Card safety

Visa cards offer a simple and secure way to buy everything you need. The following advice will help you manage your payments and use your card safely.

When you get your card

• Sign the signature panel immediately
• When choosing or changing a PIN, avoid obvious choices such as your date of birth
• Use a different PIN to any other cards you may own
• Memorise the PIN – never write it down
• Do not tell anybody your PIN.

At home

• Keep your shopping and ATM receipts – check them against your card or bank statement
• If an amount is incorrect or you spot a transaction you do not remember, call your card issuer immediately
• Keep a list of your card numbers along with the telephone numbers you should call if they are lost or stolen.

At the shop

• Check the receipt or figure shown on the terminal to ensure the amount is correct before you authorise the transaction by signing or entering your PIN
• Make sure the retailer gives the card back to you, along with your copy of the receipt
• Keep your card close to you – beware of pickpockets
• Cover your hand when entering your PIN and check no-one is looking over your shoulder.

Mail order and telephone shopping

• Only give your card number to retailers that you know are reputable and reliable
• You might be asked for your card’s security code – the three digits printed on the back of your card, either on, or to the right of, the signature panel. Give the merchant that code but never give your PIN
• Keep a record of your transactions, including the retailer's address and telephone number.

How to shop safely online