Debit Card FAQs

Traveling outside of the United States?
Contact the Waterbury CT Teachers FCU branch to alert us so that we will note this on your account(s).

If the cardholder has set an alert for international transactions and no controls are set, will the cardholder receive alerts for all international transactions regardless of whether the transaction is blocked or successful?
Yes. An alert is generated regardless of whether or not a control preference is set.

Can cardholders block all international transactions?
Yes. International transactions are blocked using the Block International location control. Transactions are then limited to the United States.

Can cardholders use the CardValet app outside the United States?
Yes, if the app is downloaded and installed from the United States app store before the cardholder goes abroad. Cardholders can update and manipulate their card controls while outside the United States.

Does Block International also block international internet (card not present) transactions?
No. The location controls are applicable to in-store transactions only.

How do cardholders add a U.S. city to the Region control, rather than the international city that displays? Example: Aberdeen, South Dakota is set as Aberdeen, UK.
Add the ZIP code to return more specific results.

If a cardholder resides outside the U.S., do the international controls and alerts block transactions within the U.S.?
CardValet is only available within the United States so all users are considered U.S.-based, no matter how much time they spend outside of the country.

Can a cardholder use CardValet on a phone bought outside the United States?
It depends. During a new phone activation process, the cardholder selects the resident country. From an App store perspective, this selection determines the cardholder’s native country.

When publishing an app on Apple or Google App stores, the publisher designates the territories where the app is available. CardValet is set up as a United States app. Smart phone users can only download apps available in their native territory (or country) even if they happen to be visiting or relocating to a foreign country where different apps may be available.

This has the following implication for cardholders.

• If the native country set up on the phone and the app territory do not match, the cardholder cannot use the app on their phone.
• CardValet is specifically set up for the US, so phones set up for any other territory cannot use the CardValet app.

What is the range of the My Location controls and does it impact internet transactions?
5-mile radius of the primary device. My Location impacts card-present transactions only, therefore internet transactions are not impacted.

If My Location is set and the primary device is off, are transactions denied outside the My Location area?
It depends. CardValet ignores location information more than 8 hours old—meaning, if the phone is off for more than 8 hours, My Location controls do not take effect and the transaction is not denied.

If My Location is set but the phone is left at home, are transaction denied outside the My Location area?
It depends. CardValet performs a proximity check based on ZIP code or city, so if the merchant is close to home, the transactions are not denied.

Can a cardholder turn on My Location for a dependent’s card?
No. My Location is only effective for the enrolled cardholder. To limit the dependent's card, the cardholder uses the Region Location feature. Set up to 3 regions using the map to designate the area. The regions are effective for all users with the same card number.

A region has been set on the map. Does this mean the card can only be used exactly in this region?
It depends. The region shows the approximate area where the card can be used; the area must be greater than 5 square miles. CardValet performs a proximity check based on ZIP code or city; if the city or ZIP code of the merchant overlaps with the selected region in the map, the transaction is approved. If the merchant defaults to a corporate location, the cardholder’s state is used.

Do location controls, merchant controls, threshold controls, and turning the card off impact previously-authorized recurring transactions?
No. Previously authorized recurrent payments continue to process and bypass the CardValet edit checks.

How long does it take for a control or alert setting to take effect?
Immediately. Control settings take effect as soon as the Updating information message in the app disappears.

How are controls established for various merchant types?
CardValet contains specific merchant types used for controls or alerts through the Alert Preferences or Control Preferences screen. Each merchant type contains various merchant category codes (MCC).

Note: It is possible for a retailer to differ from the CardValet merchant type classification. Merchant types currently supported are: Department Store, Entertainment, Gas Station, Grocery, Household, Personal Care, Restaurant, Travel, and Others.

How do cardholders turn on alert/control for an ATM transaction?
The Card On/Off or a Spend Limit control may be used. MCC cannot be used to control ATM transactions.

How does a cardholder turn off notifications at certain times, such as when the cardholder is sleeping? Set the Do Not Disturb time to suppress notifications.
Some notifications are still delivered—for example: any transaction denial or any card-present transaction.

Are the alerts sent as email or push notifications to the device?
CardValet alerts are sent as push notifications to the phone. The alerts also display under Messages in the CardValet app.

If a cardholder sets multiple alerts and a transaction violates these alerts, will the cardholder receive a separate message for each alert?
No. The alerts are consolidated into one message.

Can the FI turn the low balance alert off?
Low balance alert is controlled on a cardholder level. It cannot be turned off by client/card prefix.

When is the low balance alert generated?
Even if the available credit has fallen below the set threshold, CardValet only updates the available credit when the cardholder logs into CardValet or when the cardholder taps Refresh. Either of these situations will trigger an alert. There are no plans to generate low balance alerts in other situations.

Why did the cardholder receive an alert if it was not set? Alerts are always sent for:

• Denied transactions
• Deposits
• Refunds
• When a shared user changes a control setting
• Card status changes

Why is a transaction denied for My Location or My Regions when the merchant is physically located within the boundaries?
CardValet compares the geographic location of the mobile device to the Merchant’s Reg E information sent with the transaction. Occasionally, the merchant’s address is not the physical location of the merchant—for example: the corporate or regional address of the merchant—causing the transaction to be denied.

When multiple users are associated with a card, who determines the card controls?
Anyone may update the card controls. When a cardholder sets a control, an alert is generated to the other cardholder. Since the user name is entered at enrollment, the cardholder’s name is displayed in the alert.

Does the app show recent transaction history?
Yes. The app shows last 50 card-based transactions pending or posted within last 30 days.

A threshold limit of $50 is set but the cardholder cannot purchase gas at some stations—why?
Some merchant types preauthorize the card for an amount larger than the actual transaction amount. In this instance, the preauthorization amount must meet the threshold spend limit.

A threshold limit of $50 is set but the cardholder can purchase gas in some stations for more than $50—why?
CardValet controls are only invoked during authorization of a transaction. In some cases—such as gas stations—a card may be tested for validity by doing a $1 preauthorization and the actual transaction amount is charged to the card after the transaction.

Why are balance inquiry transactions generated when cardholders log on to the CardValet app?
When a cardholder logs on to the CardValet application, a balance inquiry transaction is performed to retrieve and display the balance. A balance inquiry is performed on every account listed in the cardholder record.

The application will not initiate more than one balance inquiry within 30 minutes, even if the cardholder taps Refresh.

What type of transactions display in CardValet?
CardValet only shows the transactions performed with the card. It does not show the transactions without the card, such as teller transactions or bill pay to or from an account.

Is the balance updated to include teller transactions?
It depends. The balance is updated if the account processor supplies the updated balance. The balance is updated the next time the cardholder logs into CardValet.

What does the decline message read if a cardholder is declined due to internal bank, exceeded daily card limits?
There are two response codes in Transaction Journal:

• 015—enter lesser amount
• 033—exceeds transaction limit frequency—If the denial is due to transaction velocity support

When does the 30 days of transaction history start?
When the cardholder registers in CardValet.

What happens to transaction authorizations if CardValet times out?
If an authorization times out due to a communication failure, the transaction bypasses the CardValet controls and continues with the authorization process. If the transaction passes all other authorization checks, the transaction is approved.

Where and how long are tags or memos saved when they are added to a transaction?
The transaction entry is updated in the database with the tag and memo information and is available for as long you can see the transaction.

Why does a password error message display on the Login screen even though the cardholder is entering the correct password?
Each time the cardholder enters an incorrect user name or password, this message displays. On the third attempt, the account is disabled. For security reasons, the message continues to display even if the cardholder enters the correct user name/password.

How long does the app stay logged in if the cardholder does not log out?
10 minutes of inactivity.

How do names appear on the card within this app?
[Last name], [First name]
Example: DOE, JOHN

Does CardValet display the card status?
Yes. The Card Details section displays the card status—Active, Inactive, or Restricted.

When a card is lost, does the new card number need to be registered manually through the app?
Yes. The new card number must be registered. The replacement card is added to the enrolled cardholder’s profile through   Menu | Manage Portfolio | Add Card.

How is a lost card number removed?
The old card cannot be removed but the cardholder can unmanage the old card through the  CardValet app | Manage Portfolio.  Uncheck all cards and accounts and tap OK.

Which smart phones does CardValet support?
Android and iPhone.

What are the CardValet password requirements?
A minimum of 8 characters and contain:

• 1 upper case character
• 1 lower case character
• 1 number
• 1 special character

Can multiple cards be linked to one registered CardValet account?
Yes. Cardholders can register multiple WCTFCU debit cards. Additional cards are added within Menu | Manage Portfolio | Add Card. The terms and conditions (T&Cs) are not presented for additional cards.

If a cardholder has two cards from different Financial Institutions (FI), can they register both cards with CardValet?
Yes but not with the same login. The cardholder must create a unique login account for each FI. In the login page, the log of the last logged-in financial institution will show.

How can a cardholder complete registration if they started the process but did not complete it?
Relaunch the app on the same device. Once the cardholder selects New User and enters the card number, the app restarts the registration process at the previous stopping point. If a different device is used, new registration is required.

How long can the cardholder’s address be?
CardValet accepts an address up to 50 characters. The address and ZIP code must match the primary or owner address located on the cardholder record.

How many cards can be registered in the CardValet app?
15 cards

What type of information does the cardholder need to register a card?
Required information includes:

• Card number
• Address
• ZIP code
• Expiration date
• CVV/CVC code

Secondary authentication includes:

• Security token sent in an email
• Last 4 digits of the Social Security Number (SSN)

When loading more than one card on a device, what type of information does the cardholder need in order to register each card?
The cardholder enters the same level of detail entered for the original card. This information includes the:

• Card number
• Address
• ZIP code
• Expiration date
• CVV/CVC code

Secondary authentication includes:

• Security token sent in an email
• Last 4 digits of the SSN

Multiple individuals can register the same card as long as they know the card details—example: Multiple individuals registering one card can include parents/dependents, spouses, or employers/employees.

 

What is the purpose of assigning a primary device?
The primary device is used to track the GPS for My Location alerts and controls. Additionally, all merchant and threshold alerts are sent to the primary device.

All devices that have registered a particular card can view or change the CardValet settings for that card.

Can a cardholder modify CardValet settings from the nonprimary devices?
Yes. Controls (including the On/Off setting) are set at the card level, so the last update to a control is honored regardless of which phone was used to make the change. Alerts are set at the device level, so each primary device will receive alerts that were set up from that particular device. The primary device can be re-set by accessing Settings | Primary Device.

If a parent registers a card for a child, can the child change the controls on the card?
Only cardholders with access to the user name and password to the CardValet app can modify the controls.

CardValet may prompt the cardholder to enter the amount of a PIN-based transaction performed in the past 72 hours. How can cardholders—who only use their cards as signature-only—answer this question?
If a cardholder does not have an email or SSN on the cardholder record, the cardholder is requested to perform a PIN-based transaction. The amount entered is compared to the historical transaction data. The PIN-based transaction may be performed at an ATM or to make a purchase. Note: PIN-based authentication is not available for full service credit card registration.

Do cards require an update in CardValet if they are reissued or replaced?
It depends. If the card number does not change, no.
If the card number is new, yes. Add the new card number to the cardholder’s profile. Unmanage the old card through the CardValet app | Manage Portfolio. Uncheck all cards and accounts and tap OK.

Can a cardholder re-enroll in CardValet if they previously unsubscribed?
Yes. To use CardValet again, the cardholder registers as a new user. The cardholder is required to select a new user name; if the cardholder enters the previous user name, an error displays. Upon successful registration, the cardholder may once again use CardValet.

What is the format of the cardholder tokens?
Security tokens are emailed. The one-time passcode expires 15 minutes after the email is sent. If the token expires, the cardholder can request another one.

The cardholder did not receive the security token even though a message displayed stating that the token was sent. Where is the security token?
Check the spam or junk folder. The email is from Elastic Email On Behalf Of Waterbury Federal Credit Union. The one-time registration password is forwarded to the email address on the cardholder record. The one-time Forgot Password security token is sent to the email address that the cardholder entered when registering in CardValet.

Why am I encountering the error: Please enter a valid username and password.
The error occurs when the Use this email as username check box on the registration screen is incorrectly selected (checked) by default. Clear the check box before proceeding with registration.

Does CardValet support ATM cards?
CardValet supports WCTFCU debit cards..

Can a cardholder unsubscribe from CardValet
Yes. There are multiple ways to unsubscribe from CardValet:
Cardholder— through the CardValet app | Manage Portfolio.
Uncheck all cards and accounts and tap OK.

What is included in Spent this month?
The total amount is calculated from the cumulative spending for a specific card and displays on the back of that card.

At the end of the month, the total resets to zero (0). Deposits and refunds are deducted from the total.

Which time zones are applied?
Time stamps in the CardValet app are in Pacific Standard Time.
When setting the Do Not Disturb, cardholders can select the time zone.

What is the login web address?
There is no web address to the Login page—CardValet is a stand-alone mobile app. The app runs on the mobile device, not through a web browser.