Hi,
I have been beta testing the new nav, and one feature i didnt realise is that you can now view your card number in the App, so i was wondering why do we print it on the debit card, i was wondering if there are plans or if we can choose to have a debit card without the card number on the card.
This will put a complete stop to stolen card payments, and will make users accounts alot more secure.
We still emboss the card number because thatās what people around the world expect and to keep it compatible with the card imprint machines still rarely used. The last thing we need is to have our cards rejected anywhere because they ālook fakeā. 
Weāre looking at samples and methods of durably printing the card number on the back leaving only your name, Monzo logo, and the Mastercard logo on the front. This also gives us an easy option to totally remove it or make it optional. Nothing has been decided yet though.
But if the card is āmore secureā from online purchase or push payments but then doesnāt work in a card terminal or is seen as āfakeā (some retailers still donāt accept Monzo) that isnāt really innovation?
I mean, with contactless, debit card theft would still be rife - not to mention if a thief also acquires your PIN. The lack of numbers would stop online payments sure - but I donāt think that is the main way a thief would use a physical debit card.
Iāve also never had a problem with the numbers on a card being the reason a card is damaged, it has always been the chip deteriorating over time.
I understand removing the number or at least not embossing it is a feature that should be thought about and one that is clearly being considered following @rikaās comment - but I really donāt see it as that much of a problem?
With the Starling card having no emboss, no name, and on the back hasnāt caused any issues in acceptance for me, Iām wondering how many issues theyāve had from people travelling to places that require an imprint. Surely they just take cash out and pay with that if youāre going to be in the sticks.
Like this without the contactless symbol would do the trick. Plus I donāt think you need the words mastercard anymore just the mark. Then bring the mark down so it actual is middle aligned with Monzo/M and horizontal to the corners.
Note: this isnāt my design, Iād credit the designer if known.
Edit: Like this, where do I send my invoice?
ooh, exciting. Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Iāll bet problems with acceptance are more to do with a highly visible card which has been linked in the past to the prepay card, which had its own problems for merchants. Many other banks are using non-traditional cards (Tide, Starling for example) - Iāve never heard of an issue with acceptance of those.
Oh for sure the majority will be a lack of education, but adding to the potential problem by wiping any semblance of what a ātraditionalā card looks like wonāt help to alleviate retailerās opinion of Monzo - and isnāt currently in the best interests of Monzo
I prefer the card number on the front as if someone manages to snap the back of your card they would have card number, csv, expiry and your name.
The vertical card does look pretty good, and something that not many other banks currently use! Making it look sleek to is brilliant for a modern day bank.
One thing to remember is that a significant source of card fraud these days is hacks to databases storing your card number at various online merchants. Removing the number from the physical card will have no impact on this.
My blind friend would hate that. She uses it to figure out what card it is.
Maybe if it works the option to not have it then to completely remove it.
This would be one of my concerns. The āthatās not a real debit cardā type response if theyāre only familiar with the traditional embossed style.
Iām wondering if Monzo will do a specific accessible card for blind / partially sighted peeps. I know NatWest does one.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Iām not sure about the āthatās not a real cardā issue. When was the last time a cashier even touched your card? I either tap it, or insert it myself
Thatās fine in the UK but it needs to be considered internationally.
The key thing Monzo can do is learn from Starlings mistake where they released it initially with white text and made it hard for everyone to read. Higher contrast with the Hot Coral but still.
Is there actually that much of an issue with the numbers being embossed? For me it really isnāt an issue - its a bank card at the end of the day 
Wouldnāt be too good if they didnāt use white text on the business card 
Indeed. 
I remember it for the one thing where Starling actually acknowledged its forum users comments and held its hands up to say it was a mistake to release white on teal and quickly changed it to black on teal.
Itād be nice to have proper braille cards as an option instead, thatād be even more useful for your friend.