Your debit card is usually linked to your checking account, while your credit card is linked to the card issuer. These cards can be used to make a purchase while active. However, what happens when any of these cards are blocked? Can you still use your online banking? Or will it be inaccessible as well?
If your card gets blocked, you won’t be able to use it for transactions. However, you would still be able to use online banking to perform typical transactions.
What happens when your bank blocks your card? Does it affect your card alone, or does the effect cover your online banking? There is only one way to find out. In this post, I have explained what online banking is and the possibility of using your online banking should your card get blocked.
Can a Blocked Debit Card Be Reactivated?
Can I Still Use Online Banking if My Card Is Blocked?
Let’s understand what online banking is and how it works.
You can bank online via an online-only bank or online-only credit union or online-only union, or via the suite of online services that most brick-and-mortar banks and local credit unions now provide. You can settle bills, send money, apply for a loan, deposit checks, and confirm transactions and account balances. Banks that offer online banking include Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
How Online Banking Works?
Online banking is made to be convenient, saving you time and letting you do your banking on your schedule rather than only during the hours your local bank branch is open. Almost anything you can do at a traditional bank or credit union location you can carry out online, whether it is opening an account, sending funds, requesting loans, paying bills, etc.
The only advantage that traditional banks and credit unions have had over their online equivalent is the ability to withdraw money using an ATM. Nowadays, online banks and credit unions are offering access to a network of ATMs that won’t charge you a fee. Some financial institutions will return your ATM fees up to a particular amount each month.
Opening Bank Accounts:
Of course, you can open checking, savings, and other accounts online, often without the stress of printing or physically signing anything. With electronic signature capability, the whole process might now take less than 10 minutes.
If you are a customer of a financial institution that does online banking, you can register for online access via its site. At a minimum, you’ll require the following to start your online banking journey:
- An internet connection
- A device with a web browser: a computer, tablet, or smartphone
- Your bank account number
- Personal information to verify your identity, like your birth date and Social Security Number
You’ll need similar things (excluding the bank account number) to open an account with an online-only bank or credit union with which you don’t have an existing relationship. You may be asked for extra ID verification, like a driver’s license.
Registration involves setting up a login, often your email address and password. Once you complete registration, you can log into your account and begin your online banking journey with your internet-enabled smartphone, tab, or computer.
Paying Bills:
Instead of writing checks to settle bills, your bank can print and mail a check for you month after month. However, to make things pretty easy, it’s possible to send money to a payee electronically, even if the amount you owe changes every month.
Transferring Funds:
If you have to transfer money from your checking account to your savings account or into a certificate of deposit (CD), you can conduct these intrabank transfers online. You can even link your accounts at different banks or transfer money to friends and family almost instantly via peer-to-peer services available through your bank.
Applying for Loans:
Getting a loan is typically a tedious paperwork process, but it doesn’t have to be. Filing in your application online accelerates the credit-check process, enabling your bank or credit union to respond with an answer fast.
Some financial service providers with online loan applications make funds available less than 24 hours after being approved for a loan. Others that operate solely online can make near-instant lending decisions.
Depositing Checks:
When an individual pays you with a check, it’s easy to deposit it from home if you own a smartphone. Using a mobile check deposit, you snap a photo of the check via your bank’s mobile application and submit it for payment. There is no need to mail the check.
Viewing Current and Past Transactions:
Most credit unions and banks make it easy to check your available balance, confirm your latest transactions, and inspect previous monthly statements online. You should be able to search transactions by time frame and type, like a bank card payment.
Transfer Pricing Methods With Examples
Why Might Your Account Be Blocked?
Your card can be blocked for various reasons. Your bank can decide to block your card due to
- Suspicious activities like strange buying habits
- Stolen card
- Misplaced card
- Transactions made outside one city
Is It Possible to Use Online Banking if Your Card Is Blocked?
First off, a debit card is used to withdraw cash from your checking account via an ATM. It can also be used to make payments. So when your card is blocked, you won’t be able to perform those activities. However, you should be able to access your online banking unless your bank blocked that as well for security reasons.
