Debit card: more than just a bank card
You can use your Bank Austria debit card (BankCard) to withdraw money (also at the supermarket checkout). But you can also make purchases on the Internet. It works more or less like a credit card for online shopping and also offers travel protection and many other practical functions.
You don't have a Bank Austria account yet?
Your debit card (BankCard) at a glance:
- Card number is made up of 16 digits and is visible on the back of the debit card (BankCard).
- IBAN is printed on the back of the card
- Cash withdrawals and cashless payments can be made at all cash machines and payment terminals marked with the Mastercard logo.
- Use e-commerce globally wherever Mastercard is accepted.2
- Debit card (BankCard) expires 5 years after being issued.
- Certificate of authenticity as an additional security feature.
- User number for online banking and mobile banking is included on the card.
- Personal data is printed in an extra large font on debit cards for people with impaired vision.
Debit card front and back explanation
Debit card with braille front and back explanation
Reconfiguring features
For security reasons, the following features must be reconfigured:
- GeoControl activation
- Activation of the contactless function (NFC) by inserting the card and entering the PIN at the ATM or POS terminal
- Reconfiguration of Apple Pay or Google Pay in the MobileBanking app
Differences compared to a credit card
The Bank Austria debit card (BankCard) already offers a wide range of features. However, with a credit card, you can enjoy the following additional benefits3 when travelling domestically or internationally:
- Travel cancellation insurance
- Comprehensive travel insurance
- Vehicle retrieval expenses
- Doctor’s visits in foreign countries
GeoControl
Austrian banks generally use very high security standards for debit cards. However, one of the most frequent and growing forms of misuse is “skimming”. This refers to when the magnetic stripe of the card is copied and the PIN code captured at manipulated ATMs. The stolen data are used to make cash withdrawals outside of Europe.
- 1CashBack Online: a co-operation with BenefitWorld GmbH. More information and partners at cashbackonline.at.
- 2The limit for e-commerce payments on the Internet depends on the POS limit; the standard weekly limit is EUR 1,100. You can increase this limit to EUR 3,300 yourself using online banking.
- 3Availability depends on the credit card.
