How to activate your Cash App card so you can make payments without having to use your personal bank account

With technology integrated into our everyday lives, many activities have been simplified, including the way we exchange money. Now, with online money transfers consumers can send and receive money using an app on their phone and a few simple taps.

Whether you owe someone for lunch or need to pay a freelancer's invoice, apps such as Cash App allow users to send and receive money without having to whip out their wallets or go to an ATM.

With Cash App, users can also use their balance in the app to shop in person at retailers that accept Visa, thanks to the Cash Card. You can also use your Cash Card to take money out of an ATM.

Here is how to request and activate a Cash Card.

How to request a Cash Card

1. Unlock your iPhone or Android and launch the Cash App. Then, tap the Cash Card icon second from the left at the bottom of the screen.

How to activate Cash App card — Tap the Cash Card icon on the left.

2. Tap the green "Order" button.

3. On the next page, select the color you want your Cash Card to sport. As of now, you can only choose between black or white.

4. On the next page, select whether or not you'd like your unique $Cashtag to appear on the front of your card. Tap the toggle for yes or no — if the toggle is green this means that your $Cashtag will be on the front of your card, and if white your $Cashtag will not be on your card.

On this screen you can also add a signature or drawing to the front of your card by tapping the box that says "Tap to customize." Draw whatever you'd like in the box using your finger, or tap the smiley face icon at the bottom of the screen to select an icon or pre-drawn letters.

5. On the next page, enter in where you would like to have your Cash Card mailed to. Tap the green "Next" button to confirm.

6. On the following page, confirm your first and last name, which will be printed on your card. Tap "Next."

7. Enter your date of birth. Note, that you have to be at least 18 to request a Cash Card. Tap "Next."8. Lastly, enter the last four digits of your social security number. Tap "Next."

9. A page should pop up confirming that your card request went through. Tap "Continue."

10. From here, you'll be redirected to a page where you can add funds to your card. Enter in the amount that you'd like to add or tap the small grey "X" at the top-right of the screen to exit.

Once you place the order for your Cash Card, you will have to wait 10 business days for your card to arrive. Remember, that you need to be 18 or over to order a Cash Card.

How to activate your Cash Card using a QR code

1. Unlock your mobile device and launch the Cash App.

2. On the Cash App home screen, tap the Cash Card icon second from the left at the bottom of the screen.

3. Tap "Activate Cash Card" to get started.

4. The application will then ask to use your camera to scan the QR code found on your Cash App card. Align your camera with the code and hold it until focused. Once you line up the QR code with the camera on your device, your Cash Card will officially be activated and ready for use.How to activate your Cash Card without a QR code

1. Unlock your mobile device and launch the Cash App.

2. On the Cash App home screen, tap the Cash Card icon second from the left at the bottom of the screen.

3. On the next screen, tap "Activate Cash Card" to get started.

4. Instead of using your camera, tap the "Missing QR code" button and select "Use CVV Instead."

5. Enter the CVV code and expiration date located on your new Cash Card. Once you enter this information, your Cash Card will be set up and ready to use.

Cash App, by Square, is a convenient peer-to-peer money transfer app that allows you to exchange money with friends and family on your phone, without any actual money actually changing hands. Gone are the days of counting bills and divvying up change at restaurants — if you and your friends have the Cash App then you're all set.

Of course, if you have an app that sends money to other people on your phone, it's reasonable to want to keep it extra protected. That's why the Cash App offers the option to either scan your fingerprint or enter a PIN before you send money to others. This setting can be turned on in the "Privacy and Security" section of your account.

However, it goes without saying that if you opt to use a PIN, there's a chance that you'll have to change it someday if it ever becomes compromised or you forget it. Luckily, the Cash App makes it very easy to change your PIN using your iPhone or Android.

How to change your Cash App PIN

1. Open the Cash App on your iPhone or Android.

2. Tap the Account icon of a person in a circle in the upper-right corner.

How to change Cash App PIN — Tap the account icon in the upper-right corner.

3. Tap "Privacy & Security," the second option on the account menu.

4. Under "SECURITY," tap "Change Cash PIN." Scan your finger or face to verify your identity if needed.

5. Enter your new PIN, and then confirm it.

6. You should get a text or email notifying you that your PIN has been changed.

Do I need extra security while using Cash App?

Cash App allows you to add a PIN code or fingerprint ID to make payments. (The PIN will be the same as with your Cash App debit card, if you have one, according to the company site.)

Patrick Jackson, chief technology officer for online privacy firm Disconnect, gives them good marks for security and encryption. “They take an extra level of added security,” he says.

That said, since you’re dealing with your money, you want to make sure you’re also using optional security features and good computer practices.

If you can’t get to your private network, skip public Wi-Fi in favor of your phone’s digital network, says Jackson, whose company assisted with Consumer Reports’ in-depth study of peer-to-peer payment offerings.

Tetreault echoes the recommendation to enable all available security options in the app and on your device.

“We recommend turning on the security features so that there’s a layer of protection,” she says. Also smart: setting alerts for transactions.

Also, even though you’re still technically on social media, think like a banking customer when you evaluate, select and use peer-to-peer payment services, says Tetreault.

“People are confident with the [social media-based] system because they use it with people they know and trust,” she says. Adopt the same strategy if you’re sending money.

Says Tetreault, “Use these services – any peer-to-peer services – only with people you know and trust.”

Can Cash App users earn credit card rewards and loyalty points?

Cash App has a rewards program called “Boost.” It allows you to link Cash App deals to your Cash App debit card. (You can select just deals at a time.)

When you make a purchase, the discount is automatically deducted from the purchase price – like a coupon. The card also gives $1 off for purchases at coffee shops.

Does Cash App offer its own cards?

Yes. Once you sign up for an account, you can request a free debit card.

Cash App doesn’t offer credit cards.

Is the money sent via Cash App protected against loss, fraud and theft?

The Cash App account and debit card would fall under the new prepaid card regulations, which took effect April 1, says Tetreault.

That means if you have unauthorized charges and report them within two days, your losses are limited to $50.

You can also temporarily disable the card if you’ve lost it, according to the company’s site.

But if you actually authorize sending money to someone (to the wrong person, in the wrong amount or to a recipient for merchandise that isn’t as promised), you’re not protected, says Tetreault.

What happens if I send the wrong amount or send it to the wrong person?

That money could be gone permanently. The Cash App site states that “payments are instant and usually can’t be canceled.” It directs users to “look at your activity feed to see if the payment receipt is displaying a cancel option.”

If not, the option it gives you is to use the app to ask the recipient to refund the money.

And while you can request help through the app or the company website, you can’t contact the company via phone or email, according to a representative for Cash App.

The Consumer Reports study did find that a large number of complaints about Cash App involved that aspect of the service, says Tetreault.

“There are a lot of great FAQ responses, but for folks looking for the personal touch, this could be not so easy,” she says.

And that problem isn’t unique to Cash App, she says.

With any service involving your money, “consumers should have multiple and plentiful ways to resolve issues,” Tetreault says.

Are Cash App transactions public?

No. And the Consumer Reports study found “they’re actually pretty transparent about data security and data privacy, just not as private as the top performers,” says Christina Tetreault, senior policy counsel for Consumer Reports.

Is money in a Cash App account FDIC insured?

Not at this time, according to a company representative.

How to activate your Cash App card so you can make payments without having to use your personal bank account

How to request a Cash Card

How to activate your Cash Card using a QR code

How to change your Cash App PIN

Do I need extra security while using Cash App?

Can Cash App users earn credit card rewards and loyalty points?

Does Cash App offer its own cards?

Is the money sent via Cash App protected against loss, fraud and theft?

What happens if I send the wrong amount or send it to the wrong person?

Are Cash App transactions public?

Is money in a Cash App account FDIC insured?

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