With so many aspects of our lives occurring online these days, taking precautions to protect our financial privacy is more important than ever. And when it comes to bank card transactions, you can never be too careful.
Fortunately, there are proactive technology measures that help ensure that your card activity is consistently monitored and secure, giving you piece of mind whenever, wherever and however your card is used. In this post, we’ll look at two of those technological safeguards: Contactless Cards and Card Protect applications.
Contactless Cards
The technology behind contactless cards is actually quite sophisticated, but for the user, you really only need to know a couple things. Contactless means that you will not be required to slide your card through the strip reader or insert it into the chip reader. Instead, you’ll simply tap the card at the check-out point and return it immediately to your pocket or wallet. That info is all encrypted and securely stored within the card. Once you’ve made the transaction, the card alerts the bank network and if you have synced your card with your smart phone, you’ll be notified before you can even decide whether you want paper or plastic.
Contactless cards feature a curved wave symbol that looks like a wi-fi symbol turned sideways. New Merchants & Marine Bank cardholders will be issued a contactless card at the time of account opening. Existing cardholders will receive a new contactless card just before their current card’s expiration date.
Card Protect
Card Protect utilizes a mobile app to manage your debit account. This is an ideal way to track and verify your transactions when traveling or if you are helping an older child manage their spending habits while away at college or on a trip of their own.
All you do is download the Card Protect app and affiliate it with your bank account. Once you’ve done that, the application will automatically provide all kinds of monitoring services that include:
- Setting transaction limits
- Detecting unauthorized or fraudulent activity with real-time alerts
- Controlling where the card is used by location, merchant category, and type of transaction
- Setting travel alerts within the United States, and
- Locking and unlocking your debit card
Card Protect is simple to use and comprehensive in its account management capabilities. And while it may be easy to keep an eye on things when you are going about your normal routines at home, Card Protect provides a great deal of reassurance when you are visiting exotic places and picking up all those great souvenirs for friends and family.
From a security standpoint, you can limit the amount of funds per transaction with Card Protect and because your personal information is protected, you are well-guarded against theft. So, in the event that you do lose your card, or your teenager is getting tap-happy at the mall, you’re on top of it before he or she spends their college fund.
Contactless Cards and Card Protect are vigilant services for protecting your financial well-being. And just like the professionals at Merchants & Marine Bank, they work round-the-clock to make sure that your hard-earned money is safe.
Ask your banker for more information about contactless cards and Card Protect.
