It’s easy to lose your debit card. Even if you take the precaution of keeping it in a safe place, accidents can happen. You may leave it at home or in an ATM machine, or someone might steal it while you’re not looking. When this happens, your first thought might be to panic and worry about how to get another one right away.

You may think that the money in your account is gone forever, or that you’ll never get it back. But if you stay calm and follow some simple steps for what to do when you lose your debit card, the situation will be much easier to deal with.

Report your debit card lost or stolen.

You should report your debit card lost or stolen immediately. The bank that issued the card will need to know about it so that they can cancel any transactions and close your account.

• Call the bank that issued the card: If you’ve lost your debit card or it got stolen, call your bank immediately and let them know what happened. They’ll do everything they can to help you block the card immediately. If you cannot make a call, you should visit the branch closest to you to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
• Don’t share PINs with anyone else: Some people find themselves having trouble getting their money back because someone else has access to their accounts without permission—especially if those accounts are connected online through an ATM machine/debit card reader device.

The longer you wait, the higher your liability.

The longer you wait, the more money you are liable for. The longer your card is gone and the less likely it is that someone will notice and report it stolen, the higher your liability will be.

If you don’t report your card missing as soon as possible, the chances of someone using your debit card without permission or authorization and getting away with it is higher. If someone does use your card without permission and authorization, you have to pay for it.

You are less likely to experience unauthorized transactions if you report your ATM card within two days of learning about them. If someone steals your debit card and uses it without permission or authorization, you’re responsible for any purchases made with that card—even if they were fraudulent.

Contact your bank and check the balance on your account.

When you lose your debit card or you think someone has stolen your debit card and used it without permission or authorization, contact your bank immediately. The bank will suspend the card so that no one can use it. You’ll also have to cancel any automatic payments linked to the account.

Also read: A Low/No-Cost Approach To Managing Debt Better For Your Small Business

Consider a temporary spending plan.

There are some other things you can do. For example, consider a temporary spending plan. This is a way to control your spending until you get your finances back on track. It can help you avoid getting deeper into debt because of an emergency. Here’s how it works:

• Set up a new checking account with a different bank or credit union than the one where the debit card was stolen;
• Transfer all of your funds from the old account to the new one; and
• Use this new account as your primary source of funds for everyday expenses, such as groceries, gas, rent, and utilities.

Request for a new ATM card.

If you lose your debit card, there’s a good chance that the bank has sent out replacement cards. You can request a new one online or over the phone. If you’d rather not deal with phoning your bank, there are plenty of other options:

• Requesting a new ATM card in person at an ATM is another option; however, this will take time—typically 48 hours—and may require additional documentation such as proof of identification and residency (e.g., utility bills).
• You can also request an emergency replacement debit card from any branch of your bank (or even through its website) without having to wait for its normal processing times at all!

Watch out for text scams.

When you lose your debit card, it’s easy to become paranoid about the possibility of identity theft. But there are some steps you can take to make sure that doesn’t happen—and one of them is to be aware of text scams.

Text messages with links in them can trick people into giving out personal information over the phone or clicking on a suspicious link. You should never divulge any details like this so don’t click anything!

There are easy steps to take when you lose your debit card.

In summary, take these steps to recover if you lose your debit card:

• Report the loss or theft of your debit card immediately. This will help prevent fraud and unauthorized transactions by ensuring that your account is closed before any unauthorized transactions can be made with it.
• Check your balance online if possible—and don’t forget about checking in other places as well! Especially if your bank accounts are linked.
• Consider temporary spending plans like using cash until the issue is resolved.

Conclusion

We hope we have been able to help you understand what to do in case you lose your debit card or it gets stolen. We know that it can be scary and difficult, but by following these steps you’re on the way to getting things back under control.

Do keep in mind that this is not a definitive guide for how to handle a situation like this—each case will vary depending on its circumstances, so please contact us if you need further advice!