasonic cordless phones. Both sets were DECT 6.0 and therefore I’m unsure if the knocking was coming from the handset or actual ZTE Home Phone device. Thus far with the new cordless phones there has not been any noise.