Cardholders can now add their Visa® Prepaid Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet and pay with a tap of their phone or smartwatch wherever contactless payments are accepted. No physical card needed at checkout, just a tap.
Throughout this article, "cardholder" means the person whose name is printed on the Card. Depending on how the Card was ordered, that may be the Beneficiary or Account Owner, or the Authorized Individual or Authorized Legal Representative who manages the account on their behalf. If the Card is in your own name, the cardholder steps below are for you.
What this means for cardholders
Greater independence and accessibility at checkout. The tap to pay option is often a smoother experience at checkout. No need to pull out the physical card, no swiping or inserting, just a tap.
Many local transit services now use tap to pay at the fare gate or on board. With the Card in Apple Wallet on an iPhone or Apple Watch, or in Google Wallet on an Android phone, cardholders can tap to ride.
Less wear and tear on the physical card means fewer disruptions. Every purchase made with Apple Pay or Google Pay is one less swipe or insert, so the physical card lasts longer.
When a replacement Card is ordered due to the physical card being damaged, cardholders can typically keep using their Card through their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet while the replacement is on the way.
What stays the same for your Card
The Card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet is the same Visa Prepaid Card, and everything you rely on still applies.
- Spending Settings still apply. Every purchase made with Apple Pay or Google Pay is checked against the Card's Spending Settings exactly as a purchase with the physical card would be. Blocked merchants stay blocked, and limits stay in place.
- Same balance, same transactions. Payments made by phone come out of the Card's existing balance. There is no separate balance to fund, and there's nothing new to set up on your dashboard. These purchases appear in the Card's transaction history alongside purchases made with the physical card.
- Card status controls the ability to use the Card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, too. If the Card is temporarily deactivated, reported lost or stolen, or closed, it stops working in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet as well; the change typically reaches the phone within a few minutes. If you reactivate a temporarily deactivated Card, it typically starts working again in the Wallet app on its own, without needing to take additional steps.
If you see a transaction you don't recognize or believe is incorrect, contact our Customer Support team right away — the phone number and email address for your plan are listed in that article — and we can help you review it and file a dispute.
Before you begin
- The cardholder's Card must be activated and open. A Card that hasn't been activated yet, or that is temporarily deactivated, reported lost or stolen, or closed, can't be added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
- The cardholder's mobile number must be up to date. To confirm it's really the cardholder adding the Card, Apple and Google often ask for a one-time verification code, which we send by text message to the mobile number on the cardholder's account. If that number is missing or out of date, the code can't arrive, and the cardholder can't finish. Steps to check the number are just below.
- Only the Authorized Legal Representative or Authorized Individual can update the mobile number online. The person listed on the account as the Authorized Legal Representative or Authorized Individual is the only one who can update cardholder information from the website. If you do not have access to update your phone number from the website, contact our Customer Support team.
Make sure the cardholder's mobile number is current
We recommend checking the mobile number on file before you let the cardholder know this feature is available. It takes about a minute.
- Sign in to your dashboard. Each plan has its own sign-in page; you can find the link for your plan in ABLE Visa® Card - How to Log In Online.
- Open the cardholder's page. If you manage one Card, you'll land on that cardholder's Transactions tab as soon as you sign in. If you manage more than one Card, select the cardholder whose number you're updating first.
- Click the Account tab on the right side of the screen.
- In the Cardholder information section, click the blue Edit button next to Phone.
- Enter the cardholder's current mobile number in the pop-up window. This needs to be a mobile number that can receive text messages; a landline can't receive the code.
- Click the green Save button. The new number typically appears on the Account tab right away.
Once the number is current, let the cardholder know they can add their Card to their phone or watch.
How the cardholder adds the Card
The setup happens on the cardholder's side, in the Wallet app that came with their phone. The cardholder will need the physical card in hand for the card number, expiration date, and security code.
Option 1 – Apple Wallet on iPhone or Apple Watch
- Open the Wallet app on the iPhone and tap the + button.
- Tap Debit or Credit Card.
- Tap Enter Card Details Manually. The iPhone may ask the cardholder to hold the card against the phone; that won't work with the Card, so the cardholder should use the manual-entry link instead.
- Enter the 16-digit card number, then the expiration date and security code from the back of the Card.
- Read and accept the terms and conditions.
- If asked to verify, choose Text Message. A code arrives by text from True Link, labeled "Your True Link Verification Code." Enter the code in the Wallet app.*
- If an Apple Watch is paired to the iPhone, the cardholder will be asked whether to add the Card to the watch, too. Most cardholders won't see this screen, and that's fine.
- Done! The Wallet app confirms the Card is ready for Apple Pay.
|
|
Option 2 – Google Wallet on Android
- Open the Google Wallet app and tap Add to Wallet.
- Tap Payment card, then New credit or debit card.
- Scan the Card with the camera, or tap Enter details manually and type the 16-digit card number, expiration date, and security code. We recommend typing the details, since the camera can occasionally misread a digit.
- Confirm the billing address. Google shows the name and address the cardholder has used for other payments on their phone. The cardholder should enter their own current address.
- Read the terms and conditions (tap More to page through them), then tap Accept.
- If asked to verify, tap Text me a code. A code arrives by text from True Link. Enter the code in the Google Wallet app.*
- Done! Google Wallet confirms the Card is ready to tap to pay.
Not every cardholder will be asked for a verification code. Apple and Google decide whether to ask based on their own security checks, so one cardholder may be asked and another may not. Both are normal.
Once the Card is added, the cardholder pays by holding their phone or watch near the card reader. For help with paying itself, Apple and Google each have their own guides: Make purchases using Apple Pay and Tap to pay with your phone.
What happens when a replacement Card is ordered
In most cases, the cardholder doesn't need to do anything with their phone when a replacement Card is ordered.
- Damaged or expiring Card. The replacement keeps the same card number, so the Card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet keeps working the whole time, even while the new plastic is in the mail.
- Lost or stolen Card. The Card is paused in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet while it's reported lost, and it typically becomes available again on its own once the cardholder activates the replacement Card. The cardholder doesn't need to remove or re-add anything.
- Card closed because of a fraud dispute. This is the exception. When a Card is closed as part of a fraud dispute, the cardholder will need to add their new replacement Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet themselves once it's activated, using the steps above.
Troubleshooting
If a cardholder isn't able to add their Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, check these two things first:
- Make sure the Card is open. On the cardholder's Account tab, confirm the Card is activated and not deactivated, reported lost or stolen, or closed. A Card that isn't open can't be added.
- Make sure the cardholder's mobile number is on their account. Follow the steps above to check the number on the Account tab. If it was missing or out of date, update it and have the cardholder try again.
If the cardholder is still having difficulty, please email our Customer Support team and let us know. Use the address for your plan: card@stableaccount.com for STABLE accounts, ablecard@truelinkfinancial.com for all other ABLE accounts, or 529card@truelinkfinancial.com for 529 Savings Plan accounts. In your email, include the cardholder's mobile number and the type of device they're hoping to use (for example, iPhone, Apple Watch, or Android phone). From there, we'll do our best to get the Card set up in their digital wallet. This help is provided on a best-efforts basis; we can't guarantee that every Card can be added to every device.
Please be aware
- You can't prevent a cardholder from adding the Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Adding the Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet happens on the cardholder's phone, and it isn't possible to block a Card from being added. If you're concerned about how the Card is being used, Spending Settings and card status are the controls that apply everywhere the Card is used.
- The cardholder's address on file with True Link is not shared with their phone. If you used your own address when you ordered the Card, the cardholder won't see it in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
- Each device is added separately. If a cardholder wants the Card on both a phone and a watch, or gets a new phone, they add the Card to each device separately.
- Text message rates may apply. Standard text message rates, fees, and charges may apply to the verification code. Verification by text message isn't always required by Apple or Google.
If you have any questions about using the Visa Prepaid Card with Apple Pay or Google Pay, please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Support team.
*Standard text message rates, fees, and charges may apply. SMS verification is not always required by Apple and Google.
Apple Wallet, Apple Pay, Apple Watch, iPhone, Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Wallet, Google Pay, Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.