Bank to roll out chip cards next month

Starting next week, Glacier Bank will begin mailing out new chip-enabled debit cards to thousands of bank customers.

The transition to chip cards is part of a handful of changes, including a new internal platform and mobile banking app.

“For our customers, the biggest one of all will be the reissuance of all new debit cards to our customer base with the chip card,” Glacier Bank President Bob Nystuen said.

Each card mailed out to customers will have a new card number. Nystuen said Glacier Bank customers will need to update their accounts with service providers such as iTunes or Netflix with their new card number.

Glacier Bank will be the first Glacier Bancorp division to send out the new cards to its customers, which total more than 40,000. Customers in other divisions will receive cards by October, Glacier Bank Chief Operations Officer Marcia Johnson said in December. Nystuen said the number of cardholders at all Glacer Bancorp divisions could total between 160,000 and 200,000.

The new chip-enabled cards will provide a higher security threshold against data breaches, Nystuen said.

“Security is heightened immensely as a result of the new chips,” Nystuen said. “Processing the transaction with the card present really elevates the level of security for the customer, the merchant and the bank.”

Unlike the magnetic strip, which contains static bank account information that can more easily be obtained by hackers, the chip embedded in the card creates a unique transaction code that isn’t translated until it reaches a retailer’s bank, leaving information protected at the terminal.

But the new chip cards aren’t foolproof, Nystuen said, and purchases made over the phone or online where a customer still provides the card number, can still be vulnerable to data breaches.

Glacier Bancorp, the parent company for Glacier Bank, waited to update customers’ cards until it switched over to the new platform, which will help all branches operate under a single system across the six states where Glacier has affiliated banks. Waiting to issue the cards until the platform transition will help minimize the impact to customer services, Nystuen said.

“With 13 different divisions, we’ve got 13 different ledgers and what we’re in the process of doing is consolidating the various divisions of the bank into one core system,” Nystuen said. “It came at a good time to issue the new chip-enabled cards with the consolidation.”

Along with the new cards and internal platform, Glacier is releasing its new mobile app, Glacier Family of Banks. The new app, an updated version with a similar interface to the current Glacier Bank app, will be available to customers starting Feb. 29.

During the Feb. 26-29 internal platform change, banking services will be limited for customers:

VISA Debit Cards: Daily ATM withdrawal limit of $310 and $1,000 in purchases on Feb. 27 and 28.

Online Banking: Limited access on Feb. 27 and 28.

Mobile Banking: Limited access on Feb. 27 and 28, and the new mobile app will be required on Feb. 29.

Bill pay and online transfer: Unavailable Feb. 27 and 28.

ATMs: No interruption.

24/7 telephone banking: Limited access on Feb. 27 and 28.

For more information, call Glacier Bank at 756-4200 or visit www.glacierbank.com.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.