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What is a Visa Debit Card?
A Visa Debit Card allows you to debit money from your current account, giving you access to your money 24 hours a day and saves you carrying cash. It will offer you additional benefits, greater convenience, increased security and protection.
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What is a Contactless transaction?
A Contactless transaction is a card transaction done without the need to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN) for low value transactions of £100 or less – ideal for everyday purchases at home and abroad, such as coffee or a newspaper.
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How does Verified by Visa work?
We will send you a text message as the purchase is going through. This text will contain a One-Time code which you should enter into the Verified by Visa box to confirm your identity.
We will use the mobile number we have for you. If you don’t have a mobile or haven’t registered your number with us, we can send the code to your email address instead.
Entering the code correctly will allow your purchase to go through. If we don’t have either a mobile number or an e-mail for you then you may not always be able to use your debit card for online purchases. You can update your mobile number and e-mail address by telephoning us or visiting a branch.
Alternatively, we may use Secure Customer Authentication instead of the one-time code to validate online payments. If we use this method you will receive a push notification to your banking app and you will need to follow the instructions to approve the payment. If you do not have access to a compatible smartphone or tablet we can provide you with a Physical Security Key instead.
The service is an extra security feature of your card and is not intended to replace any security obligations in the Terms and Conditions of your Debit Card.
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How is this different to a Credit Card?
Bank of Ireland UK offers both Credit and Debit cards, and there are differences between the two:
- A Debit Card is linked to a Personal or Business current account. You can use a debit card to buy goods or withdraw cash, and the transaction is generally taken from your account immediately
- A Credit Card is not linked to a Personal or Business current account, and allows you to pay for goods and services, or to withdraw cash, on short-term credit, based on an agreed credit limit, at an agreed rate of interest
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Can I use my card abroad?
Yes, you can use your debit card abroad just like at home. Charges apply for making a debit card payment in a foreign currency and for cash withdrawals in a foreign currency outside the UK with the exception of withdrawals from Bank of Ireland cash machines in Ireland. Please refer to our Personal Current Account Charges Explained brochure.
Further details can be found on our Travel Banking page.
It’s worth knowing that when you use your card abroad, some retailers and cash machines may offer to process your transaction in sterling, rather than the local currency. This is called ‘Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)’ and it may make your transaction more expensive than if you had paid in the local currency.
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How can I get my money back if I haven’t received what I expected or do not recognise the transaction?
To dispute a transaction conducted using your credit or debit card please complete the Transaction Dispute Form and send with all relevant information requested to the address on the form.
Please bear with us as our processing of disputed transaction claims are taking longer than usual due to the volumes we are currently receiving. Your patience is appreciated. If you have already made a claim, you don’t need to call us: we will be in touch if we need further information.
Spend alerts
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How do I set up my device to allow notifications?
To be sure that you get important notifications from us, including spend alerts, you must also set your device to allow notifications for BOI Mobile. This is separate to turning spend alerts off, or on, in the cards section of your app or 365 online. We recommend allowing notifications as best practice for all customers who use the mobile app.
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When are spend alerts sent?
When spend alerts are turned on and you go to make a debit card payment, we will send an alert - a push notification - to all your registered devices. We’ll include the last four numbers of your card in the alert.
Depending on how you have set up push notifications for BOI Mobile, the alert that we send you will be partially or fully visible on your device.
For joint accounts or business accounts, customers will only be sent an alert if a payment attempt is made using their card and they have spend alerts turned on.
A genuine alert from us will never have a link in it.
On Android: Tapping an alert on an Android phone or tablet brings you to this page on the Bank of Ireland website.
On iOS: If the app is open on your iPhone or iPad but not being used, tapping an alert will bring you to the login page or back to your last position in the app. If you are using the app you will not get an alert.
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What happens if you get an alert but you didn’t make a payment?
If you get an alert but you or any other cardholder did not try to make a payment, this may be fraud. Contact us on the most suitable number below.
- Northern Ireland / Great Britain 0800 121 7790 (Calls to 0800 numbers are free)
- Abroad +44 345 161 0020
- Republic of Ireland 1800 946 764 or +353 56 775 7007
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When will an alert not appear?
We cannot guarantee you will get an alert each time you go to make a payment. Do not depend only on alerts for an overview of your activity. If you do not get an alert, you're still responsible for what you spend, and for any charges.
- There may not be alerts for certain types of transactions. Examples would be refunds, or recurring transactions.
- On some occasions, the store or seller may not ask for approval for the payment. A payment will be made as normal, but will not create an alert.
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Can alerts be delayed?
Delays can also happen if the seller’s terminal is offline for any reason. A delay can also happen if your registered device was powered off, or had poor network coverage at the time you were making a payment.
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Why does an alert appear twice?
If you use Apple Pay or Google Pay to make a payment, you can get two alerts for the same payment. One of the alerts will be sent by us, and the other will come from Apple or Google, depending on the type of device you use.
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What if details don’t match?
Some details in the alert might not be the same as what you see in your current account.
This can happen when you make a payment that's not in sterling. The alert will show the amount in the local currency but your statement would show the sterling amount.
The name of the store or business you made a payment to could be different. Many companies trade under a name that does not match the one above the shop door or the web address. Here’s a list of real company names that customers sometimes do not recognise.
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A payment has been declined but I feel it should have been approved?
If a payment has been declined but you think it should have been approved, check your balance to make sure you have enough money for the payment. If you do, get in touch with us and we’ll help fix the problem. Contact us on the most suitable number below.
Northern Ireland / Great Britain 03457 365 555, 9am to 5pm Mon - Fri, 9am to 2pm Saturdays and bank holidays. Calls to 03 numbers cost the same as calls to 01 and 02 numbers. Call costs may vary depending on your service provider. Calls may be recorded for monitoring and training.
Republic of Ireland: 0818 365 365 or 01 404 4000, 9am to 6pm Mon - Fri (including bank holidays), 10am to 2pm Saturdays.