What are the different types of debit card transactions I can control/freeze using my app?
Freezing debit card transactions
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Freezing debit card transactions
What does the freeze functionality do to my debit card?
What does the freeze functionality do to my debit card?
If you are a personal and / or business customer with an active debit card, you can freeze and unfreeze your card via the mobile app and through Online Banking.
This gives you the ability to freeze & unfreeze your debit card in real-time, and can be accessed via 'Manage Cards' in the mobile app or under 'Manage your debit card' in Online Banking.
The freeze prevents use of your debit card and any payments being made on your debit card.
For example, if you have misplaced your debit card you can instantly freeze your card so that it cannot be used until you have found it or until you have ordered a new one.
What happens if my card is frozen via the mobile app but I still need cash?
What happens if my card is frozen via the mobile app but I still need cash?
If you have an active debit card with the full freeze on, you can still access cash by using the 'Get Cash' feature on the mobile app.
Find out what Get Cash is and how to use it on What is Get Cash and how do I use it?.
How do I freeze or unfreeze my debit card?
How do I freeze or unfreeze my debit card?
To freeze your debit card in the mobile app, all you need to do is:
- Open up the mobile app
- Select the account and card you wish to apply the debit card freeze to
- Select Manage Cards
- Click Freeze Card
To freeze / unfreeze your debit card through the mobile app you need to:
- Have already registered with our mobile banking app
- Have updated the mobile app to the latest version
To freeze your debit card using Online Banking:
- Log in to NatWest Online Banking
- Choose 'Cards' in the main menu
- Under 'Manage your debit card', select 'Freeze/unfreeze your card if you think you've misplaced it'
- Find the debit card you would like to freeze from the cards shown
- Click the 'Freeze card' button to the right handside of the card you would like to freeze
Which debit card transactions will be declined when my debit card has a freeze on it?
Which debit card transactions will be declined when my debit card has a freeze on it?
The following transactions will be declined when a debit card is frozen:
- ATM withdrawals
- Subscriptions
- Apple Pay/Google Pay
- E-commerce (although some payments may be initially authorised, these will be later declined by the retailer)
- Branch Teller
- In-person (Chip and PIN)
- Contactless
what-are-the-different-types-of-debit-card-transactions-i-can-controlfreeze-using-my-app-1
Card payment controls on my debit card
What are card payment controls on my debit card?
What are card payment controls on my debit card?
You can choose to freeze and unfreeze different payment types on your debit card in real-time using the mobile app.
You can freeze any combination of these card payment types:
- Contactless, including setting your own contactless limit
- Online and Telephone
- Gambling payments
If you have Notifications set 'On', you will receive a notification for a payment that is blocked by a control.
The notification will be presented to you on your phone, and also in your app, in the notification centre.
How do I set notifications on?
How do I set notifications on?
You should go to the Notification Centre in your app and turn On notifications.
When and how will I receive notifications relating to card payment controls?
When and how will I receive notifications relating to card payment controls?
To receive notifications, you will need to have set them On in the mobile app. You will then receive notifications of declined transactions for debit card payments prevented as a result of a debit card freeze, or individual payment types being frozen.
The decline notification should be received straight after a payment has been attempted. Only one type of freeze will be referenced in any decline notification, even if multiple payment types are frozen.
When will I not receive notifications relating to card payment controls?
When will I not receive notifications relating to card payment controls?
Occasionally you will not receive notifications of decline, as a result of network connectivity issues or the mobile app being unavailable.
Why am I receiving more than one notification for one transaction?
Why am I receiving more than one notification for one transaction?
Some Merchants make more than one attempt to authorise a payment, so occasionally you will receive more than one notification of decline.
What will happen if I turn on the Chip & PIN card payment control on my Visa debit card?
What will happen if I turn on the Chip & PIN card payment control on my Visa debit card?
The In-Person card payment control prevents all debit card payments attempted in-person (e.g. in a physical shop) via Chip & PIN, Chip & signature, magstripe / swipe and contactless (card and devices – through Apple Pay and Google Pay™).
Please note, this control will not prevent the below:
- Taking cash out at cash machines
- Payments authorised before you switched on this control
- Payments processed by a retailer before the retailer checks with us, for example, if you buy something on a plane
What will happen if I turn on the Contactless payment control on my debit Mastercard?
What will happen if I turn on the Contactless payment control on my debit Mastercard?
The Contactless card payment control prevents all your debit card contactless payments, both card and device based (I.e. Apple Pay and Google Pay™).
This includes:
- Contactless Purchases
- Apple Pay and Google Pay™ when tapping your device
- Contactless cashback (with or without a purchase)
- Use on Public Transport (please see below for more detail)
What will happen if I turn on the Contactless payment control on my Visa debit card?
What will happen if I turn on the Contactless payment control on my Visa debit card?
The Contactless card payment control prevents all your debit card contactless payments, both Card and device based (I.e. Apple Pay and Google Pay™).
This includes:
- Contactless Purchases
- Apple Pay and Google Pay™ when tapping your device
- Use on Public Transport (please see below for more detail)
How does the Contactless card payment control affect using my debit Mastercard on Public Transport?
How does the Contactless card payment control affect using my debit Mastercard on Public Transport?
For your debit card with the Contactless control set to on, when you first tap your debit card accessing a transport system the payment will not be declined because the transport merchant does not take payment instantly.
At the end of the day, which may be after you have completed your journey, the transport merchant will attempt to take the payment from your debit card and at which point will be prevented because you've got the Contactless control on.
Subsequently the next time you attempt to gain access to that same transport system by tapping your card, you will be denied access at that point because that specific transport merchant has recognised your card from before. You should contact you relevant Transport Authority, usually via their app or on-line, to allow your card to be accepted again.
If you want to use that particular transport system, you can toggle off the control in the mobile app in real-time providing you have internet access.
How does the Contactless card payment control affect using my Visa debit card on Public Transport?
How does the Contactless card payment control affect using my Visa debit card on Public Transport?
For your debit card with the In-Person or Contactless control set to on, when you first tap your debit card accessing a transport system the payment will not be declined because the transport merchant does not take payment instantly.
At the end of the day, which may be after you have completed your journey, the transport merchant will attempt to take the payment from your debit card and at which point will be prevented because you've got the In-Person or Contactless control on.
Subsequently the next time you attempt to gain access to that same transport system by tapping your card, you will be denied access at that point because that specific transport merchant has recognised your card from before. You should contact you relevant Transport Authority, usually via their app or on-line, to allow your card to be accepted again.
If you want to use that particular transport system, you can toggle off the control in the mobile app in real-time providing you have internet access.
What will happen if I turn on the Online and Telephone card payment control on my debit card?
What will happen if I turn on the Online and Telephone card payment control on my debit card?
Turning on the Online and Telephone card payment control prevents the following payments on your debit card:
- e-commerce payments
- mail order payments
- telephone order payments
These may also include the likes of: (please see our Glossary of terms below for more details about these debit card transaction types)
- Paypal
- In app purchases
- Subscription payment set up
- Amazon payments (to note: an Amazon purchase will be approved by Amazon at the time of purchase, but at a later time when they make the payment it will be declined. A customer will receive emails from Amazon for both elements of this process)
- Customer Tokens
- Online purchases and shopping with manually entered card details
- Online purchases with saved card details
- Ride-sharing services
- Individual food orders (e.g. pizza delivery) that are purchased online. However, if you already subscribe to a meal delivery service that bills you weekly or monthly for the food it provides, then those recurring transactions will not be prevented.
- Online Registration Fees - e.g. Vehicle Registration, conferences
What will happen if I turn on the Subscriptions payment control on my Visa debit card?
What will happen if I turn on the Subscriptions payment control on my Visa debit card?
The Subscriptions card payment control prevents Recurring / Instalment / Subscription payments linked to your debit card.
There may be instances where Retailers have described the payment as Subscription but have not requested the payment as a Recurring / Instalment / Subscription payment so these will not be declined when the Control is set On.
Please note, this control will not prevent the below:
- Direct Debits and Standing Orders from leaving your account – e.g. Utility Bill
- Payments authorised before you switched on this control
- Payments processed by a retailer before checking with us
There may be occasions when the Merchant is not presenting a payment as a Recurring / Instalment / Subscription payment which is necessary for the decline to take place as a result of the control being set On, so these payments will be authorised.
Can I check whether a payment is classed as Recurring / Instalment / Subscription by a Retailer?
Can I check whether a payment is classed as Recurring / Instalment / Subscription by a Retailer?
Unfortunately this is not possible with this control at the moment.
What will happen if I turn on the Gambling Merchant payment control on my debit Mastercard?
What will happen if I turn on the Gambling Merchant payment control on my debit Mastercard?
The Gambling Merchant card payment control prevents all your debit card transactions with Gambling Merchants.
This includes:
- Chip & PIN
- Contactless (both card and device based, i.e. Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- Online & telephone
- International
Please note, this control will not prevent the below:
- Purchasing lottery tickets or scratch cards in person from Supermarkets or other non-Gambling Merchants.
- Payments authorised before you switched on this control
- Receiving gambling winnings
What will happen if I turn on the Gambling Merchant payment control on my Visa debit card?
What will happen if I turn on the Gambling Merchant payment control on my Visa debit card?
The Gambling Merchant card payment control prevents all your debit card transactions with Gambling Merchants.
This includes:
- In-person
- Contactless (both card and device based, i.e. Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Online & telephone
- Subscriptions
- International
Please note, this control will not prevent the below:
- Purchasing lottery tickets or scratch cards in person from Supermarkets or other non-Gambling Merchants.
- Payments authorised before you switched on this control
What happens when I turn Off the Gambling Merchant control?
What happens when I turn Off the Gambling Merchant control?
Once you turn off the Gambling Merchant Control, you will need to wait for 48 hours before you can make gambling payments.
This 'cooling off' period is in place to help you gamble responsibly, and to support financial wellbeing. The date and time the 'cooling off' period will end will be shown under the Gambling Merchant control in your mobile app.
What happens if I want to turn the Gambling Merchant Control back On during the 'cooling off' period?
What happens if I want to turn the Gambling Merchant Control back On during the 'cooling off' period?
You can turn the Gambling Control back On at any time during the 'cooling off' period. The control will work in the expected way.
What happens if I want to then turn the Gambling Merchant Control back Off?
What happens if I want to then turn the Gambling Merchant Control back Off?
Once you turn off the Gambling Merchant Control again, you will need to wait for a new 48 hours period before you can make gambling payments. There is no way to override or change this time period, either by a customer on their app or a member of staff supporting a customer.
What happens if I have a card payment control on and the freeze on the same debit card?
What happens if I have a card payment control on and the freeze on the same debit card?
All debit card payments will be prevented and you may receive a notification of decline as a result of a card payment control being set On.
What happens if I can’t see the card payment controls option?
What happens if I can’t see the card payment controls option?
Card payment controls will not be visible on the app once a full debit card freeze is toggled on. They become visible again when the debit card is unfrozen.
In the unlikely event that you lose connection to the internet when toggling a freeze on, you have a number of options to make card payment controls re-appear again.
You can do either of the following:
- Press the back button, and select 'Manage Cards & Apple Pay / Google Pay' again and it will appear
- Log out, and log back in
- Toggle the freeze on, and then toggle off to unfreeze it again
Is turning on all card payment controls the same as turning on the freeze?
Is turning on all card payment controls the same as turning on the freeze?
No, because freeze covers a wider range of payments that the card payment controls do not cover, such as domestic ATM withdrawals.
What happens to my card payment controls when I order a new debit card or have a replacement debit card arrive in the post?
What happens to my card payment controls when I order a new debit card or have a replacement debit card arrive in the post?
If your card is renewed or replaced from Visa to Visa or from Visa to Mastercard, you will need to reset your controls on your new card. If your card is renewed/replaced from Mastercard to Mastercard, your controls will be carried over from the old card to your new one.
Glossary of terms relating to debit card transactions and card payment controls
Glossary of terms
Glossary of terms
Mail Order Purchases
When you complete a form for example in a catalogue and you mail the form in the post with your details on it.
Telephone Purchases
When you are purchasing goods or services over the phone and providing your debit card details to make your payment.
Paypal
Is a type of e-commerce payment whereby your debit card is linked to your Paypal account.
In app purchases
When you have set up your debit card details in an app and they are then used by the app on your device to make a payment.
Subscription Payments
Is when you use your debit card to set up any regular subscription payment. The merchant may do a one-off check on the debit card there and then, and then the regular payments will occur.
Customer Tokens
Some online merchants, for security reasons, create tokens from your debit card details instead of retaining your full debit card details. The merchant validates the customer's card details when generating a token and initiates a £0.00 transaction. These transactions will be blocked by an e-commerce control set On and the customer will receive a notification on this decline.
One Time Passwords
For on-line payments One Time Passwords will continue to be requested to be actioned by the customer, it is only after this point that the control will step in and make the decline.
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