What Is Patient First Token Charge On Credit Card

Did you or someone in your family have recently visited Patient First and have availed their services? If yes, then there is nothing to worry about the Patient First token charge on your credit card, as this is a small and temporary charge put on hold on your credit card to check the credit validity before they charge for the services you have availed. I know where the primary confusion is coming from, the amount of the charge, which is $1, right?

The Patient first offers medical services in many different states of the U.S. and they operate with more than about 60 insurance companies in the states. For insured and the many non-insured patients the charges are almost the same, but the nature and process will differ and if you compare the both without knowing this, you will be more confused. 

Much information is detailed in this guide below which you can go through and bid goodbye to the confusion in your head. I have explained the ways to determine the legitimacy of the transaction and if you find it suspicious then what steps you take further to avoid any such transaction and avoid any damage to your hard-earned money in future?

Know The Patient First Token

Patient First is a renowned private medical organization which completely operates on its own as it receives no financial assistance from state or federal programs and which relies solely on revenue from patients and their insurers. Their policy values the physician-patient relationship, which they believe is strengthened when there is a clear understanding between both parties as to their rights and obligations.

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What Does Patient First Token Charge On Credit Cards Mean?

Patient First routinely bills different insurance companies within two days of the date of services availed by the policy holders. In case the insurer does not respond within 60 days, they then assume that their billing information is either invalid or incorrect, and in some case scenarios the patient did not have the listed health insurance plan in force at the time of service and then they bill the patient. This process is conducted after they hold a token charge on your credit card to check the validity, which is mentioned as Patient First token charge on your credit card.

Explanation Of The Charge

A “Patient First Token Charge” mentioned on your credit card statement generally refers to a small, temporary authorization charge which Patient first uses to verify the validity of the credit card. Understand the breakdown below of what this means:

1. Purpose: The token charge is mainly used to verify that the credit card is active and has available credit. This is a common practice which many businesses undertake to ensure the card is valid before they actually charge for services.
2. Amount: The charge is usually a small amount, often $1 or less. Understand that it’s not an actual charge but instead a temporary hold.
3. Temporary Hold: The token charges are always reversed shortly after they appear on the statement, generally within a few days. As they are not intended to be a permanent charge.
4. Authorization: This process helps businesses to prevent fraud and ensures that the credit card details provided to them are correct and that the card is in good standing.
5. Final Bill: After the token charge is authorized, the final charge for the services availed by the user are received at Patient First will be processed. This final charge only will reflect the actual cost of your visit which includes any co-pays, deductibles, or self-pay rates.

If you see a “Patient First Token Charge” on your credit card statement and if it does not get reversed after some days or if you have any such unknown concerns about charges on your account, it is best to immediately contact Patient First’s billing department or your credit card company for clarification and assistance. More details are mentioned below.

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Know If Patient First Token Charge Is Legitimate?

To ascertain if the Patient First Token charge on your credit card is legitimate;

• If something about the charges seems particularly off, you can always contact the Patient First directly and ask about their onboard pricing structure and any additional fees that might be included.
• You must primarily contact your bank or the credit card company and ask for the verification of the transaction details. 
• Check your registered email for any receipt of purchase or the confirmation from Patient First.

Post this, if you understand that charges are legitimate but you didn’t make any purchase and not sure about when and who made the purchase then here are some easy steps to identify if the charge is genuine and not an unauthorized transaction:

Step 1: Checking your purchase history.

You must without any delay check your recent purchase history and see if you have made any purchases from Patient First. If yes, then search for the supporting email confirmation, a purchase receipt, or any such message containing some document that confirms the purchase.

Step 2: Checking the amount of the charge.

Make sure that the amount of the charge exactly matches with the purchase value. Many times additional charges like taxes or shipping charges are also levied, but only added in the final statement. Calculate and include them in. If you are still suspicious, check the currency conversions and the rates applied at the time of that particular transaction.

Step 3: Checking the time and date of transaction.

A legitimate transaction exactly shows the time and date which matches with the time and date of the purchase. If you observe any considerable difference, then this reflects its because of the delayed payment processing or some potential suspicious activity.

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Contacting The Patient First

Post the above-mentioned process, you have now concluded that the charges levied are legitimate then no further action is required. But, if you’re still confused about the charge and its origin and have other reasons too to believe that it’s unauthorized then I would recommend you to immediately contact the Patient First. They must be happy to help you understand the charge details and clear any other pertinent doubts.

Here’s how to contact Patient First:

• Visit the official website of the concerned and find their contact details. In such cases contact details must only be trusted from official sources.
• Call the customer service number or write an email, explaining the issue. Make sure you mention all details, some screenshots could help them understand early and easily.
• If you are talking to them, make sure you don’t provide any bank details, and take your time to understand the issue briefly.

What To Do If You Suspect Fraud?

Credit card fraud is not something new we are talking about. Many folks with less knowledge or because of some lucrative offers fall prey to such fraudulent activities every other day. It’s a spam racket widely run by companies who charge them illegitimately and then perish in thin air.

Patient First Charge on credit cards is one very common example, where many people are reporting credit card charges which are not authorized by them. In case you suspect fraud below are some steps that you can undertake further;

Contacting Your Credit Card Company

If you have confirmed that the purchase is not done by you or others with access and it’s definitely a fraudulent activity related to your credit card; 

• First and most important thing you should do is to contact your credit card company and immediately ask them to block your credit card to avoid any further unauthorized transactions. 
• To contact their customer service, look for the customer support number on your credit card or the issuer’s website, do not trust any other sources.
• Explain to them the whole situation and provide any requested documents, such as receipts or billing statements, but resist on providing any details like card number, OTP or pin of your card. 
• Your credit card company will then investigate the matter and possibly could reverse the charges also if it is confirmed as fraudulent. 
• If required, your current credit card might be canceled for safety concerns and a fresh card will be issued to you.

Reporting Incident To The Authorities

Post your confirmation of some fraudulent charge on your credit card, reporting the same to the authorities is important as soon as possible;

• Contact your local police department or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 
• The FTC has a widely maintained database of many such fraudulent activities through which they can potentially help stop any future unauthorized transactions or frauds.
• Reporting the incident soon can help you protect your identity and further prevent any fraudulent transactions on your credit card.

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Conclusion

Charges are mentioned in many different ways on our credit card and they denote different meanings even if they are from the same merchant. It’s hard for you to always remember such different names which can’t even be spelled most of the time. It’s better to periodically monitor your bank and credit card statements and immediately report any transaction that seems suspicious and get clarifications. I hope this guide has helped you to clear your confusion and also provides many ways to report fraudulent transactions and stay safe.

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