How to block the magnetic stripe on my card?

There are multiple ways to make a card payment: contactless (“tapping” your card), chip & PIN and Magnetic Stripe, where you swipe your card through a reader. While magnetic stripe transactions are less and less common, some merchants still require you to pay with this method.

Why should I block magnetic stripe transactions?

Magnetic stripe payments make up a relatively high proportion of fraud related card transactions. Some merchants have fraudulent systems to copy the information of your card and subsequently use it to make fraudulent transactions - this process is known as "card skimming". By blocking magnetic stripe transactions you can protect yourself against this risk.

How can I block/unblock Magnetic Stripe transactions?

In order to block magnetic stripe transactions: 

  1. Go to Cards. 
  2. If you have multiple cards, select the card you want.
  3. Tap Magnetic stripe.
  4. Toggle Enable magnetic stripe.

Here, you can also unblock the magnetic stripe again. The changes you make are applied instantly to the card you’ve chosen.

Note that the magnetic stripe usually has to be active in order to pay at tolls.