Black Friday is already here. Big companies choose different days in November to announce their massive discounts on products and services. Black Friday is no more just for a day but a whole month. The news is great for you if you are one of the millions of people around the world who can’t wait for it to come so they can get equipment and furniture, stylish clothes and accessories, beauty products and other products at lower prices.
This year, Black Friday will again make people from all around the world take advantage of the best offers. The pandemic and restrictions will turn the Internet into the most wanted place for shopping.
Unfortunately, except for the incredible offers, the Internet also hides many dangers. The risk of online frauds is bigger when everyone pays attention to the low prices and good deals and forgets the measures of safety. We at iCard know how important it is to be prepared for the risks. That’s why we have created a list of helpful tips for you to keep in mind when shopping online on Black Friday.
What to prepare in advance for Black Friday?
1. Set a budget
On Black Friday is not hard to buy items that you don’t need. All offers are tempting and it is not easy to resist buying when you see a big discount. To be sure that you will not spend more money than necessary, set a budget. Choose an amount you want to set aside for shopping on Black Friday.
Open an additional account in iCard in the currency, in which you will make your purchases and top it up with a certain amount of money. This way, you will be able to pay for them with the funds you have already prepared and you can be sure that you will not be able to spend more than necessary. After Black Friday is over, you can use the account for whatever you want – from setting money aside for monthly bills to saving for your next big purchase. In fact, with iCard, you can open up to 3 accounts in each of the 7 currencies in the digital wallet. You can have up to 18 IBAN free accounts.
2. Get a virtual card
If you don’t want to provide your card data to certain merchants, use virtual cards by iCard to pay for the items you want to buy on Black Friday and then block or freeze the cards. They are payment instruments that have no physical carrier. The cards are specially designed for online purchases, but you can also use them in retail stores by adding them to Apple Pay, Google Pay or Garmin Pay.
When you open an account in iCard you get two free virtual cards – Visa and Mastercard, and the issuance fee of an additional one is 1 EUR. Use a virtual card for the big shopping and then freeze it. This way, you can be sure that a third party will not have access to the funds in your account. After each purchase, freeze your cards and unfreeze them before the next one. Don’t worry if you want to delete the virtual card you used on Black Friday. You can add up to 20 virtual cards to your digital wallet (including those you’ve already deleted).
What to do while shopping?
3. Pay securely with Apple Pay and Google Pay
When you pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay in websites and apps, the sensitive data on your card does not reach the merchant. If you decide not to use a virtual card and to use one of the other debit cards you already have in your digital wallet, be sure that your information will also be fully protected.
Apple Pay replaces the card data with a one-time transaction code. Google Pay uses Visa “token” technology and also replaces sensitive payment card data. Feel safe and know that your sensitive information will not be saved or used by third parties.
4. Keep track of your transaction notifications
To make sure that no unauthorised payments have been made from your account, it is necessary to keep track of the notifications you receive from the iCard app. For each transaction with iCard, we will send you a real-time push notification that informs you about the amount spent and place of payment.
If you receive a notification for purchase in a physical store that isn’t yours, open the iCard app and immediately freeze the card with which it was made. Then contact us at +44 20 3129 1213.
5. Confirm all your online payments in the iCard app
iCard give its customers the highest level of security. That’s why we implemented 3D Secure 2.0 for safe online payments. Here is how it works: you receive a push notification for each transaction made on the physical POS and the Internet. Thanks to 3DS2, every time you shop on a website or in an app, you will be asked to confirm the transaction. To do this, you will need to open the notification you will receive on your phone and choose whether you want to accept or reject the transaction. Be sure that the payments you make are completely secure and enjoy safe online shopping.
What to do after the shopping?
6. Check the statements of your account
To be sure that the funds in your account are not used by third parties, you can check your statements at any time. Find them easily in the app or download them as a file. Keep track of each incoming and outgoing transaction.
Here’s how you can download a statement from the iCard mobile app:
1. Open the menu and choose “Accounts”;
2. Press the dots at the right corner of the account you want the statement of;
3. Choose “Statements” and then the month.
Black Friday in iCard! 1 month, 2 products, 50% off
We also wanted to give you unique offers you can’t resist. In November, you can get two of the favourite payment instruments by iCard at half price. Get a stylish NFC key fob or an annual subscription for a premium Visa Infinite card with a 50% discount. Feel the freedom of payments and grab one now. Hurry up, the number is limited.
Download iCard now and enjoy safe shopping:
