Be very careful that you call the phone number correctly. You’ll get a letter with your EIP card telling you how to activate it.Here’s how to avoid losing your stimulus payment. Still, for the 4 million people who receive those EIP prepaid debit cards, the money can be a lifeline in the pandemic. Naturally, whenever there’s money involved, there are scammers trying to take it from you. As a result, some people have shredded them or thrown them away. AARP has heard from members that some people suspect the cards are a fraud or an unsolicited credit card offer. In addition, the IRS might send you an EIP card even if its Get My Payment tool says you’ll be receiving a check. Why would you do that? For one thing, people are rightly suspicious of unsolicited cards received through the mail. It’s also a good idea to keep track of your balance so you don’t end up at the register with a card that’s declined because of an insufficient balance.E+ / Getty Images Don’t throw away your stimulus payment by accident Keep your card safe if you lose it, you’ll have to pay $7.50 to replace it. To find a surcharge-free ATM near you, check out. Also, you can make one free withdrawal from an out-of-network ATM, but you’ll be charged $2 for every withdrawal afterward. For example, if you make a balance inquiry at an ATM, you’ll need to pay $0.25. It won’t cost you money to use your card, except for a select few transactions. If you’d rather have your stimulus money in cash, you can get cash back with PIN debit purchases where available, or by withdrawing cash from an ATM that carries the Allpoint brand. You can use your EIP card to make purchases anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. You can also check out your balance information and transaction history at or by calling the toll-free number listed above. Once your card is activated, you can create a username and password to use your card online at the Money Network site. Scammers have set up bogus EIP card call centers and are using numbers that are similar to the official one shared by the IRS. Watch out for scammers! Pay close attention when dialing the number to activate your card. For security purposes, it’s best not to use personal information, such as your birth year or home address, as your PIN. You’ll also be asked to create a four-digit PIN, which you’ll use for all ATM transactions, automated assistance and to hear your balance. If the card has more than one name on it, only the primary cardholder - listed first on the card - may activate it.ĭial 80 (TTY: 80) and be prepared to share your name, address and Social Security number. Your EIP card will be accompanied by a letter with instructions for activating it. You can also check out the EIP website for additional information and assistance. You can still receive your payment by calling the toll-free customer service line at 80 (TTY: 80) to ask for a replacement. If you think you may have mistakenly tossed your EIP card, don’t panic. There is no other marking on the envelope to indicate it’s been sent from the federal government. The prepaid debit card will arrive in a white envelope with a return address from “Money Network Cardholder Services” of MetaBank in Omaha, Nebraska. If you’re eligible for a stimulus payment and you haven’t yet received it via direct deposit or paper check, be on the lookout for your EIP card in the mail. Here’s how to spot your EIP card, activate it and use it, in three easy steps: By the time they realize they’ve thrown out their long-awaited stimulus payment, it’s too late. Reports are already pouring in from all over the country of people mistakenly tossing their EIP cards along with their junk mail. There’s no way to know that the card is from the federal government unless the recipient knows to expect it. The cards arrive in plain white envelopes that are strikingly similar to junk mail from credit card companies and scam mail. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began sending out Economic Impact Payments (EIP) as prepaid debit cards. Don’t Toss That Junk Mail - It Might be Your Stimulus Payment Don’t Toss That Junk Mail - It Might be Your Stimulus Payment
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