Visa Europe today announced the trial of a new mobile service giving Visa cardholders instant transaction confirmation to their mobiles when they use their debit, credit, or prepaid card. The notifications, says Visa, will provide increased peace of mind when shopping, on a night out, or on holiday by instantly sending the time, location and amount of each transaction to the consumer's mobile.
Consumers will be able to choose to receive the alert via an SMS or email on any mobile device or to an application downloaded to a smartphone such as an iPhone or Android device.
Visa's mobile alert service will allow consumers to be in constant control of their card payments.
Sandra Alzetta, Senior Vice President of Innovation and New Product Development at Visa Europe says: "With Visa's mobile alert service, we want to offer cardholders the reassurance of knowing, in real-time, exactly where and when their card is being used. If something looks suspicious, this will give them the power to put a stop to any fraud taking place on their cards."
Visa is currently trialling the real-time alert service with its staff in the UK and working closely with member banks through which it will make the technology available to consumers.
"We have chosen the summer holiday season to test this proposition as it's the period when people travel most. Feedback from our current pilots indicates that consumers often receive the alerts before their cards are even handed back to them at the point of sale. This real-time capability makes Visa's solution unique," adds Alzetta.
Visa says that future developments could make it possible for consumers to customise the format and content of alerts to fit their individual needs. For example, instant conversion into the user's home currency while abroad will make it easier to keep on top of budgets.