Starting tomorrow, August 1, terminals in Ukraine will no longer be able to replenish mobile accounts with cash without authorization. In some terminals, you will have to enter your phone number, while in others, you will have to confirm transactions using your bank card, Diya. The same rule applies to replenishing bank cards.
Vodafone and Kyivstar have announced new requirements for depositing funds to a mobile account. When you top up your Vodafone account, you should receive a one-time password to the specified phone number, which you will need to enter in the terminal.
The password can be sent via SMS, messenger, or a phone call. “Starting from August this year, to pay for mobile services in cash using payment devices, payers must have their mobile phones with them and be in a stable network coverage area,” Vodafone said.
Similar rules will apply to Kyivstar branded terminals. However, if you replenish your account in another payment device network, the authorization requirements may differ. For example, you may need to use your bank card information or the Diia app.
However, this does not mean that Ukrainians will not be able to top up someone else’s mobile phone account. Yes, if another person’s account is replenished with Kyivstar, you need to:
- enter the phone number of the subscriber in whose favor the payment is made;
- when prompted for identification, enter the payer’s phone number;
- the second number will receive a call: you need to enter the last four digits; the code can also be sent as a text message;
- deposit the amount to be replenished to the first phone number (subscriber’s account).
The new rules apply not only to mobile top-ups
The banking system is struggling with gray income, dirty cash, and the requirements for customers are getting tougher every year. Until August 1, it was possible to replenish your own or someone else’s card in cash without any authorization, provided that the payment was up to UAH 5 thousand. UAH (the limit was introduced in 2020). From August, Ukrainians will no longer be able to make payments without authorization.
The National Bank established the requirements to verify clients. “For verification, it is enough to read the card number (via NFC or magnetic stripe). If the card is not physically in contact with the terminal, the bank can use the PIN code, one-time password (OTP), QR code reader in the bank’s mobile application, etc. to verify the client (as well as to authenticate before the start of the service session),” the NBU explained.
