FirstBank introduces contactless Naira MasterCard

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has announced the introduction of the Contactless Naira MasterCard, added to its array of debit cards, to promote convenience, ease of transactions and the security of funds. FirstBank assured that its debit cards are acceptable nationwide and globally, and can be used to withdraw cash, and access value added services including bills payment, airtime recharge, flight, and hotel booking and many more.

The FirstBank Contactless Naira MasterCard enables quick pin-less purchases and is a fast secure way for customers to shop locally and globally. The contactless card can be used for making payments in the London transport network such as buses, tubes, trams, Dock and Light Railway (DLR), and the London Overground as well as in Grocery shops, supermarkets and Gas stations within London metropolis.

The card is designed to enhance a cashless lifestyle by promoting increased card usage for lower value transactions. Payments are made by tapping the card on the POS machine with contactless functions for low value transactions; the card can also be used in a regular POS as a normal MasterCard. The daily limits for pin-less transactions are N3,000 for the contactless naira master card and N10,000.00 for the contactless Platinum Debit MasterCard.

The FirstBank Verve debit card is Chip & PIN secured for greater protection of customers’ funds, provides extra protection for web based transactions with “Safetoken”, is Naira- denominated, and personalised, bearing the customer’s name. It is accepted wherever the Interswitch or Verve logo is displayed and can also be used to perform transactions via the Quickteller services menu on FirstBank ATMs. This Card is issued in 15 minutes at FirstBank branches, saves time and is very easy to obtain.

With the FirstBank Expressions on Card, Customers now have the freedom to design the look and feel of their cards with their most cherished memories and spend with a card that is as unique as them. The card is Naira-denominated and is accepted globally for online, ATM and PoS transactions.

The Bank also issues the Platinum Naira MasterCard to serve High Net-worth Customers. The Platinum Naira MasterCard is a Naira denominated international Debit card issued in partnership with MasterCard Worldwide, and enables transactions all over the world wherever the MasterCard logo is displayed.

This card provides access to e-Commerce across the globe and enhanced security with the Europay MasterCard Visa (EMV) technology that greatly reduces the cloning of cards; access to international emergency services such as card replacement and cash advance.

Customers with the Platinum Naira MasterCard also have access to higher local daily transaction limits from FirstBank. The card is accepted worldwide at over 29.million merchant locations and can be used for transactions over the WEB or POS as well as cash withdrawals at over 1.8 million ATMs, in over 200 countries. The card is also secured by Chip & PIN technology and is issued within 15 minutes at FirstBank branches.

The Visa Debit Card is a dual currency card denominated in NGN and USD, allowing customers spend Naira from their Naira account when in Nigeria and Dollars from their domiciliary account when outside the country. The card also has the EMV (Chip & PIN) enhanced security that ensures safety of funds and transactions. The Visa Debit card is accepted globally for ATM withdrawals, POS payments terminals as well as online for goods and services.

FirstBank is re-certified to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 3.2, and this recertification reaffirms the Bank’s leading position in the payment card industry in Nigeria. Recently, FirstBank was named the first financial institution in Nigeria and the West-Africa sub-region to issue 10 million cards to customers across the country. This makes FirstBank the second bank in Africa to achieve this feat. With this milestone, the Bank has maintained a 95% active card ratio and currently processes about 30% of card transactions in the entire banking industry.