13 of our favourite features that will help you get the most out of your Tide card
If you’re a sole trader, run a small business or have recently set up a new one, the words convenience, security and exclusive rewards might sound intriguing to you.
With this in mind, we give our members a solution that delivers all that while helping them save time and money: their Tide card. It’s a convenient, safe and smart way to pay.
Now buckle up: we’re going to take you through all the ways you can use your Tide card to rocket-fuel your business growth with peace of mind.
Time and money-saving features
1. Pay from almost anywhere
Whether you want to buy business essentials, book a trip abroad or order a round of celebratory drinks for your team, your Tide card will be accepted almost anywhere that accepts card payments, either in-store or online. Just keep an eye out for the Mastercard logo.
🚩 Avoid hidden fees!
Don’t let foreign ATMs do your conversion for you. If you’re making a payment abroad using your Tide card, make sure to pay using the local currency.
2. Pay using contactless
Contactless is fast and easy. It lets you pay for your needs while on the go. Just look for the contactless symbol, then tap your Tide card.
You can also make contactless payments with Apple Pay (with a daily limit of £300).
🚨 On an important note – because we care for your security, we’ll ask you to enter your card’s PIN after every 6th contactless transaction you make. You can learn more about why we do this further down in the blog post.
3. Keep track of your spending
Tracking and categorising your business spending helps give you a head start when it comes to preparing accurate financial forecasts and making sure you have a healthy cash flow. It’s easy to track this when you make payments using your Tide card.
💻 HMRC is making tax digital in 2024.
That’s why paying with your Tide card will make filing your tax returns easier and spare you the hassle of storing and tracking paper receipts.
- Upload your receipts using Receipt Importer in your Tide app or Tide on the web, and we’ll automatically match them to the relevant transactions
- Simplify your Self Assessment tax return – especially if you’re a sole trader, as you can claim tax relief on allowable business expenses
- Organise your income and expenses into our accounting categories. They use the same category names as the SA103F Self Assessment form from HMRC, which will save you valuable time and unnecessary headaches
💡 Tip: Having accurate financial records can help you show your true earnings to potential mortgage lenders and secure a better deal.
4. Withdraw cash easily
With your Tide card, you’re able to access cash whenever you need it. You can make cash withdrawals from any ATM that displays the Mastercard logo in the UK and most countries overseas (with a standard fee of £1 per withdrawal).
5. Member Perks
Because we know how hard you work, and to make your money go further, we’ve teamed up with partner brands to bring you Tide Member Perks. You can enjoy a wide selection of deals on products and services your business needs, including business support, legal and funding support and digital marketing services.
6. Mastercard Priceless
Being a Tide card holder means you get access to exclusive discounts, upgrades, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences worldwide.
It’s all thanks to Priceless, a programme our card-issuing partner Mastercard provides. It offers you endless opportunities to thrive as a business owner – ranging from digital experiences to travel and shopping.
Register your card at Priceless.com to get started.
7. Mastercard Business Savings
Having a Tide card gives you access to the free-to-use Mastercard Business Savings programme.
You’ll earn cashback on everyday business costs and save money on travel, hotel stays, meals out, vehicle hire, and much more – without needing to enter any coupons or codes. Whether you’re doing business locally or internationally, there’s a broad selection of carefully chosen suppliers from around the world.
Tide cardholders, with a card beginning 559908, are bound by Mastercard Business Savings terms and conditions. If you don’t want to be part of the programme, you can opt out by contacting support via the Tide app. Head on over to our blog to read more about it.
Security and protection
1. Spending limits
We’ve set a monthly limit for your card payments to minimise your exposure to potential fraudsters and their chance of taking more of your money.
| Card spending limit | Per month | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Sole traders | Up to £25,000 | Up to £20,000 |
| Limited companies | Up to £75,000 | Up to £20,000 |
When making contactless payments, you can spend up to £100 per transaction when you tap your contactless Tide card or use Apple Pay for a higher contactless limit.
2. Pay by PIN
As an additional layer of security, we’ll ask you to enter your PIN for every 6th contactless transaction you make with your Tide card. You can safely access your PIN number in your Tide app by tapping the card icon, then ‘Show PIN’ – in case you wanted to refresh your memory 😉.
This doesn’t apply when you make payments via Apple Pay.
☝ Remember to keep your PIN safe and to yourself (we’ll never ask you to disclose it or any other sensitive information).
When entering your PIN into a cash machine or POS terminal, always cover it with your free hand in case someone’s watching over your shoulder.
The same advice goes to your team members when they use their Tide Expense Cards.
3. Protection for your card details
Your name and banking details are on the back of your Tide card instead of on the front. This helps hide your personal information from fraudsters and makes it harder for them to copy.
🤔 Misplaced your Tide card?
There’s no need to worry. You can freeze, cancel and reorder cards in a few taps in your Tide app or report it to us by calling +44 (0) 3331210266 – our automated service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
4. 3D Secure (3DS)
For added fraud protection, and to make sure it’s really you spending your money, we use 3D Secure (3DS). With 3DS, you’ll be asked to complete an additional verification step when you’re paying online using your Tide card or any Expense Card.
5. Zero liability protection
Our card issuing partner Mastercard guarantees that you won’t be held responsible for unauthorised transactions made with your Tide card. This applies to ATM transactions and any kind of online or in-store purchases.
You’ll be protected by this policy as long as you’ve safely used your card and you report any loss or theft of your money to us as soon as you become aware of it.
6. Chargebacks
If you didn’t receive goods and services you paid for, haven’t gotten a refund on a damaged or cancelled order, or the merchant you purchased from has gone bust, we’ll try to get your money back for you.
Once you give us all the details of the transaction you want to refund, we’ll raise a chargeback on your behalf with our card provider Mastercard. The investigation can take up to 45 days – and there’s still no guarantee you’ll get the money back. But if successful, you can rest assured the money is yours to keep.
If this happens to you, message us in your Tide app straight away, and we’ll walk you through the next steps.
Wrapping up
Your Tide card (see its full T&Cs here) connects you to secure and flexible benefits to help you plan for your business growth and have peace of mind while doing it. The key is to choose the features that work for you.
Our features are only available in the latest version of the Tide app. So, head to the App Store or Google Play to check that you’ve updated yours.
