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You’ve probably seen someone whip out their phone and make a mobile payment at the grocery store or a restaurant. Ever wondered what the advantages of mobile payments are?
Kinetic Credit Union offers customers the ability to connect their Kinetic VISA debit or credit card to their phone for convenience and security. With mobile payments on your smartphone, there is no need to carry around physical payment methods everywhere you go.
Never Be Without Your Kinetic VISA® Card
When you connect your Kinetic VISA credit or debit card to your smartphone, you will have your payment method handy whenever you have your phone with you. This reduces the number of items that you have to carry with you while shopping and can be a lifeline if you accidentally forget your wallet or bag when running an errand. (Pro tip: Make sure your phone is sufficiently charged before you get to checkout if mobile payments are the only method you have with you.)
Mobile Payments Reduce Risk of Losing Cash or Cards
When you use your Kinetic Credit Union card as a mobile payment method, you reduce your need to carry physical cash and cards with you. While many customers will still choose to carry some cash or cards, just leaving your wallet in your bag or pocket cuts down on the risk of dropping cash or a card. If you opt to transition to almost exclusively mobile payments, your risk of having a card or cash stolen is greatly reduced. While it is possible to lose a phone, it is easier to keep track of your phone than your phone and your wallet.
Keep in mind that while mobile payments are widely accepted, and rapidly becoming more popular, there are still some merchants that require old-fashioned cash or plastic. While you can conveniently shop at many stores with just your virtual wallet, have a backup plan when visiting unfamiliar stores or restaurants, in case mobile payments are not yet available. And again, make sure your phone is charged, or you won’t be able to access your mobile wallet.
Mobile Payments Offer Rigorous Security Protections
When you use a virtual wallet to shop with your card, the card data is protected. When you swipe a traditional credit or debit card, your card information is exposed to potential theft if the card reader has been tampered with. With digital wallets, your card information is not exposed, and you have an added layer of security.
When you set up your digital wallet, you provide your card information for authentication purposes. However, in subsequent transactions, your real card information is not transmitted to the merchant. Your digital wallet app will create tokens that potential hackers can’t use to steal your personal or financial information. Even if your transaction data is somehow intercepted, it won’t contain your actual card number, making mobile payments more secure than even chip-enabled card transactions.
Save Time Whenever You Shop With Mobile Payments
Electronic payments can save you time daily by streamlining the checkout process at your favorite merchants. Swiping or inserting a chip-enabled credit card takes a few extra seconds for each transaction, and that’s assuming it works the first time. With mobile payments, you can authenticate your transaction on your phone with face recognition or other ultra-fast and convenient methods.
While a few seconds per transaction doesn’t sound like a lot, over time, those moments add up!
Integrate Your Transactions With Budgeting Apps
Another benefit of mobile payments is that they are fully digital, and can be easily integrated into many popular budgeting apps and software. This can be a huge help to someone who is setting up budgeting for the first time or trying to streamline their process and make staying on top of their finances simpler and more convenient.
How to Get Started With Mobile Payments
Kinetic Credit Union offers mobile payment integration with the most popular apps. You can connect your Kinetic VISA card to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay. Setup varies slightly between the different platforms, but it’s a simple and quick process for each one.
Many devices even come with mobile payment apps pre-loaded. Mobile Apple devices come with Apple Pay pre-installed, so all you have to do is head to the settings menu and select Wallet & Apple Pay to add and verify your payment method.
Samsung and Android devices do not necessarily have Samsung Pay or Google Pay pre-installed, but both apps are freely available in device app stores. Once you have the app installed, simply open it and add your payment method. Once you verify your card, you can start shopping!
See our Mobile Payments page for detailed instructions on how to set up Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google pay on your device. With just a couple of moments of set-up, you can harness the power of your Kinetic VISA card everywhere you go!