Security Corner Blog

Whether you are paying for a meal, filling up a rental car, or buying something at the airport, a digital wallet can make summer travel more convenient. Services such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet allow you to store eligible payment cards on your phone or smartwatch and make purchases at participating businesses.

Digital wallets can also help limit how often you handle or expose your physical card. Depending on the service, the merchant receives a device-specific number or other payment credential instead of your full card number, and you generally must authenticate before completing a purchase.

While these features provide added security, they do not eliminate every risk. Protecting your phone, reviewing each payment, and recognizing travel-related scams can help you tap more safely throughout your trip.

Prepare Before You Leave

Start by protecting the device connected to your digital wallet. Use a strong screen-lock passcode and enable fingerprint or facial recognition when available. Turn on the device’s location and remote-lock features so you are prepared to locate, secure, or erase it if it is lost or stolen.

Use strong, unique passwords for your email, financial, and device accounts. Enable multifactor authentication when it is available. This adds another verification step and can help prevent someone from accessing an account with a stolen password alone.

Set up purchase and account alerts before leaving. Timely notifications can help you identify an unfamiliar transaction quickly, even when frequent travel purchases make your account activity look different than usual.

A digital wallet should not be your only way to pay. Your phone could be lost, damaged, or out of power, and not every merchant accepts contactless payments. Carry one backup card and keep it in a secure location separate from your phone.

Check Before You Tap

Before approving a digital wallet purchase, confirm the merchant and transaction amount. Do not tap or authenticate simply because someone directs you to do so.

Use established payment terminals whenever possible. If a terminal appears loose, damaged, altered, or out of place, do not use it. Ask an employee for another way to pay.

Although digital wallets can reduce the need to insert or swipe your physical card, they cannot protect you from approving a fraudulent payment yourself. Take a moment to verify what you are paying for before completing the transaction.

Watch for Travel-Related Payment Scams

Summer travelers may receive unexpected texts, emails, or calls claiming there is a problem with a hotel reservation, airline ticket, rental vehicle, toll, parking fee, or payment card.

Scammers may use fake travel websites, paid search advertisements, fraudulent customer-service numbers, or messages designed to imitate legitimate companies. Contact travel providers through their official app, an existing reservation, or a website you know is legitimate.

Fake toll and traffic violation messages are another concern. These messages may include a payment link or QR code and threaten late fees, court action, or suspension of your vehicle registration.

Do not scan a QR code or follow a payment link simply because a message looks official. Go directly to the company or agency’s known website to verify the request.

Be especially cautious when someone insists that you pay immediately through a payment app, wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency. These payment methods can be difficult to reverse after the money has been sent.

Protect Your Verification Codes

A scammer may claim that your digital wallet has been suspended or that a suspicious transaction needs to be canceled. The person may then ask for a one-time verification code sent to your phone.

Never share the code.

Verification codes are used to confirm your identity, access an account, or authorize an action. Giving one to a scammer could allow that person to access your account, reset a password, or add a payment card to another device.

End the communication and contact the company or financial institution using a trusted method, such as its official app or the number printed on your card.

Act Quickly If Your Phone Is Missing

If your phone is lost or stolen, use the device manufacturer’s official service to locate and remotely lock it. Depending on the device and settings, you may also be able to sign out or erase the phone, which can remove stored payment information.

Contact your financial institution and card issuers, review recent transactions, and report any activity you do not recognize. Continue monitoring your accounts after returning home because unauthorized charges may not appear immediately.

Digital wallets can offer a convenient and secure way to pay while traveling. By preparing your device, checking each transaction, and slowing down when a payment request seems urgent, you can enjoy the convenience without putting your financial accounts at unnecessary risk.

Add Your USSFCU Card to Your Digital Wallet

If you have not already, add your eligible USSFCU credit or debit card to your digital wallet for a convenient way to pay with an added layer of security while traveling.

Use myUSSFCU Online and Mobile Banking to review transactions, manage alerts, control eligible cards, and contact USSFCU through secure messaging.

This article is for educational purposes only.