RBC blocks ATM cards

The Daily Herald reports that RBC Royal Bank introduced an extra layer of protection for local customers with an ATM/debit card. Today, May 21, the bank is blocking international transactions for all such cards, meaning customers can now only use them in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten and Saba.

“With this new measure we can offer our customers enhanced protection. It allows us to give our customers increased peace of mind knowing that their ATM/ debit card offers an even more secure way of payment,” said Steven Coutinho, managing director of RBC Dutch Caribbean.

Clients can request a change of payment settings via telephone or e-mail. Changes will be processed within 24 hours.

With an RBC-card customers can pay and withdraw money from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) with a Maestro-logo almost anywhere in the world. Beforehand they were able to pay and dispense cash both locally (Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten and Saba) and internationally. Those who live outside the specified region can change their personal settings to allow international payments and cash withdrawals.

“Our customers’ peace of mind is extremely important and we realise that every customer has different needs. We have customers who go abroad every week, but we also have customers who only travel occasionally. “A uniform policy would not provide the individual customer with the necessary flexibility. That’s why we offer extra protection with the new payment settings. Customers can now indicate whether they wish to pay and withdraw money abroad or not,” says Coutinho.

Whenever customers plan on travelling abroad, RBC advises them to submit a request to change their settings through the NetBank secure mail system. If the customer does not have a NetBank profile, he or she can visit one of the RBC branches during offi ce hours to activate their debit card for international use. Such a request can also be made with Customer Support via phone number 546-7288 or via an Account manager.

RBC recommends its customers to inform the bank about their travel plans outside the “local” region in order to appropriately support arrangements for secure banking. They can do so by contacting Customer Support for more information or pay a visit to one of the RBC branches.