Contactless debit cards are being rolled out by Butterfield Bank.

The bank has announced a mass reissue of its debit Mastercard cards, which previously featured chip-and-pin technology. The cards have been enhanced further with contactless RFID (radio-frequency identification) payment technology. This allows customers to make “tap-and-go” payments at retailers that offer that point of sale service.

Peter Jackson, senior vice-president, group head of card services, said: “We are pleased to now provide this enhancement in fraud protection to our debit card clients. As we see an increase in card fraud, we anticipate that these changes will help reduce it significantly.”

With chip-and-pin technology customers put their card into a chip-enabled terminal and confirm the transaction by typing their personal identification number into the keypad. The new cards will also have RFID technology, which means that they can simply be tapped against a point-of-sale terminal to make a payment.

The cards will continue to feature the traditional magnetic stripe that can be swiped through a card reader if there is no chip-and-pin or “tap-and-go” terminal.

In a statement, the bank said the new technology would enhance card security and give customers an option of a quicker checkout process.

This month, HSBC Bermuda announced it is distributing new debit Visa cards featuring contactless payment, and chip-and-pin technologies. Clarien Bank also has debit and credit cards with the technologies.

Butterfield Bank said that all customers who currently hold a Butterfield debit card will be mailed a new enhanced card. Any customers who have changed their mailing address should visit the Butterfield Banking Centre to update details.

Butterfield intends to update all of its cards to feature contactless payment technology.