VISA card

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2016-06-02 00:00:00:

The VISA payment system is rightfully considered international, as it is used by people from all over the world. The company issues many types of plastic cards. Their holders can make banking operations in 200 countries. VISA card can also be used to pay online bills.

VISA payment cards and their features

The company issues several types of plastic cards:

prepaid cards - with their help, money is transferred to settlement accounts;
debit cards - on these accounts, users store personal funds;
credit - such cards allow you to take on credit (at interest) the necessary amount of money in any bank.

Visa cards, like any other, have soy characteristic features.

This payment system allows you to open a card in different types of currencies. The document can be linked to several bank accounts, for example, in dollars, Russian rubles, and euros. When making a payment, funds are debited in the specified monetary units.
The main currency of the cards is the US dollar. This moment is especially important for those who travel abroad or purchase goods in foreign online stores.
To profitably exchange currencies, you need to know the exchange rate exactly. VISA clients have such an opportunity: they can find out the value of a particular currency in the system before the conversion operation is completed.
The company's credit cards are beneficial in that they have a grace period (1 month), during which no interest is charged. It starts from the minute the first purchase was paid.
The system introduces restrictions when withdrawing cash from ATMs of banks that are not VISA card issuers. In this case, you can withdraw no more than $10,000 in one month.

What are online VISA cards for?

The company offers its customers to use virtual cards. They are similar to standard debit payment documents. The developers created them in order to simplify the online payment system. This is not a personalized card, it has no physical form. Its design and subsequent maintenance will cost the owner very cheaply.

A virtual card has a number, it has a certain validity period, as well as the original CVV2 code, with which the card owner will be identified.

If the client wishes, then especially for him, the bank will give the virtual card a physical form, making it out of plastic, and supplying it with all the necessary elements: a magnetized strip, the emblem of the payment service, and the signature of the owner.

To obtain an online VISA card, the client does not need to go to a bank branch to draw up an application. You can do this online, sitting at your home computer. After the payment for issuing the card is made, the future owner of the electronic payment document will receive the details with which he will be able to make all payments on the World Wide Web. A virtual VISA card is linked to electronic accounts of the most popular Internet sites: Qiwi, Webmoney, Yandex Money and more.

Using an electronic card, you can pay for goods purchased not only in domestic online stores, but also on the websites of foreign companies. On the account, you can store funds in several types of currencies: Russian ruble, American and European money.

VISA QIWI Wallet wallets are especially popular. This service allows you to carry out almost all financial transactions: paying for online purchases, transferring funds to the wallets of other users, withdrawing cash from ATMs, making payments using prepaid cards, and more.

Varieties of VISA plastic cards

The range of plastic cards produced by the company is very wide. Each of the payment documents has its own characteristics and advantages.

VISA Electron. This is the simplest card. The scope of its use is limited. These cards are not available in all countries. In addition, there are limits on amounts: when conducting financial procedures, these limits must be taken into account.

VISA Classic . Both credit and debit funds can be placed on accounts on this card. Using it, you can pay for goods purchased in virtual stores. It does not require confirmation, so this card is used both in POS-terminals and for voice authentication. Such possibilities expand the scope of this document.

The owners of this card have to pay a little more for the service than, for example, for VISA Electron, but the tariff plan is quite acceptable on average. Ordinary people can afford such a card.

VISA Gold is a prestigious plastic document of high status. The card is made in the original design and painted in gold. It is open for both debit and credit. It is designed for users with high incomes and with a long experience in banking procedures.

Technical characteristics of VISA Gold do not differ at all from other VISA plastic cards.

VISA Gold has a number of advantages:

availability of insurance programs;
24/7 customer support service;
all sorts of discounts and promotions.

Different banks offer their own conditions for using the card: the cost of special services, interest, interest-free periods. An application for issuing a document can be submitted directly at a branch of a financial institution or on a banking website.

VISA Platinum is another prestigious card. Its capabilities are somewhat wider than the previous one. Cardholders can use a wide range of services and services, and discounts happen more often here.

VISA Black Card is rightfully considered unique. This premium payment document is made not from the plastic we are used to, but from the latest proprietary carbon fiber material.

Its “inner part” is also special. By presenting the card, its owner can freely enter the VIP lounge of any international airport. In addition, the tariff plan also provides for insurance when entering abroad and in case of car accidents.

This card can only be obtained by a representative of the top of society, who is able to confirm his high position.

Contactless cards. Visa issues another type of document for non-cash payments - VISA pay Wave - cards in which payment is made in a contactless way. Users liked these cards, because transactions are made much faster, and the owner of the document does not let go of it. The unique system of coding individual data prevents forgery of the card.

The algorithm for using the VISA pay Wave card is as follows.

Step 1. We check the cost of the purchase (it is indicated on the display of the reader).

Step 2. We touch the card to the device with the side on which the “wave” icon is shown.

Step 3. The display will show "Approved". The transaction has been completed.

Replenishment or withdrawal of money from the VISA account

To replenish an account on a VISA card, you can use the VISA Direct service, through which money is transferred instantly. For this service, the client will be charged a commission fee: 1% of the transfer amount. You can top up your account in other ways:

at a bank branch;
at ATMs and payment terminals;
transfer to Contact, Unistream;
using a mobile application or online banking and e-wallet.

The visa provides an opportunity to transfer funds to accounts opened abroad.

VISA card security

On all payment documents of the company there are special elements with which you can check the authenticity of a plastic card, make its identification. In addition, these attributes provide security during financial transactions on the Internet or through the terminal.

The authenticity of the cards can be determined by the relevant characteristics.

Pay attention to the four-digit number (may be above or below the account number): it must start with 4 and match the first four digits of the bank account number. If the initial numbers do not match or there is no four-digit number, then the card is fake.
The bank account number is usually applied in relief.
The VISA logo must be placed on the outside of the card.
A genuine VISA card must have a holographic image of a dove. This icon can be located both on the front and on the back of the plastic payment document. On VISA Infinite status cards, the image is applied a little differently. It is translucent and has an irregular shape.
Additional safety is provided by ultraviolet markings. You can't see them without special instruments. They show up when exposed to UV rays.
Not all VISA plastic documents bear the identity of the document owner.
On the outside of the card, the day and month of its expiration are indicated.
All plastic documents have a magnetized strip. It contains encoded account details and basic information about the owner of the VISA card: number, date, card validity period, owner's name, and so on.
On the back of the card, a unique code consisting of 3 numbers (CVV) is indicated. It is usually located to the right of the signature. This code is a guarantee of the financial security of the cardholder. In addition, it allows you to pay for purchases in virtual mode.
VISA payment documents are equipped with built-in chips, which contain a lot of information. Typically, chips are placed on the front sides of the cards.
On the back you can see a line in which the client puts his personal signature.

Plastic VISA Electron cards have their own characteristics.

The VISA Electron payment document identifier can be placed both on the reverse side and in the foreground.
Not all cards indicate full account numbers: they can consist of 8 numbers.
On one side of the card should be written: "Only for electronic use" (sometimes the inscription can be made in English).
VISA Electron cards may not have holograms or owners' names.

Use of VISA cards. Tips & Tricks

A plastic card is an important financial document. With it, you can pay for goods and services, withdraw funds from ATMs, and more. VISA cards bring comfort to our lives. However, in order to avoid unpleasant situations (for example, theft of money from an account), it is necessary to follow the rules for using plastic documents.

First of all, the card details should not be allowed to become known to third parties. If you have received a new plastic card in your hands, change the PIN code offered by the bank to your own. You will spend only a couple of minutes of time, but you will know for sure that the password of the card is not known to anyone except you. When creating a code, never use combinations that can be easily guessed (for example, a date of birth or a phone number).

When using a card for cashless payments, always check the check and sign it only after you are sure that the amount indicated on it is correct. Be sure to check all account entries. Moreover, it is very simple to do this: Internet banking provides the ability to view transaction history.

The loss of a plastic document should be immediately reported to the bank branch in order to block the card, then no one will be able to use it.

When paying for purchases in online stores with a virtual VISA card, be extremely careful: use the services of only those resources that have a good reputation among your friends and acquaintances. In addition, the Verifed by VISA logo placed on the website of the virtual outlet can also testify to the high quality of service.

When paying for online purchases, use SSL information transfer protocols: if a green indicator lights up in the address bar and a closed padlock icon is displayed, this means that the connection is secure.