Visa Gift Cards now have a new design and added security features
I purchased a few Visa Gift Cards at Staples yesterday (as I generally do when Staples has the cards on sale, fee free) and I noticed they had new design and packaging.
Obviously, these new features are intended to make the cards more difficult to hack (but with it comes the inconvenience of the packaging being more difficult to open). There is a new hologram tab on the package, with a warning “do not sell if hologram is broken.” The activation process by the Staples cashier seems the same as always as far as I can tell.
The gift card is now gold in color (rather than silver). Other than the color change, the front of the new card is the same as the prior card.
On the back of the card, there is a gunky grey thing covering the CVV that you must remove or at least push over to see the three digits.
Even if it’s an inconvenience, I’m in favor of these changes, if they make the cards more secure.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Seems like a good idea to me, but I’m an innocent civilian. Let’s hear what some thieves think about it.