Visa Mobile FAQ

The Android platform is Google's mobile phone operating system. It is a software stack for mobile devices and includes an operating system, middleware, and key applications. Visa Mobile is only available for mobile phones that use Google's Android operating system.

Visa Mobile is a set of applications developed for the Android platform. This program initially delivers three services (Alerts, Offers, and Locator) that make your life easier, improve your ability to manage and protect your Visa cards, and get valuable offers from merchants.

Visa mobile services developed for the Android platform include:

• Alerts: You receive near-real-time notification of purchase activity based on customized preferences. You can personalize the types of alerts delivered to your mobile device, such as the size of the transaction, or whether the transaction is in foreign currency.
• Offers: You receive offers from merchants directly to your mobile phone. These offers range from discounts to loyalty offers.
• Locator: The Locator service is integrated with technology developed by Google, such as Google Maps and Google location-based services, to show you nearby locations of merchants sending offers, or of an ATM that accepts Visa. The location is called out on a map displayed on the mobile phone's screen.

Only select Visa cardholders who receive an invitation from their issuing bank are eligible to participate.

Yes, you must have a T-Mobile G1 mobile phone and be enrolled in T-Mobile's data services.

Currently, T-Mobile is the only mobile service provider through which Visa Mobile is available.

If you received an invitation from your issuer, enroll by following the instructions you received in your invitation.

Visa does not charge for these services; however, standard text messaging rates from your mobile service provider may apply to SMS messages that you receive as part of the service. You should consult your plan and if you have any questions about whether you are charged for standard text messages, please consult your mobile service provider's customer service.

To take advantage of the services offered through Visa Mobile, you must meet the following prerequisites:

• Be selected by your issuer to participate in Visa Mobile
• Have a Gmail account (a Google requirement for anyone who wants to use an Android device). You can register for a Gmail account online at https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount or the mobile phone will walk you through a step-by-step process to set up a Gmail account
• Have a T-Mobile G1 mobile phone.
• Be a T-Mobile customer enrolled in T-Mobile's data service.
• Download Visa Mobile to your mobile phone.

You must provide your:

• Email address.
• Eligible Visa card number and expiration date.
• First and last name.
• Visa card's billing address.

You can enroll one mobile phone per email address.

You can enroll up to five Visa cards per mobile phone, as long as the issuer has selected each card for participation in Visa Mobile.

Visa needs your full Visa card number for enrollment to:

• Help Visa identify you as eligible to participate in Visa Mobile.
• Ensure that purchase-based alerts are sent to the appropriate Visa card.
• Track and qualify promotions that offer a statement credit.
• Post statement credits to your account.

Yes. Your personal information is collected and passed to a secure Visa server through an encrypted HTTPS IP connection.

No, at this time only the Visa cards your issuer has identified for participation are eligible for enrollment. Visa Mobile is presently not available on all Chase Visa cards. Currently this service is not available if you have one of our partner cards (e.g., airline, retail or university partners).

To enroll in Visa Mobile, follow these steps:

1. Download Visa Mobile from the Android Market icon on your mobile phone. Please note that you cannot enroll in Visa Mobile from your computer. You must download the application and enroll from your mobile phone.
   When the application is successfully downloaded, Visa Mobile is represented by a Visa Mobile icon in your mobile phone's application folder.
2. Launch Visa Mobile to begin the enrollment process (when enrolling the first card).
3. The Welcome to Visa Mobile screen appears to inform you that enrollment is necessary.
4. Select Continue to open the "Terms and Conditions" screen. Scroll down to select I Agree to accept the terms and conditions of enrollment.
5. The Step 1 of 3 Set Up Your Email screen appears. You are prompted to enter an email address and confirm it. If the Visa Mobile application cannot verify your mobile phone number, you must enter it on this screen.
6. Enter your email address, and, in some instances, your mobile phone number, and select Continue.
   If the email addresses do not match, the Email Addresses Don't Match screen appears. If this occurs, select Try Again to re-open the Set Up Your Email screen.
7. The Step 2 of 3 Enter Visa Card Number screen appears.
8. Enter your 16-digit Visa card number and expiration date, and then select Continue.
9. Upon successful authentication of your Visa card number and expiration date, the Step 3 of 3 Enter Personal Information screen appears.
10. Enter your first and last name, billing address, city, state, and ZIP code, and select Continue. You must use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to see all the fields on the Enter Personal Information screen.
11. The You're All Set screen appears.
12. Select Continue to open the Alerts Delay screen. This screen notifies you that alerts do not start immediately.
13. Select Later to open the Visa Mobile Splash screen. You can select Alerts, Offers, Locator, Settings, or About Visa Mobile.
    
    Select OK to enroll additional cards.
    
    Visa verifies your address information, which takes at least 48 hours. If the address information is incorrect, an Address Not Verified screen is displayed. You cannot select and customize your alerts until your address information has been successfully verified.

If you lose your mobile phone and want to cancel your enrollment in Visa Mobile, you should opt-out of the program. When you have a new mobile phone you can re-enroll in Visa Mobile.

Contact Visa Support for assistance with opting out.

No, your data is not stored on your mobile phone. Your personal information is stored on a secure Visa server.

If you lose your Visa card or it expires, please contact your issuer to replace your Visa card. When you receive a new card, you must re-enroll in Visa Mobile.

You will receive any available offers immediately upon completing enrollment.

Before you begin to receive alerts, Visa must verify your address information. This may take up to 48 hours after enrollment. When Visa has successfully verified your address, Visa Mobile notifies you that you have the option of selecting the alerts you want to receive and specifying the alert settings. You will receive alerts after you set up your alerts and make a qualifying signature-based purchase transaction.

To enroll additional Visa cards that your issuer has identified as eligible for participation in Visa Mobile, follow these steps:

1. Open Visa Mobile to display the splash screen.
2. From the Visa Mobile splash screen, select Settings to open the Account Settings screen.
3. On the Account Settings screen, select Add a Card to open the Preferences screen. The Preferences screen is prefilled with your previously entered first and last name and address information. You can edit these fields, if necessary.
4. In the Card Number field, enter the 16-digit Visa card number.
5. In the Exp Date field, enter the Visa card's expiration date.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Add Account.

In the Visa Mobile Account Settings screen, select Delete next to the card you want to remove.

Only Visa cards that the issuer has selected for participation are eligible to enroll. Please contact your issuer for information. Visa Mobile is presently not available on all Chase Visa cards. Currently this service is not available if you have one of our partner cards (e.g., airline, retail or university partners).

Each time you start Visa Mobile, the application checks to see if there is a more recent version. If there is, Visa Mobile notifies you to delete the existing application and manually install the newer version. You also have to re-enroll and re-set your alerts.

Use the mobile phone's standard process for deleting an application.

If you did not opt-out of Visa Mobile in its entirety before uninstalling the application, you will continue to receive SMS messages. To opt-out of participating in Visa Mobile in its entirety at any time, you may take one of the following actions:

• Text "STOP", "END", CANCEL", or "UNSUBSCRIBE" to MVISA.
• Reply using "STOP", "END", CANCEL", or "UNSUBSCRIBE" to any SMS message you received as part of Visa Mobile.

Yes, your existing offers and alerts reload to the new version of the application.

To opt-out of participating in Visa Mobile in its entirety at any time, you may take one of the following actions:

• Text "STOP", "END", CANCEL", or "UNSUBSCRIBE" to MVISA.
• Reply using "STOP", "END", CANCEL", or "UNSUBSCRIBE" to any SMS message you received as part of Visa Mobile.

For all mobile phone and T-Mobile inquiries, please contact T-Mobile directly.

Alerts are notifications that Visa sends to you to help you manage and track your Visa signature-based purchase transactions. They are near-real-time notifications based on your customized alert settings. You can select specific alerts and specify the settings for the alerts you want to receive (for example, the option to be notified when a transaction exceeds a specific value). Alerts include the amount of the transaction, date and time the transaction occurred, merchant name and location (if available), and information about how to contact the issuer. There is no direct link to the issuer's customer support staff from the alert.

The advantages of the Alerts service are:

• Enables you to monitor your card's signature-based purchase transactions in near-real-time.
• Offers you peace of mind by providing timely information that can lead to proactive awareness and potential fraud monitoring.
• Provides a tool to help you manage your money.

You can select and customize the following alerts:

• Transaction size threshold (for example, an alert is triggered if the card is used for a purchase that is greater than $100).
• International transaction (for example, an alert is triggered if a purchase is made with euros).

Visa does not charge for the Alert service; however, standard text messaging rates from your mobile service provider may apply to SMS alert messages. You should consult your plan and if you have any questions about whether you are charged for standard text messages, please contact your mobile service provider’s customer service.

The Alerts service is part of Visa Mobile. You must enroll in Visa Mobile to receive alerts.

No. For your protection, only the last four digits of your Visa card number are displayed in an alert.

No, you must re-enroll with your new Visa card number and expiration date.

Your authorized user must meet the prerequisites for enrollment and enroll in Visa Mobile to receive the Alerts service.

When you enroll in Visa Mobile, your information is captured and stored in a Visa database for offline verification. While your information is being verified, you do not receive alerts. Upon verification, Visa Mobile notifies you that you can select the alerts you want to receive and customize the settings that trigger the alerts.

Upon Visa’s successful verification of your information, Visa Mobile displays a message screen that informs you that you can customize your alert settings. You can receive an alert for:

• Purchases that exceed a specified dollar amount.
• Transactions that take place outside the U.S.

1. Open Alerts and select Settings. The Alert Settings screen opens.
2. Threshold Transactions: Enter the dollar amount of the threshold alert. If you make a signature-based purchase transaction that is greater than the amount entered in this field, you receive an alert.
   1. The default threshold amount is $100.00 dollars. You can change this to any full dollar amount. (e.g., $1.25 is not acceptable).
   2. The minimum threshold amount is $2.00 dollars. If you enter an amount less than $2.00, an error message is displayed and the default amount of $100.00 is displayed in the field.
   3. This is an on/off field and is automatically on. If you don’t want to receive threshold transaction alerts, turn the field off.
3. International Transactions: This is an on/off field. Turn the field on it if you want to receive alerts when your enrolled Visa card is used to make a purchase in a foreign currency or from a merchant whose business address is not in the U.S.

Alerts are delivered to two locations:

• The Visa Mobile application on your mobile phone.
• Your mobile phone’s default SMS inbox.

The receipt of a corresponding SMS triggers the handset setting that you have set up (i.e., tone, vibration, or other related features).

No, you receive only one alert according to the following hierarchy:

1. International transactions for any transaction amount trigger an international transaction alert.
2. Online transactions that meet your threshold setting trigger a threshold transaction alert that contains an online purchase message.
3. Face-to-face purchase transactions that meet your threshold setting trigger a threshold transaction alert.

No, you receive alerts for purchase transactions only, not for returns or adjustments.

Yes, you can delete alerts from the Alerts area.

Your email address is used only to enroll in Visa Mobile. Visa does not send alerts via email.

Yes, if you both have the same Visa card number.

To opt-out of receiving alerts at any time, you may take one of the following actions:

• Text “alerts STOP” to MVISA.
• Reply using “alerts STOP” to any SMS message you received as part of Visa Mobile.

Check to see if the unfamiliar transaction is one of the following:

• An automatic bill payment you set up for a recurring service (like cable or telephone).
• A large purchase that was divided into smaller transactions.
• An aggregated charge (several small purchases combined into one, such as buying $0.99 songs online).
• Initiated by an authorized cardholder who has the same Visa card number.
• An authorization charge from a restaurant or hotel.

This rarely occurs, but it can happen if a merchant:

• Is a portal, meaning the merchant sells merchandise from other merchants (e.g., Amazon.com). If your purchase has multiple items, each merchant may charge separately for its portion.
• Bills taxes separately from the total sale, as airlines often do.
• Has to re-send the transaction information to Visa because the initial authorization expired.

Certain transactions, such as buying $0.99 songs online, are aggregated into one large transaction. If the aggregated purchase amount meets a transaction threshold, it triggers a single alert.

Occasionally an alert is delayed if a merchant does not immediately submit your transaction information to Visa for processing. The merchant may be waiting until your order ships to do so or may not have immediate access to a power source for transmitting data.

Visa will not send an alert if the:

• Dollar amount of your transaction is lower than what you set for your alerts.
• Merchant processes transactions through the bank’s system instead of Visa’s.
• Merchant has not yet submitted the transaction information to Visa.

Alerts are triggered based on the initial authorization amount that the restaurant send to Visa, which may or may not include the estimate tip.

Alerts are triggered based on the initial authorization amount the hotel sends to Visa, which doesn’t include discretionary charges, such as room service, parking, dry cleaning, and wireless service.

Some businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and rental car companies, send an estimated amount of the transaction to Visa for an initial authorization. If the estimated amount meets the transaction amount threshold that you have set up, Visa sends you an alert to let you know that your card has been used, without specifying the amount.

The merchant’s name is provided in the alert if it has been sent to Visa and is availabile.

Your issuer may be able to help you determine the merchant’s actual location.

Alerts are stored in the Alerts area of Visa Mobile. You can view, sort, and delete alerts.

The Alerts are in the Visa Mobile application has a preconfigured limit of 75 alerts. When the Alerts area reaches the configured limit, the oldest alert is automatically deleted.

No, alerts do not expire. You can delete alerts from Visa Mobile and from the mobile phone’s default SMS inbox. Also, when the Alerts are in Visa Mobile is full, the oldest alert is automatically deleted when you receive a new alert.

The Offers service extends Visa’s existing loyalty capabilities to the mobile channel by delivering merchant discounts and special offers to you via your mobile phone. Offers are stored and displayed in Visa Mobile on the mobile phone, which eliminates the need for you to present a paper coupon at the point of sale.

The benefits of the Offers service include the following:

• Provides you with the convenience of receiving and storing offers on the mobile phone.
• For some offers, eliminates the need for you to clip and save a paper coupon by providing the convenience of receiving and storing an offer on the mobile phone.
  NOTE: Not all offers require you to present a coupon or enter a redemption code. These offers are fulfilled by sending a monetary credit to your statement.
• Applies discounts automatically to your statement, when discounts are fulfilled using statement credits.

The Offers service includes a variety of offer types including:

• In-store discounts: Visit the merchant’s retail location and show the cashier the offer on your mobile phone to receive the discount on the purchase price.
• Online and telephone order discounts: Enter the offer’s merchant URL and, in some cases, a unique code, to receive a discount on the purchase price.
• Statement credit: Visit the merchant’s retail location and make a purchase using the enrolled Visa card. The discount is credited to your Visa card and appears as a credit on a future statement.

Visa does not charge for the Offers service, however standard text messaging rates from your mobile service provider may apply to SMS offer messages. You should consult your plan and if you have any questions about whether you are charged for standard text messages, please consult your mobile service provider’s customer service.

No, your Visa card number is not referenced in any of the offers.

The Offers service is part of Visa Mobile. You must enroll in Visa Mobile to receive offers.

Offers are delivered to two locations:

• The Visa Mobile application on your mobile phone
• Your mobile phone’s default SMS inbox

You cannot set preferences for offers at this time.

You begin to receive offers immediately upon successful enrollment in Visa Mobile.

The receipt of a corresponding SMS triggers the handset setting that you have set up (i.e., tone, vibration, or other related features).

Yes, you can delete offers from Visa Mobile

To opt-out of receiving offers at any time, you may take one of the following actions:

• Text “offers STOP” to MVISA.
• Reply using “offers STOP” to any SMS message you received as part of Visa Mobile.

How you redeem an offer depends on the type of offer.

In-store redemption:
Visit the merchant’s retail location and show the cashier the offer displayed on your mobile phone. The merchant discounts the price and you pay for your purchase using your enrolled Visa card.

Online redemption and telephone orders:
Online and telephone order redemption applies the discount directly to the purchase price. Online offers may also offer statement credit redemption.

There are three types of online redemption URLs in an offer:

1. Basic URL and unique code:
   • Go to the URL and enter the unique code OR
   • Telephone the merchant and provide the unique code
2. URL containing referral logic and unique code:
   • Go to the URL and enter the unique code OR
   • Telephone the merchant and provide the unique code
3. URL automatically applies the discount:
   • Go to the URL (there is no code)

• Spend and Get Promotions:
  • Transaction count, including thresholds (e.g., transact three times and get the predetermined value of the fourth one credited to a future statement).
  • Sales volume, including thresholds (e.g., spend $50.00 in the month of March and get $10.00 credited to a future statement).
  • Thresholds include the following:
    • Merchant location (i.e., country, state, city, state, ZIP code, street address).
    • Month, week, day, or date.
    • Time of day (e.g., 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
    • Custom thresholds requested by the merchant (e.g., consumer can only receive up to $1000 or one redemption during the promotion period).
• Discount offers:
  Automates traditional paper-based coupon programs (e.g., 10% discount off the next purchase from the participating merchant). A discount is calculated from the net purchase amount and is credited to a future statement.

Yes, as stated in the terms and conditions, to get the discount you must pay using the Visa card that you enrolled in Visa Mobile.

Not all offers include specific terms and conditions. If an offer includes terms and conditions, you can display them on your mobile phone screen.

No. These offers are for your use only and may not be shared or distributed. Also, some offers are valid for one use only.

Yes, but only in cases where showing your mobile phone is a requirement for redemption (such as presenting the offer on your mobile phone to the cashier at the point of sale).

Offers are stored in Visa Mobile. You can view, delete, and redeem offers.

Yes, all offers have an expiration date.

The Locator service makes it easy for you to get cash and other services from Visa ATMs and find nearby merchant locations to redeem offers. The Locator service shows the location of Visa ATMs and merchant locations on a Google Map displayed on your mobile phone. You have the option of displaying only ATM locations or merchant locations or both at the same time. You can generate a Google Map that contains directions from the mobile phone’s current location to a selected ATM or merchant location.

The Locator service offers the following benefits:

• Provides you with the convenience and speed of on-demand lookup for directions from the location of your mobile phone to a selected ATM or merchant location.
• Facilitates your access to Visa ATMs.
• Enables you to locate nearby merchant locations where offers can be redeemed.

You can access the Locator service from Visa Mobile. Locator integrates with Google Maps to automatically display the locations of all Visa ATMs and merchants that have sent offers within a 25-mile radius of the mobile phone’s location. ATMs are indicated by blue symbols and merchant locations by gold symbols.

To get address information about a specific ATM for merchant, click on the symbol that represents the ATM or merchant. The address is displayed.

To get directions, select “Get Directions” to get turn-by-turn directions from the mobile phone’s location to the selected location.