Visa cards – Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do if my card is lost, stolen or misused?
You must contact us immediately, even if you are overseas. Go to our Lost, Stolen or Misused Card page to find out how to contact us. How do I advise Police Credit of an unauthorised or unknown transaction on my Visa credit or debit card account? To report an unauthorised or unknown transaction on your Visa credit card account, call Member Response during business hours on 13 63 73 option 3 (8am - 5pm, Monday to Friday). If outside business hours, call the 24-hour Visa Emergency Hotline on 1800 648 027. How do I lodge a chargeback claim?If you do dispute or do not recognise a card transaction, you should contact us immediately to report the unauthorised transaction and seek to lodge a chargeback claim, call Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3 (8am - 5pm, Monday to Friday). If overseas, call +613 9268 9373. What does my Visa debit card allow me to access? Your Visa debit card enables you to:  Access cash at ATMs worldwide displaying the Visa symbol using the 'savings' button on your Multipack or Ezepay at -call account or the 'cheque' button to access the funds in your Line of Credit.
Purchase goods and services at merchants worldwide displaying the Visa symbol selecting either the savings/cheque or credit button. Purchase goods and obtain cash at eftpos terminals throughout Australia using the 'savings' button on your Multipack or Ezepay at -call account or the 'cheque' button to access the funds in your Line of Credit. Purchase goods online or over the phone
How can I apply for a Visa credit card? There are many ways to apply for a Visa credit card: Submit an online application via our website Download and either email Police Credit or print and post the completed application form to Reply Paid 669, Police Credit, Carlton South, Vic 3053 Fax the completed application form to (03) 9268 9294 Call Phone-A-Loan on 13 63 73 option 4 Visit a branch and fill out an application form How long does the credit card application process take?To ensure that your application is processed as quickly as possible, check that you have answered all the questions on your application form and attached all the required information. You will receive confirmation of approval within 24 hours or the next business day. You will generally receive your new card within 5 – 7 working days of approval. Are there limits on the amount of Visa Gold Cash Back rewards dollars I can accrue? Yes. Rewards are capped to a value of $5,000 spent each month (or ie up to $60,000 per annum). Can I alter my credit card payment due date? No. Can I switch credit card products, from Silver to Gold or Gold to Silver? Yes. Please ensure that you refer to the Comparison Table as the products do differ. If the same credit limit or a lesser limit is required, you do not need to reapply. If your switch includes a limit increase, you will need to complete a Visa Credit Card Limit Increase form (mail your completed form back to us at: Reply Paid 669, Police Credit, PO Box 669, Carlton South, VIC 3053), visit a branch or call Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. Can I transfer funds from my other Police Credit accounts to my Police Credit credit card account? You can transfer funds from other Police Credit accounts to your Police Credit credit card account via online banking or Rapid Response – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To register for these services, call Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. Can I view the history of my card transactions online or hear them on telephone banking? Yes. Log on to online banking and select your card type Gold (S16) or Silver (S15), or account type if it is a debit card or call Rapid Response and choose, option 1 then press 4 (for savings and credit balances). Can the additional cardholder make payments towards the card account? Yes. If you are an additional cardholder you can make payments towards your Visa credit card through: online banking and transfer the payment to the primary cardholder’s account Rapid Response telephone banking on 13 63 73 and choose option 1, followed by 1 to “transfer money between selected accounts”, then 2 “to transfer funds to another member’s account”. Please note to make payments via Rapid Response, you will need to prearrange a link to the Visa card account to your PC account structure. To link this account to your account structure please call Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. Do I need to activate my Visa card? If so, how do I activate my Visa card? Yes whether you are the primary cardholder or additional cardholder you will need to activate your own Visa card. You can activate your PC Visa credit card by calling Rapid Response telephone banking on 13 63 73 option 1, then 6 for card activation. Alternatively you can activate your Visa card via internet banking, click “Other” on the main menu, then “Card Activation”. How do I accumulate Visa Gold credit card Cash Back Rewards? You will earn $1.00 for every $250 spent using your Visa Gold credit card. Cash Back Rewards are subject to credit purchases where you are required to provide a signature, BPAY payments, or purchases over the telephone or online. Cash advances do not accumulate Cash Back Rewards. How do I add or remove an additional cardholder from my card account? You can add an additional cardholder by completing the application form, calling Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3 or visiting a branch.
The additional cardholder must be over 15 years of age and needs to be adequately identified if not an existing PC member or cardholder. All transactions are the responsibility of the account holder. To have an additional cardholder removed, call Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. How do I close my credit card account? Providing the balance is paid in full, you may cancel your card at any time by sending a written request to: Reply Paid 669, Police Credit, PO Box 669, Carlton South, VIC 3053 How do I decrease my credit limit? You can apply to decrease your credit limit by visiting a branch or calling Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. We will send you written confirmation of your limit decrease. Your must reduce the debt below the limit first. How do I increase my credit limit? You can apply to increase your credit limit by completing the Visa Credit Card Limit Increase form (mail your completed form back to us at: Reply Paid 669, Police Credit, PO Box 669, Carlton South, VIC 3053), visiting a PC branch or calling Member Response on 13 63 73 option 3. How do I know how many Cash Back Rewards I’ve accumulated? Your member rewards are printed on your monthly credit card statements. Each month, the year-to-date summary shows the Cash Back Rewards accruing towards your end of year total. How do I make a payment to my card account while I’m away? There are a number of payment options: Internet or mobile banking Call Rapid Response on +613 9268 9373 Regular payment – arrange a regular payment to be debited from a nominated account to pay a your PC card account. How do I make payments towards my card account? You can choose from a range of credit card payment methods: Regular payment Internet or mobile banking PC branch Mail via cheque Rapid Response Direct or salary credit
How do I transfer my existing credit card balance with another bank/credit union to a Police Credit Visa credit card? You can transfer your existing credit card balance to a Police Credit Visa credit card by completing the Balance Transfer Request section on the Visa Credit Card Application form. Or if you already have a PC Visa credit card, complete the Visa Credit Card Additional Cardholder / Balance Transfer Request form. How much do I need to pay toward my monthly card account? Your statements will show the minimum payment, including how much you would need to pay if you wanted to repay the debt within two years. You can always pay more than the minimum. Your monthly payments are calculated at 2.5% of your closing balance, or $20, whichever is greater. You must also pay any past due or over limit amounts incurred. If your statement has a closing balance of less than $20, your minimum payment is the closing balance. If I have an additional cardholder, do they receive individual reward dollars? Rewards are accrued by all cardholders but only the account holder receives the reward. If I make a cash advance in the statement cycle as well as purchases, does the system identify this and just accumulate interest on the cash advance? Yes. If you make a cash withdrawal (Visa cash advance) as well as purchases in the next statement, you are charged interest on the cash advance component only. Interest charges on cash advances and purchases are itemised separately at the end of your statement.Your payments will be directed to the cash advance first. If I transfer my existing credit card balance from another bank or credit union to a PC Visa credit card is this considered as a cash advance that will accumulate interest? Police Credit will treat all balance transfer with the BPAY facility as a retail purchase. Only when the BPAY option is not available interest will be applied to the amount of the balance transfer starting from the date the balance transfer request is processed as there is no interest free period for balance transfers. If my first purchase is made at the end of the credit card statement period, do I still have 45 days interest free on that purchase or is it reduced as it is near the end of the statement cycle? Your interest free period is reduced for purchases you make closer to the end of the statement cycle. Is my credit card bill due on the same date every month?
Yes. The statement cycle is: Visa Silver card due date 1st of each month Visa Gold card due date 10th of each month.
Is the Cash Back Rewards program available on both PC Visa Silver and Gold credit cards? No. The Cash Back Rewards program is only available with the PC Visa Gold credit card.
What are my payment options for consumer credit insurance? You can pay your consumer credit insurance premiums by: Direct debit from your nominated PC savings account Direct debit from another financial institution savings account or credit card. What are the benefits of having a PC Visa credit card? The PC Visa Silver credit card and PC Visa Gold credit card have the following benefits: Worldwide acceptance – more than 24 million locations worldwide Great interest rates Balance transfer option – consolidate credit cards to make only one monthly repayment.
What do I need to do when my card is about to expire? If you have been using your card, you will automatically be sent a replacement card to the address that Police Credit holds for you, one month prior to your card’s expiry date. The same PIN applies if you currently have one. If you have not used your card for twelve months, we will seek your consent to replace your card. What happens if I don’t use my card for an extended period of time? If you don’t use your card for an extended period of time (approximately 200 days), we will write to you to ask if you would like to retain your credit card account or your debit card to access your Multipack, EzePay or Line of Credit account. What happens to my Cash Back reward dollars if I close my credit card account?
Your rewards are not transferable. If you close your accounts before the rewards are credited on 1 December, your rewards dollars are forfeited. What overseas charges are involved with cash advances? For more information please refer to our Fees and Charges PDS What types of insurance cover are available with my credit card? Optional consumer credit insurance is available with both credit cards, but not with the debit card and it offers cover for life, sickness and accident, involuntary unemployment and covered trauma. Our Visa Gold credit card includes overseas travel, extended warranty, purchase security and transport accident. View the PDS here. When do I get my Visa Gold credit card Cash Back Rewards? Your Cash Back Rewards dollars are automatically credited to your PC Visa Gold credit card account on 1 December. Rewards accrued after 30 November each year will be included in the next year’s reward (period between 1 December and 30 November).
Note: rewards are automatically credited to your PC credit card accounts on 1 December each year. Rewards accrued after 30 November each year tally towards the next year’s reward. Where is the three-digit security number on my PC Visa credit card? Your CVV or security number is located on the back of your Visa card. It is the last three digits of the number that appears in the signature field of your credit card. This number ensures and identifies that when you are making a purchase online or over the phone that your card is actually with you. What is a chip card?A chip card is similar to the former issued PC Visa card but with enhanced security features. With the chip card you have access to all the features of your non-chip card. The benefit and only difference is that a chip card carries an embedded security microchip as well as the standard magnetic stripe on the back of your card, which makes your transactions even more secure. Which PC cards include a microchip?Since 2011 all issued PC Visa cards include the chip technology:
- Visa Silver credit card
- Visa Gold credit card
- Visa debit card
Why has PC introduced the chip card?Chip cards have become the global standard for card security. They offer a new level of security and provide cardholders with more secure and smarter transactions by helping prevent fraud. Merchants across the world are gradually upgrading their terminals to accept the chip card technology. What are the benefits of a chip card? Enhanced security features to help protect our card holders from counterfeit fraud and card skimming
More capacity to store information Increased convenience – Visa chip cards are recognised by merchants all over the world How is the chip card more secure than a magnetic stripe card?Chip card microchips are encrypted with Dynamic Data Authentication (DDA). DDA uses a cryptographic value that is validated by the terminal to protect against skimming. It is a more securer way of authentication because it authenticates the card itself. With chip card, each transaction generates a different ID which makes it almost impossible to copy When I am making a purchase with a chip card, do I do anything differently?This depends on whether you are using a merchant terminal with chip card technology or not. When using a chip card terminal, just follow a few simple steps:
Step 1: Insert your card into the chip terminal
Step 2: Leave your card in the terminal until the transaction has been processed
Step 3: Where required enter your PIN or sign; your merchant may have a limit where they don’t require a signature, nor a PIN
Step 4: Remove your card from the terminal when prompted that transaction is complete and take your receipt. With chip card technology you do not have to sign a receipt, simply enter your PIN if you have one.
When using a merchant terminal that does not have chip card technology
You can use your chip card in exactly the same way you did before the introduction of the chip card. Simply swipe your card in the terminal instead of inserting your card and if prompted either sign or enter your PIN.
Note: Visa has mandated a requirement for all merchants to upgrade their terminals but this takes time. Do I have to use my PIN at all times? Can I still sign for my transactions?If you have a PIN on your card, and you are promoted to enter a PIN or sign, we recommend that you use the PIN as it is an extra layer of security for your transactions. However, in the instance that you have forgotten your PIN or the merchant’s terminal does not recognise the PIN you can still sign for your transactions. It is important to note that some overseas merchants may insist that you provide your PIN for the transaction to be processed. How do I use a chip card in an ATM?Your chip card will work in the same way as a non-chip card when using an ATM. Will the card number on the new chip card be different than my current card number?No, it will remain exactly the same. However, as with any new card, the expiry date on the card will change. Therefore it is important that you notify any relevant third parties you have authorised to debit your card such as your gym or newsagent, of your change in details. Note that the exception is where the card has been lost or stolen where to protect your account from loss the card number will always be changed. Will my PIN stay the same? Yes, the process hasn’t changed – when you receive your next replacement card because your current card is close to expiry your current PIN will remain.
Note that the exception is where the card has been lost or stolen where to protect your account from loss the PIN will always change. Can you still change your PIN with a chip card?Yes – you can change your PIN at any of our branches, Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. What do I do when I receive a chip card?1. Ensure that you sign your chip card immediately you receive it, for security purposes
2. Activate your card by calling 13 63 73 or logging into internet banking
3. Dispose your old card securely, ensure you cut into pieces, particularly through the hologram and chip, and do not dispose of the pieces in a public location.
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