New technology is making everyday purchases faster, easier, and more secure.
By Regan Carlo, VP of Operations
The way people pay for things is changing. Swiping a card is quickly giving way to a tap, and carrying a physical wallet is becoming optional for many everyday purchases. If you haven’t yet tried tap-to-pay or added your Metco debit card to a digital wallet, this is a good time to understand how these options work, how they keep your information safe, and how easy it is to get started.
Your Metco debit card is enabled for contactless payments. At any checkout terminal that displays the contactless symbol — four curved lines, similar to a Wi-Fi icon on its side — you can simply tap your card on the reader instead of swiping or inserting it. The transaction completes in seconds.
Contactless payments use near-field communication (NFC) technology, which allows your card and the terminal to exchange payment information wirelessly over a very short distance. The terminal has to be within an inch or two of your card for the tap to register, which means a passerby can’t accidentally capture your payment data from across the room.
Tap-to-pay is a natural fit for everyday purchases — groceries, coffee, fuel, quick-service restaurants — anywhere speed and convenience matter.
Your Metco debit card can also be added to a digital wallet on your smartphone or smartwatch. Popular options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Once your card is loaded, your device becomes your payment method — tap your phone or watch at any contactless terminal and the transaction works just like a card tap.
Digital wallets also work beyond the checkout counter:
Security is the question most people ask first, and it’s a fair one. The short answer is that tap-to-pay and digital wallets are designed with multiple layers of protection — in some respects more than a traditional swipe.
Both methods use advanced encryption to protect your payment data during the transaction. More importantly, when you pay with a digital wallet, your actual Metco debit card number is never transmitted to the merchant. Instead, a unique digital token is used for each transaction. Even if a merchant’s system were ever compromised, your real card number would not be among the exposed data.
Adding your debit card to a digital wallet also involves a verification step before it’s activated. This is handled through SHAZAM, Metco’s payment network, to confirm that you — and only you — authorized the card to be added. You’ll be asked to verify your identity through one of two methods:
Until verification is complete, the card remains inactive in the wallet. This process ensures that no one else can add your Metco debit card to their device without your knowledge.
This is one of the most common concerns, and here’s the reassuring part: losing your phone is not the same as losing your debit card. Because your actual card number is never stored on your device or shared during transactions, whoever finds your phone does not have access to your card number.
If your phone is lost or stolen, you have two immediate options:
In most cases, there is no need to immediately cancel your debit card or order a replacement — the digital token and the physical card are separate. You can address the lost phone without disrupting your ability to use your card at the ATM or for other purchases in the meantime.
Getting set up takes just a few minutes. Here’s how:
If you have questions along the way, Metco’s team is available to help. Stop by, give us a call at 319-398-5007, or visit https://metcocu.org/card-services/debit-card/ to learn more.
