Log In
Register
Topic RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Email this6:20 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
Does Home Trust Preferred Visa credit card (no foreign transaction fee and no annual fee) have alert features where I can set to SMS/text my cell phone when a certain (user defined) amount has been charged to the card? For example, to text my cell when anything above $100 has been charged?
10:06 am
April 21, 2022
Offline
Yes, you can set various alerts, but they don't seem to arrive promptly and tend to arrive as emails. Fraud alerts from what I recall arrive as a text with a prompt to reply to approve or decline.
11:47 am
October 2, 2025
Offline
JohnnyCash said
Yes, you can set various alerts, but they don't seem to arrive promptly and tend to arrive as emails. Fraud alerts from what I recall arrive as a text with a prompt to reply to approve or decline.
Thank you for the info. These alerts will be useful especially when out of country. Will consider getting this card for the no-fee 1% cash back and no FX fees.
2:01 pm
April 21, 2022
Offline
pentel said
Thank you for the info. These alerts will be useful especially when out of country. Will consider getting this card for the no-fee 1% cash back and no FX fees.
Keep in mind that the 1% cashback only applies to purchases in CAD. It's an okay card as it's a real no FX credit card and makes a great backup card. If you can get the Wealthsimple card as well, that's a real winner of a card. They are beta testing a no-fee version of the card, no rumors as to when it will be publically available.
11:12 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
JohnnyCash said
Keep in mind that the 1% cashback only applies to purchases in CAD. It's an okay card as it's a real no FX credit card and makes a great backup card. If you can get the Wealthsimple card as well, that's a real winner of a card. They are beta testing a no-fee version of the card, no rumors as to when it will be publically available.
Good to know that 1% cashback only applies to purchases in CAD. I thought I can get no FX fee as well as 1% cash back. Thanks for pointing that out.
Over $100,000 in assets in assets: 1.75% interest
The Wealthsimple card need a $100K in their savings for it to be no-fee. The interest rate 1.75% for the $100K is not that great. Otherwise it is $20 a month, that's $240/year and not doable, the MC World Elite/Visa Infinite card are just $120-$150/year with much more benefits. They are beta testing a no-fee version of the card? If it is 100% no-fee, it is worth considering.
11:40 pm
April 6, 2013
Offline
pentel said
Good to know that 1% cashback only applies to purchases in CAD. I thought I can get no FX fee as well as 1% cash back. Thanks for pointing that out.
It used to be like that. Home Trust removed the 1% cash back on foreign spending in January 2020.
The following year, in May 2021, Home Trust removed the rental car insurance and roadside assistance benefits from the card.
5:45 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
@JohnnyCash , @Norman1
This Home Trust Preferred Visa is still in consideration as it is probably the only no-fee, no foreign transaction fee card, with a 1% cash back for CAD purchases.
I read that the older Home Trust Preferred Visa physical card does not have chip-and-pin and contactless payment (not the digital wallet).
Does the present Home Trust Preferred Visa physical card has chip-and-pin and RFID chip for contactless payment?
2:59 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
Sadly, according to Google, this Home Trust Preferred Visa credit card does not have tap-and-go functionality.
I don't want to use the phone, tap-and-go is faster than turning on the phone, locating the app, select the bank card and finally place the phone on the reader. Can the physical card pay by tap-and-go?
No, the physical Home Trust Visa card cannot pay by tap-and-go.
The physical cards (such as the Home Trust Preferred Visa) do not contain a contactless chip. To pay using only the physical plastic card, you must insert it into the terminal and enter your 4-digit PIN.
Because Home Trust did not build tap technology into the physical cards, using a digital wallet on a smartphone or smartwatch remains the only way to utilize contactless payment features with their accounts.
If you prefer not to use your phone for tapping, would you like to explore other no-foreign-transaction-fee cards that feature physical tap-and-go, or would you like assistance with how to change your PIN on your Home Trust card?
4:44 pm
April 21, 2022
Offline
pentel said
Sadly, according to Google, this Home Trust Preferred Visa credit card does not have tap-and-go functionality.I don't want to use the phone, tap-and-go is faster than turning on the phone, locating the app, select the bank card and finally place the phone on the reader. Can the physical card pay by tap-and-go?
No, the physical Home Trust Visa card cannot pay by tap-and-go.
The physical cards (such as the Home Trust Preferred Visa) do not contain a contactless chip. To pay using only the physical plastic card, you must insert it into the terminal and enter your 4-digit PIN.
Because Home Trust did not build tap technology into the physical cards, using a digital wallet on a smartphone or smartwatch remains the only way to utilize contactless payment features with their accounts.
If you prefer not to use your phone for tapping, would you like to explore other no-foreign-transaction-fee cards that feature physical tap-and-go, or would you like assistance with how to change your PIN on your Home Trust card?
IDK, I've got the card and it has contactless capability, maybe I got lucky? Either way, it's a free card and I've got it loaded on a few Apple Pay devices so it's not much of any issue for me personally.
6:35 am
December 1, 2016
Offline
pentel said
@JohnnyCash , @Norman1This Home Trust Preferred Visa is still in consideration as it is probably the only no-fee, no foreign transaction fee card, with a 1% cash back for CAD purchases.
I read that the older Home Trust Preferred Visa physical card does not have chip-and-pin and contactless payment (not the digital wallet).
Does the present Home Trust Preferred Visa physical card has chip-and-pin and RFID chip for contactless payment?
I've had the card for years now, I don't recall if it has tap-to-pay on it, I believe it does, but I can confirm it does work on digital wallets, specifically Apple Pay.
7:57 am
September 30, 2017
Offline
The physical card carries the logo
10:46 am
November 18, 2017
Offline
What's so hard about inserting a card and gaining the extra security of a PIN and chip?
RetirEd
11:06 am
April 21, 2022
Offline
RetirEd said
What's so hard about inserting a card and gaining the extra security of a PIN and chip?
Nothing, but I would argue a digital wallet like Apple Pay requiring biometric authentication is even more secure as it doesn't retain your actual card number; besides, you would be less likely to damage, lose or compromise your card using a digital wallet.
9:19 am
April 6, 2013
Offline
JohnnyCash said
IDK, I've got the card and it has contactless capability, maybe I got lucky? Either way, it's a free card and I've got it loaded on a few Apple Pay devices so it's not much of any issue for me personally.
The Home Trust Preferred Visa had contactless capability since late 2019.
I have their current blue vertical-format card and have tapped it for contactless payment many times.
There's no indication that Home Trust removed the contactless capability from the card:
Worldwide acceptance
Accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, the Home Trust Preferred Visa offers you a secure and reliable method of payment, anywhere in the world. You can also shop safely with contactless payment technology wherever it’s available.
5:18 pm
March 17, 2018
Offline
Norman1 said
pentel said
Good to know that 1% cashback only applies to purchases in CAD. I thought I can get no FX fee as well as 1% cash back. Thanks for pointing that out.
It used to be like that. Home Trust removed the 1% cash back on foreign spending in January 2020.
The following year, in May 2021, Home Trust removed the rental car insurance and roadside assistance benefits from the card.
Capital One's new Quicksilver World Elite Mastercard with no fee, no FX, 3 percent cashback on gas and groceries and with travel insurance seems like better card now.
6:12 pm
April 21, 2022
Offline
Briguy said
Capital One's new Quicksilver World Elite Mastercard with no fee, no FX, 3 percent cashback on gas and groceries and with travel insurance seems like better card now.
Yeah, that's a pretty impressive offering for a free card. We have a new winner for a no annual fee, no foreign exchange fee card.
8:57 am
November 18, 2017
Offline
JohnnyCash: I've never lost a credit or debit card. Never heard of anyone I know suffering such a loss.
On the other hand, my friends all seem to lose or destroy their phones every 1-2 years. One woman I know has bought seven iPhones. But I secretly suspect she just wants an excuse to buy new ones. $3500 for an iPhone! Unreal. And when they came out, everyone was freaked out they wanted $300!
RetirEd
6:09 am
February 16, 2023
Offline
Just home last night from three weeks in Greece. Can confirm the HomeTrust Visa tap to pay works there; flawlessly I might add. Had the same experience in the UK in the using and last autumn in Scandinavia. I've also used the account for ApplePay without problem.
Indirectly related, the medical and travel insurance options offered by many cards have exclusions for senior citizens. The absence of these ceases to be an issue while enjoying the no-fx-fee feature.
12:47 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
JohnnyCash said
IDK, I've got the card and it has contactless capability, maybe I got lucky? Either way, it's a free card and I've got it loaded on a few Apple Pay devices so it's not much of any issue for me personally.
Finally received this card, physical card has chip and contactless RFID chip.
12:53 pm
October 2, 2025
Offline
RetirEd said
What's so hard about inserting a card and gaining the extra security of a PIN and chip?
It is better to tap to pay than inserting the card.
Why Chip Cards Remain Vulnerable
Magnetic Stripe Fallback: Because chip cards still feature a magnetic stripe on the back for backward compatibility with older terminals, traditional skimmers can still capture your static account data if the stripe is read.Shimming Devices: Criminals use paper-thin microelectronic devices known as "shimmers" that slide directly inside a card reader's chip slot. Unlike traditional magnetic skimmers, a shim intercepts the data passed between the chip and the terminal during an insertion.
Forced Swipes: Malware installed on compromised point-of-sale systems can trick terminals into failing the chip read attempt, forcing the machine to prompt the user to swipe the magnetic stripe instead
How to Protect Your Card
Use Tap-to-Pay: Contactless payments (NFC) transmit unique, encrypted tokens rather than static card data or raw chip information, making them much harder to intercept.Inspect Terminals: Wiggle card slots before inserting your card, and avoid using machines that look damaged, loose, or feel unusually tight when you insert your card.
