You can use a modern smartphone to pay at the till or for online banking. Read this article to discover what you need to take care of when switching smartphones. Plus, we’ll explain how to add your virtual cards and mobile banking information to your new phone.
Online banking via app and mobile wallets
When you get a new smartphone, it’s essential that you make sure no-one can access the data from your old smartphone before you get rid of it or give it to someone else. If you were using your old smartphone for online or mobile banking, you probably downloaded two apps to do so: the app provided by your bank and, possibly, a TAN (transaction authentication number) app that you used to confirm any transactions.
If you were using your smartphone to make payments, your ‘digital wallet’ contains information on either your debit card (the most common debit card in Germany is the girocard) or your credit card. Your digital wallet may be an app provided by your bank, or perhaps by a third party, such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Uninstall or return to factory settings
Before you start using your new phone, it’s very important that you take the time to uninstall any apps you use to manage your finances (such as banking, TAN or wallet apps) from your old phone. Doing so ensures that your information remains secure.
Of course, you might also choose to perform a factory reset on your old phone, which will uninstall your banking apps and digital wallets. However, it’s important to note that a factory reset will delete all apps and data on your old device immediately. This option is really only a good idea if you are not planning to continue to use your old smartphone in any way.
Reinstall your banking apps and restore your virtual cards
To set up your new smartphone, you’ll want to install your banking app, and, if your bank requires one, the associated TAN app on your new device, then add your virtual cards to your new smartphone.
To install a banking app, you will usually need your online banking login name and password, or some other kind of security feature.
If you want to use a virtual girocard for mobile payments, it is fairly easy to reload the card into the app. However, if you want to pay with a virtual Visa or Mastercard, you will have to add that card to your wallet again. This is because the virtual version of these cards are exact images of the physical cards.
It is definitely worth taking the time to speak to customer support at your bank or do some online research to find out how to go about adding apps and cards to your new device. In some cases, it may take a few days to activate the banking and TAN apps on your new phone.
Misplaced or stolen phone? Cancel your online-banking access and virtual cards
If you lose your smartphone, or if it is stolen, it’s very important that you block access to your online bank account and cancel your virtual cards.
The best way to do this is by calling the number your bank provides for this purpose, which you can usually find on the bank’s website. If your card was issued by a German bank, you can also call the central “Sperrnotrufe”, or cancellation hotlines. These are available 24/7 by calling 116 116 from within Germany or +49 30 4050 4050 from abroad.
And don’t forget: if you no longer have access to your phone because it has been lost or stolen, you should contact your mobile network provider immediately and have them deactivate your SIM card to protect your data. If your phone was stolen, you will also need to report the theft to the police.
