Secure Payment Benefits for Mastercard Cardholders (2024)

FAQs

Why is my Mastercard gift card being declined when I have money? ›

If you have sufficient funds to cover the purchase, you were most likely declined due to security and safety measures meant to protect your Gift Card funds. Use your Card in person or at a different online merchant, and ensure to include the card security code.

With a credit card, money is not drawn directly from your account leaving time for banks and credit card companies to detect fraudulent charges. There is little or no liability for stolen cards. Credit cards are safe for internet transactions and have added security through use of virtual card numbers.

You don't have to worry when you use your Mastercard credit card because it's covered by Zero Liability protection, whether you pay in a store, over the phone or online.

Airport lounge programs, car rental insurance, travel accident, trip cancellation and lost luggage insurance are just a few of the benefits that Mastercard offers. With an understanding of consumer preferences, Loyalty Solutions focuses on providing traveling cardholders with the services they want and expect.

Your card may be declined for a number of reasons: the card has expired; you're over your credit limit; the card issuer sees suspicious activity that could be a sign of fraud; or a hotel, rental car company, or other business placed a block (or hold) on your card for its estimated total of your bill.

Some common reasons that your credit card might get declined include having the card's credit limit maxed out, accidentally triggering the card's fraud protections and even entering incorrect payment information on a website.

Fortunately, certain credit card purchases are likely to be legally protected under Section 75 of The Consumer Credit Act 1974. What does this mean? It means your credit card provider could be jointly responsible with the retailer or supplier if something goes wrong.

Whether you'll receive purchase protection benefits with Mastercard will depend on your financial institution. To see if your card is eligible, be sure to check your benefits guide. Mastercard's purchase protection covers your items up to 90 days from the purchase date.

Which is more secure? Both Visa and Mastercard offer zero fraud liability for all cards, which means that any user who is victim to fraud, theft, or breach of data will not be liable for the lost money. Both networks are generally considered to be secure, but use different methods for securing your data.

Both are widely accepted nearly everywhere you're likely to travel, though, and each network supports credit cards that are excellent for traveling abroad.

What Mastercard has travel insurance? ›

Travel insurance is available with your credit card if you have a World Elite^® Mastercard^®, World Mastercard^® or Platinum Mastercard^® credit card: Travel must be booked with your card to be covered.

Do all credit cards include travel insurance? While it would be ideal if all credit cards provided travel insurance benefits, this simply isn't the case. Travel rewards credit cards often offer insurance, though coverage limits and types of protections vary by card.

The most common reasons are that the card hasn't been activated, the cashier is running the wrong type of transaction, the dollar amount being charged is greater than the card's balance or the credit card processing machine is bumping up the charge amount to either place a hold on the card or to allow for a gratuity.

My Gift Card is not working

The Card has not been 'activated' yet. You can activate your card within the Mastercard Digital Gift Card app by: Clicking on the card. Setting a 4-digit PIN.

Prepaid cards can be declined because you don't have sufficient funds in your account, the card hasn't been activated, the merchant doesn't accept the network's cards, or you have exceeded your spending limits.

Your physical card has not been activated. (Note: Virtual cards do not require activation.) The card has expired. Insufficient funds are available on your card to cover the purchase, which may be influenced by a pre-authorization charge.