A notification is a short message that your phone or app sends you automatically when something happens on your account. If you turn on transaction notifications, your bank will tell you immediately every time money leaves your account — for example, when you pay with your card in a shop or make a transfer. This way, you will notice right away if someone else tries to use your card or account without your permission. It is one of the simplest and most effective safeguards you can turn on yourself. The whole process takes just a few minutes, and you can do it calmly, step by step. Don't worry — you cannot break anything by tapping the wrong button. If a screen looks different from what we describe, just go back a step and try again.
Why notifications matter so much
Imagine someone steals your card details and tries to pay with them. Without notifications, you might not find out for several days, until you check your account history. With notifications turned on, you receive a message within seconds of such a transaction. You can then call your bank right away and block your card before a scammer spends more money. A fast reaction is the best defense against fraud.
Before you start: push, SMS, and email notifications explained
A push notification is a message that appears on your phone's screen even when the app is closed — similar to a notification for a new message on a messaging app. An SMS notification is a plain text message that arrives like any other text, even without internet access. An email notification lands in your email inbox. You can turn on just one type or all of them at once — the more channels you turn on, the better your chance of quickly spotting a suspicious transaction.
How to turn on transaction notifications — step by step
The steps below describe the typical process found in most banking apps. Button names may differ slightly depending on your bank — if a screen looks different from what is described here, look for words with a similar meaning.
- Pick up your phone and find the icon (a small picture) for your bank's app on the home screen — it is usually your bank's logo on a colored background.
- Tap that icon once with your finger to open the app.
- Log in to the app the way you normally do — enter your PIN (a short secret number), your password, or use your fingerprint or face recognition.
- Look on the app's main screen for an icon that looks like a small gear wheel — this is usually the symbol for Settings. It is often in a corner of the screen, or under your profile icon.
- Tap the Settings icon to open it.
- In the list of options, look for the word "Notifications" or "Security" — depending on your bank, this option may be named slightly differently.
- Tap that option to see more details.
- Find the option related to transactions — it may be called "Payment notifications," "Transaction alerts," or simply "Card and transfer notifications."
- Look next to that option for a small switch (it looks like an oval button you can slide left or right).
- Tap the switch next to push notifications to turn it on — once turned on, the switch usually changes color, often to green.
- If you also want to receive text messages, tap the separate switch next to the SMS notifications option.
- Check whether a "Save" or "Confirm" button appears at the bottom of the screen — if it does, tap it to save your changes.
- Close Settings and return to the app's main screen — your notifications are now turned on.
To make sure everything works, you can make a small card purchase and check whether a notification arrives within a few seconds or minutes.
Why this safeguard protects you from fraud
Scammers sometimes call or send text messages pretending to be a bank employee. They might say something like: "Hello, this is the bank's security department. We noticed a suspicious transaction on your account. Please read us the code you're about to receive by text so we can cancel it." This is always a scam. No bank employee will ever ask you to read out a text message code over the phone. If anyone asks you for this, hang up. Then call your bank yourself, using the phone number printed on the back of your card — never the number the caller gave you. With transaction notifications turned on, you will notice an unauthorized payment (one you never agreed to) much faster than any phone call from a supposed bank employee ever could.
If you are still choosing a bank and want one with an app that has clear notification settings, you can compare personal account offers at /en/best/personal-accounts.
What to do if something goes wrong
- You cannot find a "Notifications" section in Settings. Don't worry — some banks hide this option under a different name, such as "My details" or "Security and privacy." Calmly look through every item on the list. If you still cannot find it, call your bank's helpline — the number is on the back of your card or on the bank's website.
- You turned notifications on, but nothing arrives. Check that your phone has an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data). Also check your phone's own settings (not the banking app) to make sure notifications for that app are not turned off or muted.
- You are not sure the changes were saved. Close the app completely, open it again, and go back to the same place in Settings to check whether the switch is still turned on.
- You received a notification about a transaction you did not make. Call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card, and ask them to block your card. Never call a number given in a suspicious text message, and never call back a number that supposedly belonged to "the bank" — it could be a scammer.
- Something on the screen looks completely different from this description. That is normal — different banks arrange their menus differently. Go slowly, tap through similar-looking options one at a time, and look for key words like "notifications," "alerts," or "security." You cannot break anything by looking through the screens.
Summary
In short, to turn on transaction notifications:
From now on, every card payment and every transfer from your account will appear on your phone's screen right away. It is a simple step that significantly improves your security.