How long is a credit card? What to do when it ends

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Credit cards are issued for a fixed period. After the expiration of the validity period, they must be replaced. The owner must know the expiration date of the credit card in order to avoid delay. Reissuing a card is a procedure for replacing a means of payment. The service is issued at the request of the client or automatically.

What determines the validity period of a credit card?

Credit card terms and conditions vary by bank and payment method. The period belongs to a category that the client cannot influence.

Credit card validity is affected by:

• Frequency of use. After 6-18 months of daily payment and cash withdrawal, the plastic carrier is damaged. Most of the changes are happening with the chip that protects credit card data. Scratches and micro cracks can cause the card to malfunction.
• Neatness of the owner. If the card is constantly dropped, carried with a mobile phone orremove it from the card reader too abruptly, it may be damaged before the end of its useful life.
• A type of credit card. Until 2015, plastic media was not released with a chip-shaped protection on the front side. Because of this, they were more likely to be hacked and deformed. If the client has an old-style credit card, without a chip, the risk of damage ahead of time increases.
• Manufacturing defect. With poor-quality manufacturing of the means of payment, the owners complain about the rapid fading of the inscriptions and the background (within 6 months after receipt), the deformation of the case and protective elements.

When one or more factors are present, the risk of premature wear increases by up to 50%.

Who sets the expiration date on a credit card?

The issuer of plastic cards is a banking organization. The bank determines which credit card expiration date will be comfortable for customers and offers products with a limit of funds.

The cardholder has no control over the standard terms and conditions of the product. But the client has the right to reissue a credit card at any time. If the credit card expires, he will receive a plastic carrier with a new period. If there is a technical malfunction, reissue at Sberbank, Rosselkhozbank, VTB 24 is free.

How to find out about the expiration date of a credit card? All variants

You can get information about the period of use of a plastic card in several ways:

1. After examining the data on the front side.
2. In documents.
3. By calling the bank's contact line.
4. On the official website.
5. In self-service machines.
6. Via internet banking.
7. On the mobile app.
8. On a personal visit to the office.

Information is provided free of charge on the day of application.

Where is the expiration date of a bank card?

Information about the expiration date of the plastic carrier is not confidential. It is located on the front side of the credit card - the bottom line in the center of the card.

The media indicates the expiration date of the credit card. The information is presented in digital format "month/year". The last month during which the client has the opportunity to use a credit card is indicated. After the end of the period, the card is blocked, but the account remains active.

The contract also specifies the conditions of the credit card: the start date of the card and the end of the period. In most large banks, for example, Sberbank, Tinkoff, VTB 24, the validity of a credit card is 3 years. It is independent of product, limit and account holder.

How to know the expiration date at an ATM?

In the self-service device, the customer can get almost all the information about the credit card. These are convenient, as the vending machines are open around the clock.

To find out the expiration date of a credit card, the owner must use the terminals of his bank. Limited functionality is available in other devices: balance, expense, mobile payment.

Toto find out when the credit card expires, you need:

• insert it into the card reader, enter the code;
• go to the section on bank cards and deposits;
• find a credit card account, click on the active line;
• read the information or print the receipt.

Information about the term of the credit card is provided along with the number, full name. customer and contract data. Banks do not charge a fee for the service.

Obtaining information with the help of bank employees

If a client cannot independently find out when to change a credit card, he can take a passport, a card and come to a bank branch. The manager will print out the conditions of the card and guide you by the timing of the replacement.

Clients of Tinkoff and other online banks can find out information by calling the support service. You will need a passport, credit card and control data (indicated in the application). Without data, operators will not be able to identify the subscriber. The call is free for customers.

Information about the credit card period online

The issuer's website always has information about all banking products, including credit cards. The owner of the payment instrument can receive information about the terms of the credit card, conditions for replacement and benefits.

In some banks (Sberbank, Tinkoff), customers can apply for a reissue online. The bank's website provides communication information about credit cards. But the standard conditions for all products are the same.

How to find out the period of use of a credit card in Internet banking?

Ifthe client is only interested in information on his card, he can use another Internet service - a personal account or online banking.

To enter the online bank, login and password are used. How you get the data depends on who the credit card issuer is. For example, in Sberbank, a client can receive information to enter his personal account in terminals, and in the Moscow Industrial Bank, information is issued in an envelope upon receipt of the product.

How to find out when a Sberbank credit card expires:

1. Log in to Internet Banking using your login and password. The password for Sberbank clients comes via SMS from the number 900.
2. Find a credit card in the list of bank cards. It is displayed on the main page when you log in. Additionally, there is a "Maps" section, you can go to it to get information only on plastic products.
3. Familiarize yourself with the term under the name of the credit card. Sberbank indicates the term "valid until 01/0002", where: 01 - month, 0002 - expiration year.

In the Internet banking of other issuers, the principle of obtaining information is similar. The validity of a Sberbank credit card is 3 years and is not tied to the type of payment instrument.

Deadline information in the mobile app

Smartphone version lets you know when to change your card and is always at hand. In Russia, the best Internet applications among banks are productsTinkoff, Sberbank and Alfa-Bank.

To learn the term of a credit card through the application, you need to download and install it. Issuers charge no fees for mobile internet banking.

In the application, information is divided into blocks, as in the full version. To get acquainted with the conditions for a credit card, you need to go to the "Cards" section. The expiration date is located in the line under the name of the payment system.

What to do if the validity period expires?

The client has 3 options for what to do after the expiration of the credit card:

1. Close account.
2. Get a new card during a scheduled reissue.
3. Reissue a reissue yourself and get a credit card with a new expiration date.

Account closing does not happen automatically. The client must apply to the bank branch with a passport to terminate the loan agreement. For online bank cards, the operation is performed through the contact center.

Features of the reissue

Replacing a bank card with a new one with the same account is called reissue. In the bank, the operation is performed in the presence of a plastic carrier. If the credit card has expired, the customer must contact the branch where he received it before. Passport required.

The operation of issuing a card with a new validity period takes no more than 15 minutes. The client signs for a credit card with a new term, puts his signature on the card (otherwise it may not be accepted at retail outlets).

Reissue is issued only to the owner of the credit card or his authorized representative. When receiving a credit card by a third party, a document confirming the rights of the representative is required. This can be a bank or notarized power of attorney.

When to request replacement plastic media?

Scheduled reissue does not require additional operations to change the card term on the part of the client. As soon as the validity period of the credit card ends, the client receives a notification about the need to replace the card.

In Sberbank, users are notified 45 days in advance that a plastic carrier will soon need to be replaced. The validity period of a Sberbank credit card is 33 years. At the end of the period, the client must take a passport and come to the office where the credit card was opened.

Since 2018, customers of the largest bank in the country can track exactly when a replacement is required through Sberbank Online. A credit card that is expiring will have a reissue notice next to it. As soon as the card is delivered to the branch, the client will receive an SMS from number 900. Sberbank Online will display information about the receipt of a credit card at the office, and a credit card account with a new expiration date will be displayed.

Apply for a replacement card before the expiration date. Otherwise, the client runs the risk of missing the planned payment, since he will not be able to deposit money to a blocked card in the terminal or through the Internet bank.

When is a cardholder reissue required?

Ifthe plastic carrier was deformed, the card stopped functioning, it was "swallowed" by an ATM, the owner can issue a reissue without waiting for the expiration date. Depending on the reason, a fee from 0 to 790 rubles may be charged for the service.

For Internet banks such as Tinkoff, reissuing active cards is a necessity for every client. The Tinkoff credit card is valid for 3 years. As soon as it comes to an end, the client must notify the bank that a new credit card has been received.

Since the online bank has no branches, it is not always possible to pick up a credit card on the day of paperwork. Courier delivery allows you to get a card anywhere within 1-7 days. Therefore, it is recommended to complete the transaction at least a week before the deadline so that the bank does not block the card.

How to deposit cash if the credit card is overdue?

Not all clients have time to pick up a credit card on time or issue a reissue. Unlike a debit card, the risk of delinquency on a credit card threatens to damage your credit history and possible fines.

It will not be possible to deposit funds to an expired credit card using the usual methods. The ATM will instantly "swallow" the card, and transactions in the online bank will be temporarily unavailable.

The duration of a credit card loan does not change, as does the grace period, interest and conditions. But in this case, the owner will be able to deposit funds only through the cashier. To transfer to a credit card account, you will need bank payment details.

Transferring to a credit card account takes longer than depositing cash at a terminal or depositing through an online bank. The maximum term for receiving money to the account is 72 hours. It is recommended to take with you an additional 1-5% more than the payment requires, as financial institutions charge a commission for the transaction.