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Cardholders

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.

Online shopping

  • Shop with retailers you know or research them first to ensure they are reputable and reliable
  • Never enter your PIN details
  • Keep a record of your online transactions, including the retailer's website address. Many online stores send customers emails summarising the purchase details – make sure you save or print these
  • Before buying, read the delivery and return policies that should be on the retailer’s website. Can unsatisfactory items be sent back? If the items are faulty, can you get a refund or a credit note?
  • The retailer’s website should also have information about delivery arrangements and costs, currencies they accept and taxes that apply
  • Look for a telephone number or email address and note them down in case you have any queries
  • Make sure that your card details will be encrypted securely before being sent across the internet – look for an unbroken key or padlock at the bottom of your browser window or check the website address, which should begin https:// rather than http://
  • Use the latest version of your browser's software and check your computer's operating system software is up to date.

We’ve developed a new system called Verified by Visa that makes shopping online even more secure.

Find out more about Verified by Visa