Physical cards are plastic payment cards used for point-of-sale transactions through swipe, chip and PIN, and contactless payments, as well as online purchases.
You can order a physical card for each virtual card created for your payment account. Physical and virtual cards each have their own unique card numbers, which you can view in your Web Banking app.
Sensitive card details that you can access for physical cards include the card number, expiration date, Card Verification Code (CVC), and Personal Identification Number (PIN).
Virtual and physical card numbers
Why do virtual and physical cards have different card numbers and CVCs?
Your virtual and physical cards work independently. Each card will have its own transaction history, and can be added to the same digital wallet separately.
If you lose your physical card, you can suspend or cancel it without losing access to your virtual card.
Card elements
- Microchip: for chip and PIN transactions.
- Cardholder name: the name of the person authorized to use the card.
- The name of your payment account provider.
- The Mastercard logo. You can use your card anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
- Magnetic stripe: for swipe and PIN transactions.
- Identifier: use this number to activate your physical card
- Card number: a unique number that identifies your account, but is separate from your account number. This number is used for online transactions.
- Expiration date: the card's validity date. Your card cannot be used after this date.
- CVC: a three-digit code you need to use for online transactions.
- Type of card: label indicating a debit or business card.
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Contactless logo: shows that your card supports contactless (tap-to-pay) payments.
Physical card PIN
All physical cards have a four-digit PIN that you will enter into a card reader for point-of-sale transactions using swipe, chip and PIN.
Your PIN can’t be changed. If you forget your PIN, you can view it in your Web Banking app.
After three incorrect PIN attempts, your card will be blocked for 24 hours. After 24 hours, you can unblock your card through your Web Banking app.
Contactless card payment limits
To protect you from fraud, your physical card has limits on how much you can spend using contactless payments.
These are the contactless payment limits for your physical card:
| Limit type | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Single payment limit | €50 | Maximum amount for one contactless payment without using a PIN. |
| Cumulative amount limit | €150 | Maximum total amount spent in consecutive contactless transactions before a PIN is required. |
Digital wallet payments (like Apple Pay or Google Pay) bypass these limits because they use Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) through a password or biometrics. These payments don't count toward physical card contactless limits.
Resetting your contactless payment limit
To reset the cumulative spending (€150) limits, you must insert your physical card into a payment terminal and enter your PIN.
If you have further questions, submit a request to Swan Support.