Everyone has a thing. At Ally, our thing is being obsessed with the needs of our customers. We’re here to help with your finances 24/7 — but we also want you to have complete control over how you manage your money.
That’s why we want you to take a look at our new Ally Card ControlsSM app. It allows you to decide how, when, and where your debit card is used. It offers a range of features to help you monitor transactions, control spending, and manage card activity.
Read on for more details about how you can manage your debit card with Ally Card Controls.
Turn Card On or Off
In the event your debit card is ever misplaced or stolen, you can take control of the situation by immediately turning your card off with the touch of a button. Once you turn your card off, we won’t allow purchases or withdrawals to occur. If it turns out to be a false alarm, you can turn your card back on just as easily and resume using your card right away.
Establish Spending Limits and Merchant Categories
If you sometimes feel like you need to get control over your spending, this app is your friend. It can help you monitor your regular spending habits and limit transactions over a certain amount. This can help keep your regular spending in check.
You can also set preferences to control and monitor transactions within specific merchant categories such as groceries, gas stations, entertainment, or travel.
Set Location-Based Controls
You can set location control preferences to define the geographic regions where your card can be used. Using your phone’s GPS and the My Location feature, you can have your debit card active only within the vicinity of your phone. Or, you can use a map to choose the specific regions where you’d like to restrict card usage. Your preferences can include denying international purchases, too.
Receive Transaction Push Notifications
There are plenty of customization options when it comes to receiving push notifications — so you can decide which information you’d like to receive. You can set up notifications for transaction type (like online shopping or ATM withdrawals) to help monitor your purchases. Or, we can let you know every time you make a purchase or in the event your card is denied. We also send the notifications in real time so you’re able to stay on top of activity in the moment.
Manage Your Preferences from the Ally Mobile App
Once you download the Ally Card Controls app, you can manage your card control preferences from within the main Ally Mobile app. Access your control preferences by logging in to the Ally Mobile app and tapping on settings in the main menu. Since your control preferences will directly impact where and how your debit card can be used, you can quickly and easily change your preferences as needed from the Ally Mobile app!
The Ally Card Controls app is available to both checking and money market account customers with active debit cards and Android® or Apple® mobile devices. Learn more about the Ally Card Controls app and watch a video on how to use it here.
Download from the iOS App Store or Android Google Play store:
Comment on this article
Comments
Bryan L. on June 7, 2017 at 6:44pm
This is really helpful!
Ally on June 8, 2017 at 11:44am
Glad to hear it, Bryan! Thanks for reading!
Sara on August 22, 2017 at 12:10am
Is this a good card to start travelling my credit? I'm a single mom of 2 and times have been hard. I'm trying to figure out a plan to make things better for my girls and myself. Any tips or advice would be great! Thanks in advance ??
Brandon on April 25, 2018 at 6:35am
Nice feature, but please move it to the Ally mobile app. Installing two apps to access a feature is not convenient. Thank you!
Ally on May 1, 2018 at 9:46am
Hi Brandon, we appreciate hearing your feedback and will pass your thoughts along to the team. Also, please keep in mind that once you download the Ally Card Controls app, you can manage your preferences directly from the main Ally Mobile app.
Ally on May 1, 2018 at 9:46am
Hi Brandon, we appreciate hearing your feedback and will pass your thoughts along to the team! Also, please keep in mind that once you download the Ally Card Controls app, you can manage your preferences directly from the main Ally Mobile app.
Ally C. on August 3, 2018 at 8:05pm
Is there any way to activate a debit card through this? The phone number to activate is a HOT mess - it misinterprets numbers (via an iPhone), fails and hangs up constantly (probably because the pin verification step can't work with it not able to determine which number is being pressed). I'm sitting on hold for the next 25 minutes just to activate my debit card when you have an app that's prime for handling this sort of thing.
HEATHER on August 22, 2018 at 7:32pm
The Card Controls app is down and there is no way to access it on a desktop computer. We are on vacation in a different zip code and cannot use our card at all. There really should be a way to access it via the web, if the app isn't working. It seems to go down alot!
Ally on August 23, 2018 at 1:18pm
Hi Heather, we're not aware of any issues at this time - everything should be up and running smoothly. We'll pass your feedback along, but for assistance please give us a call at 1-877-247-2559 or chat with us online at ally.com. A member of our team would be glad to assist you!
Norman B. on October 26, 2018 at 1:07pm
You never mentioned the Webroot service your bank provides to secure the computer from malicious and dangerous sites. I have used it since you first made it available.
Dan R. on October 29, 2018 at 1:03pm
Works great until you need help. Terrible customer service. New debit card (new number) received almost a week ago and the card STILL does not show in the Card Controls app. Staff super unhelpful. Created a ticket for me that's gone nowhere. This feature was one of the reasons I've joined this bank so I could take steps to protect my card and transactions that get approved.
Dawson H. on January 2, 2020 at 12:02pm
what happens if my debit card is hot and never came yet?
Ally on January 3, 2020 at 12:11pm
Hi Dawson, if you’ll give us a call at 1-877-247-2559, or chat with us online at ally.com, one of our team members will be more than happy to help you.
Kimberly O. on August 9, 2020 at 10:27pm
As a recent victim of identity fraud this article was massively helpful. I was able to activate security features I didn't even know existed at Ally. Thank you so much for shining a flashlight into this dark world of identity theft. We victims thank you.
Ally on August 10, 2020 at 1:45pm
Hi Kimberly, thank you for the comment. Keeping our customer’s safe is a top priority at Ally.
Sam M. on September 18, 2020 at 5:24pm
How are customers able to access their cash in the event a debit card is lost/stolen, or say expires while travelling abroad like mine did? I have a two week wait before my replacement arrives and my location is a cash-driven economy. Is my money trapped or can Ally work with local banks/services to get me access in the short term?
Ally on September 18, 2020 at 5:57pm
Hi Sam, if you’ll please give us a call at 1-877-247-2559, or chat with us online at ally.com, one of our team members will be more than happy to help assist you.
Justin on October 31, 2020 at 12:19pm
I'm going to agree with Brandon, while you can control the cards within the main app, move this function to the main app so we don't have 2 apps. That's called increased exposure in the risk world.
Jacob on December 4, 2020 at 2:39pm
So you basically can’t use the money in your account until you get a physical card 10 days later. They won’t provide a digital version at all to use until you get the physical card. So stupid.
Pamela P. on January 9, 2021 at 4:33pm
Neither phone number working. Trying to activate card, but no way to reach anyone. Don't see a live chat option even. This...is disconcerting.
Brian on April 21, 2021 at 11:55am
I am sorry but Ally is the most hostile bank I have ever used. You guys like to tell me when I can and cannot spend MY OWN money by denying transactions LEFT AND RIGHT. Now your card control app is telling me my "card status is hot". What does that mean? NO EXPLANATION IN THE APP. This bank is horrible, stay away at all costs!
nathalie v. on October 30, 2021 at 12:01pm
Three months without a debit card. 3 debit cards have been "expedited" to me so far and I have still not receiced it. I called the number provided 3 times, with a different agent everytime who ordered a new card.
Ally on October 30, 2021 at 12:02pm
Hi, we hear your frustration. Have you tried chatting with us online at ally.com?
SSS on June 29, 2022 at 9:52am
Tried to set a travel alert by chat , but chat bot would only accept a city, country (not a whole country), and date entered as MM/DD/YYYY (exactly as asked). Finally typed 'representative'. Waited for 45 minutes to be connected "soon". Next day saw that a representative finally appeared 1.5 hours after I gave up. Tried to download the Control App, but cannot find it on Google Store, and the main app seems to only have the same functions as web app (so no need to have the phone app). Very frustrated and will have to use another bank for travel. I need to switch my money from Ally as customer service is non-existent.
Ally on June 29, 2022 at 9:53am
Hi, we hear your frustration. We appreciate your feedback, and we’ll be sure to share this with our team for further review.