Pay with My Phone? EEK! Is that Safe?

Paying with my phone…the newest trend, but safe?

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Verizon Wireless and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The Softcard related content is provided by Verizon Wireless. The opinions on this blog are my own.

What your mom used to say about your money

When I was growing up, my mom and dad taught me many things about money. One topic which got a LOT of attention was safety of your money. I can still hear them:

Put your wallet in your front pocket in a crowd!
Don’t let anyone see your IDs!
Are you sure it’s safe to have a credit card?
Do you think paying that bill online is okay?
Don’t take all your money with you!
Did you photo copy those credit cards in case that get stolen?

I am pretty sure today that they’d be asking me “Pay with your phone? Is that safe?”

Introducing Softcard from Verizon, a safer way to pay

Softcard is a new safer and better “Pay with my Phone” app. Use your smart phone enabled with the Softcard app from Verizon to shop, pay and save. What’s cool is you can use the free Softcard app to store payment cards, offers and loyalty cards in your compatible phone and transmits payment information to a contactless payment terminal at checkout using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. When you add eligible payment cards (like credit cards, debit cards, etc) to pay for purchases, YOU STILL get all the benefits and protections you would with your physical card. Psst…your buying information is not tracked by Softcard or Verizon.

Did you hear that Mom and Dad? I can leave my cards and cash at home and still get all the benefits and protections of the physical cards. But can’t you hear mom now…

Relax Mom! I am 53! And even if I DO lose my phone Softcard is PIN-protected to limit unauthorized access. My payment card credentials are stored in a special chip known as the Secure Element contained within my compatible smartphone. If the phone or it’s Secure Element is lost or stolen, I can protect my information by calling Verizon immediately to freeze the app and stop wireless service to the phone, and contacting the banks that issued your payment cards.

And look at how easy the Softcard app is to use! No more FAT WALLET!

Can you imagine not carring around all those darn loyalty cards?

Here’s are some of the great deals that are available with the Softcard app:

Spend $40 and Get $20: Verizon customers with an American Express Serve Account on Softcard from Verizon can get a $20 credit after you spend $40 or more on one purchase with your Serve Account through September 30, 2014. Terms Apply.
$1 back on purchases: Tap to pay with an American Express Serve Account in Softcard and get $1 back on each purchase of $1 or more. Up to $50 per month with the Serve credit through December 12, 2014. Terms apply.
First 3 Coca-Cola® drinks are FREE. After the first three free drinks, if you buy 10 more, you get another 1 FREE through December 31, 2014. You must sign up for the “My Coke Rewards” loyalty card within Softcard to take advantage of this.