Want A More Secure Credit Card? Try Apple Pay

Since 2015, Apple Pay has been offered as a safer and simpler solution for making purchases. All you need is an iPhone 6 or newer to securely make purchases in the U.S. and abroad with no fee.

How It Works

Apple Pay is a contactless payment technology designed for Apple devices that allows you to securely make purchases in store, online, and through their iOS apps without handing over your card information. With the use of a digital wallet, Apple Pay stores card information on your mobile device. To make a payment, you simply need to verify your identity using your passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID feature on your device. Then hold your phone directly over the point of sale terminal to process the payment.

It’s More Secure.

Apple Pay requires more verification than using a traditional credit card. The four major card companies: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, no longer require signature verification when making purchases. Apple Pay makes you verify your identity through passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID – which can be hard to fake.

Each time you make a purchase, a unique code is created, so the merchant never actually obtains your credit card number. This way, if the store ever gets hacked and there is a breach on credit card data, your card number won’t be available. Also, Apple doesn’t store your card number on your device or in its servers.

Since you will never be physically entering your card into the merchants point of sale system, your card information cannot be skimmed. Identity theft is often due to card skimming devices that are attached to the card reader. If you never have to use your card, you will avoid that risk.

Tips for using Apple Pay.

• Set up Touch ID or Face ID. Biometrics are more difficult to fool than a 4 digit passcode.
• If you lose your phone, take immediate action. Find My iPhone can be used from another device to put your phone in Lost Mode. This will lock everything and prevent others from accessing your Apple Wallet.
• Use a secure WI-FI network during set-up. Make sure you use a password protected internet network when you enter your card information into Apple Pay. Hackers often survey public networks to steal public information.
• Don’t share your passwords. Keep your password information somewhere safe and secure, such as a password vault.