Lost or Stolen Visa Debit Card?

Lost or Stolen Visa Debit CardUnfortunately, it happens to the best of us: you reach into your wallet or purse to pull out your debit Visa Card, and find out that it’s not there. Or worse, you realize your whole wallet or purse is gone, along with all of your payment cards and other personal information. If it happens to you, here’s what to do to minimize your losses and disruption to your life.
First, you need to call the bank that issued you your prepaid debit Visa card, and tell them to cancel your lost or stolen Visa debit card. By doing this, you are not closing your account – you are just telling that to deactivate the particular piece of plastic that was lost or stolen (the physical debit card that you used to access your account). If your card was a prepaid debit Visa card, you can use the resources at GetDebit.com to locate the contact information associated with your card. Don’t wait – call them as soon as you realize you no longer have your card.

You can also use MasterCard’s global directory to get in touch with a Visa customer service agent (they are open 24/7, every day of the year). You can call Visa Global Customer Care Services at 1-800-VISA-911 (within the U.S. or Canada) if your debit Visa card has been lost or stolen.

Many Visa debit card issuers (including prepaid Visa debit card issuers), will work with you to make sure you get a temporary debit card if you need a card quickly. Be aware that some issuers may charge an expedited delivery fee to get your replacement debit card shipped to you immediately (be sure to ask).

By reporting your card lost or stolen immediately, you may be protected under the Visa Zero Liability policy for unauthorized purchases. Here are the details of the Visa Zero Liability policy:

Covers U.S.-issued cards only. Does not apply to ATM transactions, PIN transactions not processed by Visa, or certain commercial card transactions. Individual provisional credit amounts are provided on a provisional basis and may be withheld, delayed, limited, or rescinded by your issuer based on factors such as gross negligence or fraud, delay in reporting unauthorized use, investigation and verification of claim and account standing and history. You must notify your financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Transaction at issue must be posted to your account before provisional credit may be issued. For specific restrictions, limitations and other details, please consult your issuer.

Next, make sure to carefully scan your online bank statement or prepaid debit card statement to look for any suspicious transactions that you did not authorize. If you find any, report them immediately to reduce the chance that you may pay for them by mistake or that you won’t qualify for any protections under the Zero Liability policy.

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