Freeze my card!
If you’re a fintech, freezing your card is a feature. Metrobank allowed customers to do this in 2014. But if you’re a traditional high street bank, like Barclays, when you introduce freezing your card, you can run a whole outdoor and cinema marketing campaign around it.
In fintech banking, where there is precious little physicality (no branches, just a digital product), the debit card and its representation in the app are important. Let’s watch how Dozens and Monzo tackle the experience and design around freezing the card and see who does it better. Who knows, this might come in handy when you leave your wallet in that coffee shop on Exmouth market.
Dozens
Monzo
Dozens
Tap ‘Spend’ on the nav and you’ll find the digital render of your Dozens card at the top of the transactions list. It doesn’t look as bold and beautiful as their actual card which is all strong black detail on vibrant yellow. I'm not sure why Dozens opts to use white type over black on their card in the app, especially as white text on yellow fails even basic colour contrast accessibility criteria.
To freeze the card, tap the settings button. A new menu appears, in a very similar (too similar?) screen layout but now with a button to freeze the card. Tap it and a native prompt ensures we’re informed of what you can’t do once you’ve frozen the card. Some might think this is overkill but making sure your customer understands what’s happening is a good thing!
When frozen, a nicely formed graphic snowflake pictogram sits on top of the card.
Monzo
The coral card is iconic and Monzo place it squarely on top of their home screen.
Tap the freeze button and it’s job done. The card now looks like someone has put it in the freezer next to that bottle of cava you’re desperately trying to chill before you head out. Ice crystals forming on the card is a little cheesy, but the microcopy to ‘defrost’ the card (rather than unfreeze) is magic.
Now the card is in suspended animation, Monzo offers a button to replace your card.
Simple.
