Senate Cents: A Financial Wellness Blog

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Pay It Safe

Published: March 26, 2020

Pay It Safe

Using mobile pay or contactless payment is a safe and secure way to make purchases electronically and now this mode of payment could also save lives.

In the wake of the current global pandemic, consumers have been rushing to their local stores, stocking up on necessities, preparing to hunker down but how are they paying for these items? Traditional method of payments like cash and swiping a card or inserting by chip still seems to be the preferred methods. However, payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and contactless cards could keep you from picking up and spreading germs.

These modes of payment allow you to quickly and securely hover your mobile device or card over the payment terminal to complete your transaction without having to physically touch the terminal.

Although, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control warns that coronavirus is mainly spread from person to person contact, through close contact with an infected person – it may be possible that a person can get COVID19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.1

The World Health Organization has stated that currently it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID19 survives on surfaces, however COVID19 seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggests that coronaviruses may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions, such as, type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment. 2

With those facts in mind, along with the advice to consistently wash and sanitize your hands, especially after being out in public, like a quick grocery store run, using a touchless payment is one more way consumers can do their part to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other germs as well! Mobile Pay services and contactless cards are accepted in over 10 million stores in the U.S., Trader Joes and Whole Foods are just two common stores that accept all touchless payment options.

USSFCU members can easily add their USSFCU Senate Debit, Smart Rate and Smart Rewards credit card to their mobile wallet. They can also set their preferred USSFCU card as their default card to make payments anywhere mobile pay is accepted. Members can visit USSFCU’s Mobile Wallet page for detailed instructions on how to set their preferred USSFCU card as their default payment method for Apple, Google, Samsung Pay and Visa Checkout.

 

 

1. Center for Disease Prevention and Control, “Frequently Asked Questions” CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html, March 24, 2020.

2. World Health Organization, “Q&A on coronaviruses (COVID-19)” WHO, https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses, March 24, 2020.

 

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