You can get a Bank of America contactless card simply by requesting a replacement either online or by calling their customer service at (800) 421-2110. More specifically:
If you choose to make an online request, sign in to your online banking account and select “Order a new or replacement card.” Your new card will be mailed to you in the next 7-10 days, and it will feature contactless technology.
If you prefer to request a contactless card over the phone, you can do that through Bank of America’s customer service line at (800) 421-2110. But be sure to have your account number or your Social Security Number handy before calling them.
If you don’t already have a Bank of America credit card and you are planning to apply for one, rest assured that your new card will automatically have the contactless capability.
Chip credit cards can be “hacked,” in the sense that a thief who inserts a “skimming” device into a credit card terminal can copy data from your credit card and later make a copy of the card. However, skimmers can only copy data from your card’s magnetic stripe, not its chip, which is much more encrypted. Therefore, any copy of your card will only have a magnetic stripe. That means criminals can’t use it any merchant that has a chip reader.… read full answer
EMV chip cards enabled with contactless technology could also be at risk of NFC skimming. A contactless card uses NFC (Near Field Communication), a secure wireless technology that allows data to transfer from a mobile device to a card reader at a short distance. Someone close enough to you could use a scanning device to intercept the NFC signal and steal the card’s information.
In general, chip cards are safer than cards that only have a magnetic stripe. When you insert, or “dip,” a chip card rather than swiping it, the card’s built-in microchip and other security measures make it far more difficult for fraudsters to copy the card’s sensitive information.
Yet despite the security that chips provide, all chip cards still come with magnetic stripes. They’re necessary because not all merchants have payment terminals that can process chips. If a merchant does not have a chip card reader, you’ll have to swipe the card. This deprives you of the extra security protections built into the chip and leads to a greater risk of fraud.
It’s also important to note that cards with chip-and-PIN technology are more secure than chip-and-signature credit cards, yet most U.S. chip cards still come with the latter. They require a signature for purchases instead of a four-digit PIN. So if someone steals your card, they can forge your signature and make purchases.
If your chip credit card is hacked, skimmed or stolen, all major issuers have a $0 fraud liability guarantee on all of their credit cards. That means you won’t have to pay for the fraudulent transactions.
WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information. Information on WalletHub Answers is provided “as is” and should not be considered financial, legal or investment advice. WalletHub is not a financial advisor, law firm, “lawyer referral service,” or a substitute for a financial advisor, attorney, or law firm. You may want to hire a professional before making any decision. WalletHub does not endorse any particular contributors and cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of any information posted. The helpfulness of a financial advisor's answer is not indicative of future advisor performance.
WalletHub members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we encourage everyone to do so while respecting our content guidelines. This question was posted by WalletHub.
Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.
Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.