Debit Card Skins in Canada

Customize your Wallet with Fun Personalized Debit Card Stickers

A very famous person once said, “Personalization is the key to happiness!”

Okay, that’s not exactly true. Well, it is true – personalizing things can be a lot of fun, and fun things make us happy. But a very famous person did not say it. I said it – just now – and I stand by it.

We personalize all sorts of things these days. Mostly things we use on a regular basis; things that the world will get a chance to see when we’re out in it. Phone cases are especially popular. Keys and key rings, too. So why not our debit cards?

Dressing up your credit or debit card is no different than adding a little flare to your wardrobe. We wear the clothing we like most, accessorize with shoes, jewelry, watches, bags, belts, and make up. Some of us choose to decorate our very bodies with tattoos and piercings. I’m honestly surprised its taken this long for card skinning to become so popular.

We’ve got a lot of information to cover, so I’ll start things off with a quick table of contents. Choose any topic to jump straight to it, or just keep scrolling to learn about everything as you go.

Personalized Debit Card Stickers

The great thing about debit card skins is that the options are genuinely limitless. The market is brimming with thousands upon thousands of design options. And if none of them pique your interest, you can simply customize your own debit card sticker. Those of you who are savvy enough can even create and cut your own!

If you fancy yourself an artist, the customization options are endless. If you can draw it, paint it, sculpt it, digitally render it – whatever you’re into – you can make it. Simply upload an image of it to a custom skins website, like CUCU Covers or WrapCart, and within a week, you’ll be swiping in style.

Not sure what’s out there? Here’s a few samples to get your creative juices going…

Hottest Credit Card Skins

Funny Debit Card Skins

Motivational Debit Card Skins

Miscellaneous Debit Card Skins

You’ve got Questions? We’ve got Answers!

We hear a lot of questions about card skinning. Most people want to know if you can really put a sticker over a debit card, and still use it. The short answer is yes, but there’s more to it. We’ll answer this and a lot more in this quick debit card sticker Q&A.

Can I put a skin on my credit card or debit card?

Yes, you have every right to customize your credit or debit card with a skin. Banks have been offering customizable cards for years. There’s no reason you can’t personalize it yourself. So long as the necessary information is visible to merchants and/or card scanners, aesthetic design has no impact on its usage. We’ll discuss sticker size and chip reader cut-out options in the questions below.

Why not just get free personalization from my bank?

You most certainly can let your bank customize your credit or debit card for you. Most banks offer this, and most of those that do offer it supply it for free. I’m a strong advocate of “free” stuff, believe me. The only problem is that your options will be a lot more limited. Banks tend to offer a few clear-cut designs, or let you upload your own image, but if you want something that reflects your favorite television show, movie, celebrity, sports team, athlete, animated character, video game – any type of image that might possibly carry a copyright – your bank probably won’t do it; not for free, if at all. You’ll find no such limitations with card skin merchants. And with self customization, you really can do absolutely anything you like!

My card has a chip reader. Can I still use a skin?

Yes! When purchasing your card skin, you should have the option of selecting ‘No Chip’, ‘Small Chip’, or ‘Large Chip’. If you have a chi, but aren’t sure which size it is, look at the shape of it. The small chip is a short, wide rectangle, while the large chip is square in shape, but with rounded edges (as shown in the image to the right). Select the proper size, and there will be a perfectly sized cut-out in the vinyl to accommodate the chip. The best card cover sites even offer a special chip cut-out design for Apple card holders, since Apple had to be different and put their chip on the other side.

Can I cover the numbers on my credit/debit card?

No. Merchants expect to see certain information on a credit/debit card in order to verify you are the rightful holder, and that it is current and valid. The card number and expiration date, as well as the holder’s name, must be visible. If this information is listed on the front of your card, you can choose a “Half Cover” sticker that only covers the top half of the card, or choose a “Full Cover with Window”, which leaves a window opening just the right size to keep your information visible, while covering everything else (see examples below). Fortunately, a lot of today’s credit card companies have begun listing the name, number and expiration date on the back of their cards. If that’s the case, you can choose a full card cover with no worries.

I want to use my own image. Can I customize a skin?

Absolutely! Almost every website that sells skins for credit cards and debit cards will offer a customization feature. All you have to do is upload an image to the site you’re buying it from. As for how you make or obtain that image – that depends on your level of graphic skill. It could be as simple as taking a picture with your phone, or as complicated as drawing your own graphic design on an artist tablet. However you choose to go about it, so long as you can get that image in a .GIF, .JPG, or .PNG file format, you can upload it as a custom card skin.

How do you make your own debit card sticker?

It is certainly possible to make these neat stickers on your own, but you’ll need some special materials to do it. A Cricut vinyl cutting machine would be my first recommendation. Then you need an SVG file of the card skin you want to print. See How to Print Your Own Vinyl Debit Card Stickers below for more information.

Where can I get credit card and debit card skins?

There are a lot of websites that offer them. Some are geared specifically towards selling card skins. Others offer a wide range of device skins – everything from cards and phone cases, to video game controllers and consoles. And, let’s not forget your favorite one-stop-shopping sites, like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. Here’s some reputable card skin sites to help get your started.

• CucuCovers – Card skins only, free shipping to Canada.
• WrapCart – Skins for cards and a wide variety of devices and gadgets.
• BlitzCovers – Card skins, Phone Cases, Key Chains, etc.
• TenStickers Canada – Printable skins for cards, devices and home décor.
• Amazon Debit Card Skins – Variety store
• eBay Card Skins – Variety store
• Etsy Credit/Debit Card Skins – Variety store

See my Debit Card Skin Merchant Seller Reviews below for more info.

How much do credit/debit card skins cost?

It really depends on where you buy them, of course. The short answer… anywhere from $5 to $25 a piece (including S&H).

The long answer… I’ve seen them for as little as $2-$3, scaling up to nearly $12, for the skin alone. Pay close attention to shipping fees. CucuCovers, for example, charges between $5 and $8 USD for most of their skins, depending on the size, with free shipping on orders over $10, plus discounts of 15%, 25% and 30% for buying 3, 5 or 7+ covers, respectively. Amazon is likely to be more expensive, averaging $12 with fast, free shipping for prime members (from most sellers), or $8 +S&H and weeks in the mail. Then we have merchants like WrapCart, who is really cheap at a glance, charging only USD $2.50 a per skin, but then throws as much as $20 on top for shipping costs.

Overall, I feel like BlitzCovers has one of the best deals, charging $5-$8 per cover, but with multiple promotions to keep costs down. They have a buy-2-get-1-free offer (and others), plus free shipping when you buy 2+ designs. However, they don’t offer a “Full Cover with Window” option. You really have to weigh the pros and cons, know what you want, and decide what you’re willing to pay for it.

See my Debit Card Skin Merchant Seller Reviews below for more information.

How sturdy are card stickers? What are they made of?

A good card cover skin is always made of vinyl. They’re far studier and more scratch resistant than paper-based stickers. The number one rule of thumb – read the description! Rule 2, if it’s not vinyl, don’t buy it.

Are they hard to put on?

This is really a matter of opinion. Some people find it easy. Others find it hard to line up the edges. If you’ve ever put a screen protector on your smartphone or tablet, you should have an idea of what you’re getting into. However, being stickers, I find card skins are a lot easier to work with, especially the vinyl ones (don’t settle for less!) Just be sure to use a microfiber or lens cleaner cloth to clean the card really well first.

To get an idea of how easy/difficult it is, check out this one minute video by CUCU Cover showing how to attach a skin to your debit card.

What if I don’t like it, or want to replace it? Can I take it off?

Yes. They are only stickers, and are not difficult to remove. Once again, make sure you’re getting top quality, vinyl stickers. They are the easiest to work with, and won’t tear or leave residue behind when you remove them. If you’re changing stickers, be sure to clean the surface of the card again after removing the old sticker.

Debit Card Skin Merchant Website Reviews

I’ve mentioned a variety of websites that sell credit card skins and debit card skins. In this section, I’ll give you a brief description of each one so you have a better idea of what you’re getting into. I’ll discuss variety, sizes, cost and shipping fees, and current promotions if any.

How to Print Your Own Vinyl Debit Card Stickers

Print your own vinyl stickers isn’t difficult, so long as you have the right tools and know-how. I haven’t actually done it myself, so I’m not going to attempt to walk you through the process. What I will do is point you in the right direction. Let’s start with materials…

1. Cricut Machine (for cutting patterns in vinyl).
2. Printable Vinyl Sticker Sheet
3. Cricut Pattern for Card (in SVG, PNG or JPG)
4. Inkjet Printer

The Process (and Some Food for Thought)

Cricut machines are expensive and, according to everyone I know that has one, very finicky devices. It takes a lot of time and patience to use them, and don’t be surprised if you go through a lot of vinyl sheets before you get the knack for it (they’re expensive, too). Once you do, you’ll need to get a debit card sticker pattern. If you know how to create one already, great. Just bear in mind, it has to be the perfect size, shape, and have the appropriate cut-outs for your card’s chip size, and windows for the name and numbers on your card, if they’re shown on the front.

If making a print pattern file is too much for you, head over to Etsy. You can purchase predesigned cut patterns for debit cards, in all shapes and sizes, and a multitude of patterns. Most of them are pretty cheap, costing around $2.  If you know how to work with image files, I would suggest purchasing one of these in the cover shape/chip size you need, then editing that file to depict the image you want on your card.

Once your pattern is printed and ready, load it up in your Cricut machine and it will do the rest. If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll have a perfectly sized cutout for your card. Don’t forget to clean it first with a lens cloth. Peel the backing to expose the adhesive, carefully line up all edge, and place the sticker over the card. Viola! You’ve created your very own debit card skin. Give yourself a pat on the back and go show it off to the financing world!

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