What to do if the ATM won't give your card

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Step-by-step instructions for returning a bank card, which for one reason or another remained inside the ATM.

If you inserted a card into an ATM in the hope of withdrawing your hard-earned money or replenishing your account, but instead he just ate it and did not choke, this is very insulting, but solvable. You just need to know how to act in such a situation.

Why ATMs do not return cards

The reasons can be very different, from quite compelling (protecting your money) to commonplace software failures and mechanical failures. The ATM will not return your card if:

• you entered the wrong PIN code several times in a row;
• you tried to use an expired or blocked card;
• the card is demagnetized or has mechanical damage;
• you are trying to conduct a transaction that is suspicious from the point of view of an ATM - for example, withdraw all funds from an account;
• you did not take the card after the expiry of the time indicated on the ATM screen;
• the ATM is frozen or broken.

In the latter case, the ATM will either completely stop showing signs of life, or a service message will appear on the screen about a malfunction or technical malfunction. If the ATM swallows the card and shows a standard invitation to serve the next customer, this means that your card is detained, and not just stuck.

In such circumstances, in most cases, ATMs issue a check, which contains the code of the retention of the card. Do not throw it away, it will come in handy when applying for a refund. If the ATM didn't give you such a check, that's okay. The absence of a check is not a reason for refusing to return the card.

What to do first and what not to do in any case

The first thing to try is force canceling the operation. Press and hold the Cancel button for a few seconds. Sometimes this helps and the ATM returns the card.

In any case, do not leave the ATM within the next 20 minutes, because if it freezes, it may “hang down” after a while.

What you should definitely not do is knock on the ATM with your hands and feet. At best, nothing will happen. At worst, your behavior will attract the attention of the guards and you will add trouble to yourself.

If the ATM has not returned your card, you will have to call the bank that owns the ATM. On the device itself, as a rule, there is a name of the bank and a contact phone number, by which they will explain to you what to do next. If the ATM is located in the bank building, contact the employees: perhaps you will be lucky and it will be enough just to write an application for a refund and wait for the collection. It all depends on the internal rules of the bank.

If your card is chewed up by your bank's ATM

If the incident occurred with the ATM of the bank that issued you the card, then the return procedure will be simple, although it will take some time. Here's what you need to do.

1. Report the incident by phone, state your details and card details, and, if necessary, answer the security question. A bank employee will tell you where and with what documents you need to apply to apply for a card return.
2. Block the card. This is an optional but recommended step, especially if the card has disappeared due to an ATM malfunction. So you will definitely be sure that no outsider will use your money.
3. Find out what it takes to issue an additional card. In many cases, this happens faster than returning a swallowed card.

If the card is not returned by the ATM of another bank

If the card remains in the ATM of a third-party bank, you will have to communicate with him too. In this case, the algorithm of actions will be as follows.

1. First of all, call the bank that serves the ATM and find out how you can return your card.
2. Then contact the bank that issued you the card and report the incident. You may need a confirmation letter from your bank, which you will need to provide to the bank that owns the ATM.
3. Be sure to block the card.
4. Request your bank to issue an additional card. In this case, it definitely makes sense, since the return procedure can be very long. The fact is that some banks do not return someone else's cards personally, but exclusively through the banks that issued them.

How to hedge

Write down and always have with you the contact number of the bank that issued you the card, the card number, its validity period and the answer to the secret question.

Try not to use ATMs that do not have a service provider phone number.

Also, if possible, try not to use ATM machines in rarely visited places. The fact is that the collection of such ATMs is carried out every few days.

You can also order an additional card in advance. In this case, if the main card gets stuck in the ATM, you will still have access to the funds on the account.

A temporary loss of a card does not mean a loss of money. Your funds remain in your account and will not go anywhere from you. Moreover, you can apply to the bank with an application to issue you the required amount.