Making a safe card even safer
 Keeping your financial information safe remains one of our key priorities. Chip & PIN, already widely used in many parts of the world, is the next evolution of the Canadian payments industry, helping to make an already safe system even more secure by providing enhanced protection against counterfeiting and card fraud. Over the next few years, MBNA Canada Bank (“MBNA”) will be incorporating Chip & PIN technology into our credit card products and services like the rest of the industry in Canada.
How Chip & PIN will affect you
The introduction of Chip & PIN involves embedding a microchip into your credit card. The microchip is encrypted, making it virtually impossible to duplicate, and it contains your personalized identification number (PIN). When you use your chip-enabled credit card in combination with your PIN at a retail location, like you do today with your debit card, your card will provide an added layer of protection, because your PIN is unique to you. |
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Things to know...
- Continue using your current MBNA issued credit card with confidence for your everyday purchases at stores, restaurants, gas stations and ATMs, just as you do today. The conversion to Chip & PIN technology will take a few years to complete and not all cards will be replaced at the same time. You will receive notification from MBNA before your new Chip & PIN card is sent. It is an automatic process and there is no action required from you at this time.
- In the meantime, be assured that all the transactions you make with your current MBNA credit card are just as secure as ever. Your MBNA account continues to be protected by MasterCard® Zero Liability.
- In addition, MBNA’s fraud detection systems continue to protect you around the clock and, as an MBNA customer, you have the option to enroll in programs such as MasterCard® SecureCode™ and Credit Alert® for even more security and peace of mind.
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Chip & PIN security provides enhanced protection for your credit card because it works as an additional security feature to the magnetic stripe on the back of your card. The Chip & PIN security feature involves embedding a microchip into your credit card. The microchip is encrypted, making it virtually impossible to duplicate, and it contains your personalized identification number (PIN). When you use your chip-enabled credit card in combination with your PIN at a retail location, like you do today with your debit card, your card will provide an added layer of protection, because your PIN is unique to you. |
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Chip & PIN is already widely used around the world and now it’s coming to Canada. Find out what this means to you by reviewing the following answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Show all answers
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Chip & PIN is state-of-the art technology, already widely used in many parts of the world, that provides enhanced protection for you against payment card counterfeiting and fraud. Chip & PIN is the next evolution of the Canadian payments industry that has started and will take the next few years to complete. |
Chip & PIN is being successfully used in other countries and is rapidly becoming the global standard in credit card security. Canadian banks and merchants are actively refitting their cash machines and point-of-sale terminals for Chip & PIN credit cards. These cards will retain the magnetic stripe on the back to ensure they can still be used at locations that do not offer Chip & PIN security. |
Instead of swiping your credit card and signing your name at a point-of-sale terminal, you will enter a 4-digit PIN into a PIN pad to authorize your transaction. If your merchant does not have a PIN pad or if you have not yet received a Chip & PIN card, you will have to swipe your card and sign the receipt as you’ve always done. |
You’ll be able to use your Chip & PIN credit card for online transactions. Simply follow the same procedure that you would for using a non-Chip & PIN credit card. |
While the magnetic stripe technology is extremely secure, chip cards and chip card terminals work together to make a highly secure transaction system even more secure by electronically validating both the card and the cardholder.
When used in combination with a personal identification number (PIN) for transaction authorization (as you do at an ATM today), your chip-enabled credit card will provide you with an even higher level of security and peace of mind. |
No. There is no additional cost to our customers. |
We will begin replacing MBNA issued credit cards with chip cards in 2010. Not all cards will be replaced at the same time and the process will take a few years to complete given the vast number of cards currently in the marketplace. You will receive notification from MBNA before your new Chip & PIN card is sent. It is an automatic process and there is no action required from you until then. Simply continue using your current MBNA issued credit card with confidence, as you do today. |
Your PIN is a 4-digit personal identification number that verifies you as the authorized user of your credit card. When you receive your Chip & PIN card from us, we’ll provide you with a PIN and an opportunity to change it to a more personalized number that you’ll more easily remember. |
Your PIN is a key security element of transactions made with your MBNA issued credit card. It is very important that you remember your PIN. Do not write it down or disclose it to anyone. Always safeguard your PIN and take the steps necessary to protect it and yourself from potential card fraud:
- Never disclose your PIN to anyone including financial institution employees, law enforcement agencies, friends or even your family members.
- Choose a PIN that’s easy for you to remember and known only to you. You should consider changing your PIN from time to time.
- Avoid using numbers that can be easily inferred from your personal information, such as your date of birth, address, social insurance number, phone number, etc.
- Do not write down your PIN or store it electronically.
- Always shield the PIN pad when entering your PIN.
- If you travel, it is recommended that you choose a 4-digit PIN, as some overseas terminals are not programmed to accept anything more than 4 digits.
- If you suspect that your PIN has been compromised, change it immediately.
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If your card is lost or stolen, please call us immediately. |
You can learn more about Chip & PIN on the MasterCard® website. |
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What is Chip & PIN security?