The UK's Chip and PIN programme is to launch a campaign to help people memorise their security numbers, as research reveals that more than one in four UK citizens struggle to remember passwords and access codes.
With chip and PIN, credit and debit card holders will need to remember their four-digit PIN - the same number they would use to withdraw money at a cash machine - to verify purchases at the point-of-sale.
The Chip and PIN programme team has produced an online guide featuring hints, tips and memory tricks for consumers struggling with information overload.
The initiative comes as research conducted among 1,814 people across the country shows that 28.7% find it diffuclt to remember their PINs and code numbers.
The Chip and PIN team has recruited the help of psychologist Donna Dawson in an effort to overcome consumer fears about the new technology.
"On the surface, numbers appear to relate only to the logical parts of our brains," she says. "To make numbers more memorable, they must appeal to the creative side of our brains as well. By using methods of association - like visualising numbers as objects relating to their shapes, by linking them to important dates, or by rhyming them with other words - the vast majority of people will be able to remember four-digit PINs simply and quickly."
Two in five UK cardholders (41 per cent) had been issued with a chip and PIN card by the end of May 2004. Major retailers including Dixons, Wilkinsons, Asda and Tesco are currently making the upgrade in stores across the country.