Every time money is taken from your card, or a payment arrives in your account, your bank can send you a short message about it right away. This kind of message is called a notification. Turning notifications on is simple, and it only takes a few minutes. Don't worry — there is nothing you can break by tapping the wrong button here. If you tap something by mistake, you can always go back and try again.
Your bank's app is a small program on your phone that you open to see your account and card. Once you turn notifications on, you will find out about every payment or cash withdrawal right away. This is convenient, and it is also one of the best ways to quickly notice if someone else has used your card without your permission.
Step by step: how to turn on notifications
- Open your bank's app on your phone — tap its icon (a small picture with your bank's logo) on the screen.
- Find the "Settings" section — this is usually an icon shaped like a small gear (a cog wheel), located at the bottom of the screen or in the top right corner.
- Tap the "Settings" icon to open that section.
- In the list of settings, find the item called "Notifications" or "Alerts".
- Tap that item to see all the types of notifications your bank offers.
- Find the line "Push notifications for transactions". A push notification is a short message that appears on your phone screen by itself, even when the app is closed.
- Next to that line there is a switch — a small sliding button. Tap it so it changes color (usually turns green). This means notifications are now turned on.
- If you also want to receive SMS (a text message sent to your phone number) for every transaction, find a separate line called "SMS notifications" and tap its switch too.
- Choose which transactions you want to be notified about: money leaving your account, money arriving in your account, or both.
- Check the phone number and email address shown in the app — notifications are sent to these. If the number is outdated, update it in the same settings section.
- Tap the "Save" button at the bottom of the screen so the app remembers your choice.
After this, try making a small transaction — for example, pay for something with your card. Within a few seconds or minutes, a notification should arrive on your phone. If it arrives, everything is set up correctly.
Notifications help you spot fraud early
When notifications are turned on, you see every card transaction right away. If you get a notification about a withdrawal you did not make, that is a warning sign. Call your bank immediately, using the phone number printed on the back of your card, and ask them to block your card.
Important: scammers sometimes call and pretend to be bank employees. They might say: "We see a suspicious transaction on your card — please read us the code from your text message so we can cancel it." This is always a scam. A real bank will never ask you to read out a one-time code or password over the phone. If someone asks you this, hang up, and call your bank back yourself using the number on your card.
If you are still choosing an account with a convenient app and good notifications, you can compare bank offers here: best personal accounts.
What to do if something goes wrong
If notifications do not arrive, don't worry — this is usually easy to fix.
- Check whether your phone allows the bank's app to send notifications. This is usually in your phone's general settings, under "Notifications" — find your bank app's name there and make sure permission is turned on.
- Check that the phone number and email address in the bank app are correct.
- Check that you have an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) — push notifications cannot arrive without one.
- If nothing helps, call your bank's support line using the number on the back of your card or on the bank's official website. Never call a number sent to you in a suspicious text message.