Your debit card is linked to your checking account. So the chances of your money being siphoned should your card be stolen or misplaced is high. Thanks to banks, you can block your debit card should it get stolen or misplaced. But what happens if you eventually find the misplaced card? Can it be reactivated?
A debit card that is temporarily blocked can be reactivated by calling the bank, visiting them, or sending an SMS. However, it is impossible to reactivate or unblock a debit card that is permanently blocked.
If you misplaced your debit card and requested that your bank block it to protect your funds, will you be eager to reactivate your card when you eventually find it? Of course! However, before you do so, you may want to know if it’s possible to reactivate a blocked debit card. I have answered that question in this article.
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Can a Blocked Debit Card Be Reactivated?
Before we progress, let’s understand what a debit card is, including how it works.
A debit card is a payment card that withdraws money directly from a consumer’s checking account when it is used. Also regarded as “check cards” or bank cards,” they can be used to purchase goods or services; or withdraw money from an ATM or a merchant who will let you add an additional amount onto a purchase.
A debit card is usually a rectangular piece of plastic, resembling a typical credit card. Unlike a credit card which is linked to a credit card Company, a debit card is linked to the user’s checking account at a bank or credit union. The amount of money that can be spent on the card is associated with the account size (the amount of money present in the account).
In a sense, debit cards work as a cross between ATM cards and credit cards. You can use them for various reasons like withdrawing money from a bank’s automated teller machine, making purchases, etc. In fact, many financial institutions are replacing their plain vanilla, single-purpose ATM cards with more improved debit cards issued by prominent card-payment processors like Visa or MasterCard. Such debit cards are given to you when you open a checking account with a particular bank.
Whether being used to withdraw money or purchase something, the debit card functions in a similar way: it draws the money immediately from the linked account. So, your spending is restricted to what you have in your checking account, and the exact amount of money you have to spend will vary from day to day, the same with your account balance.
Debit cards also come with daily purchase limits, meaning you cannot spend more than a particular amount with them in one 24-hour period. Debit card purchases can be made with or without a PIN. If the card has a major payment processor’s logo, it often can be run without one, just as a credit card would be.
Blocking a Debit Card:
A debit card remains one of the most convenient payment methods. With this card, you don’t have to worry about paying a bill after the month-end, and neither do you have to burden your mind with the issue of the credit limit. Since the debit card directly takes money from the bank account, it is a very beneficial tool to pay for goods and services.
Nowadays, with technological advancement and the rapid increase in debit card usage, there is an increased risk of a debit card getting cloned. There are multiple stories of fraudsters cloning the debit card and swiping, causing a great loss to the cardholder. Withdrawing your money at a fake ATM may also be risky as there are softwares that can steal the debit card details, making it even riskier. Finally, each card has a risk of theft associated with it.
In case you find yourself in any of the said circumstances, there are some steps you must take. The sec you discover that your debit card is lost or get any notification from the bank regarding a transaction you didn’t initiate, you should move to block your card.
Blocking your card isn’t as hard as it may seem. It is done by following a few self-explanatory steps online. And, of course, the steps differ per bank. While some banks can block your card through SMS, others may decide to do so via mobile banking or net banking. So before blocking your card, it’s important you know which is approved by your bank.
Reasons Why Your Card Gets Blocked:
You cannot wake up one morning to find your card blocked. A card cannot self-block. There is always a reason behind every blocked card. Also, no bank will block your card for no reason. Banks and other financial institutions have various reasons why they block customer’s cards, and these reasons may be:
- Usage in a different location
This occurs when you often use your card in a certain country and suddenly use it abroad. If that happens, a bank may suspect card theft and block your card.
- Technical errors
Sometimes, technical errors by your bank can lead to your card being blocked. This often happens when tech upgrades or advanced payment systems are introduced. The merchant where you use the card may not have upgraded his system, or there may be a technical issue at the bank’s end. In such circumstances, your card may be blocked.
- Uncommon purchase
Banks often keep an eye out for a pattern of your normal expenses on your debit card. If you deviate from the typical trend of how you spend, your bank may block your card on the grounds of suspicious or unusual activity.
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Is It Possible to Reactivate a Blocked Card?
If your bank blocks your card on your request or based on their intuition or discretion, can you reactivate it?
You can reactivate a blocked card. However, it depends on why the card was blocked and the type of block. If your card is blocked permanently, reactivating it will be impossible. However, if your card was blocked temporarily, you can reactivate it by calling the bank, sending an SMS, or visiting the bank in person.
The method varies per bank and the reason for the block. If you didn’t request the block, call your bank to find out why your card was blocked and how to reactivate it.
