Update services for Visa and Mastercard

With automatic update services, your card details can be updated automatically when you receive a new card. If you do not want this, you can unsubscribe from the service. You can find all information on this here.

Deactivate update service

Questions and answers

  • If you pay for products or services by credit card, prepaid card or debit card from Visa or Mastercard, a provider (hereinafter “acceptance point”) may store payment details such as card number and expiry date. This is especially true for acceptance points where you make recurring payments or where you authorize payments in advance (e.g. for app subscriptions). If we issue you a new card (e.g. because your current card is about to expire), the update services ensure the new expiry date is transmitted automatically to these acceptance points, provided they use the update services, too.

    As a provider of credit cards, prepaid cards and debit cards (hereinafter “cards”) issued by the international card organizations Visa and Mastercard, PostFinance is obliged to offer you these update services (“Visa Account Updater”/“Mastercard Automatic Billing Updater”).

  • You do not have to update the expiry date of your new card manually at acceptance points. The update services thus guarantee smooth and uninterrupted payment processing – especially for payments using smartphones, wearables, e-wallets, etc.

  • Acceptance points where you regularly pay for services or goods will often store your card’s number and expiry date. Such acceptance points may include online mail order companies, music/newspaper subscription services, public transport providers and so on.

  • Whether your card details are stored at an acceptance point or not is down to the contractual arrangement you have with the acceptance point. We do not have any information on which acceptance point has stored your card details.

  • No. For your details to be updated automatically, the acceptance point must also use the update service. Acceptance points are not obliged to use the update services.

  • We send Visa/Mastercard the number and expiry date of your new card. These companies use their global networks to send the data to the acceptance points that use the update services, as well as any other points (e.g. acquirers) involved in the update services.

  • Only your card number and expiry date are transferred.

  • Parties that are involved in the update services in some form (Visa/Mastercard, acceptance points, acquirers and so on) process the card details either in Switzerland or abroad, including countries that may not have adequate data protection. In any event, reasonable steps are still taken to ensure the customer data is protected, and entities that process the data are obliged to ensure adequate data protection.

  • There is no need for you to take any action. Your card is automatically registered for this service.