This Bank Lets You Start Using Your Card Before It Arrives in the Mail

Sept. 16, 2016

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2 min read

This Bank Lets You Start Using Your Card Before It Arrives in the Mail

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In the not-so-distant future, gone will be the days of applying for a credit card online and having to wait 5-7 business days for your new piece of plastic (or metal) to arrive in the mail. Bank of America provides an account number for you to use for online purchases, but National Australia Bank (NAB) is the first to advance the effort to eliminate the wait time for in-store purchases.

This week, NAB said that starting later this year, users will be able to apply for a NAB Visa card right on their mobile app, and if approved, will be able to start using the card instantly via their digital wallet. Payments will be maxed at AU$100 (about $75) per transaction until your physical card arrives in the mail, but nevertheless, it’s still nice to be able to work towards your minimum spend immediately after getting approved.

Additionally, NAB says the mobile app update will allow users to have greater control over their banking. This includes being able to freeze not only the primary account holder's cards but also authorized users' cards directly from the app. Although this feature is neither new nor exclusive to NAB — Citi and Discover both offer a similar option — it’s great to see greater security measures being rolled out to more banks worldwide.

H/T: CNET