How to activate a bank card: methods and description of the procedure

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

Payment cards are gradually replacing cash. To use a bank card, it must be activated. Customers do not always know how to activate a bank card. Activation methods differ depending on the bank. Do not delay the process: if the card is inactive, the client will not be able to make a debit transaction on it.

Why activate the card?

To use a credit card or debit card, you do not always need a positive balance on your account, but activation is a prerequisite. The card activation procedure takes no more than 24 hours, the client will be able to use the payment instrument immediately after the operation is completed.

Activation allows you not only to get access to all the possibilities of plastic, but also to check if there is a marriage. Damaged cards are subject to instant replacement if they are Maestro Momentum cards. Personal credit cards are reissued for free, get their ownercan within 14 days.

Methods of activating bank cards

The activation process is free. Depending on the type and bank, there are several options for activating a bank card:

• with the help of an employee;
• phone support;
• through online banking;
• at terminals and ATMs;
• on the website of a financial institution;
• automatic activation.

Activation is required for both debit and credit cards. But depending on the type of product, it may differ. The procedure is also different for different banks. Using the example of Sberbank, VTB 24 and Tinkoff Bank, it is proposed to compare the features of the activation of plastic products.

How to activate a Sberbank payment card: all methods

More than 20 million people use the cards of the largest bank in the country. Almost every client encountered difficulties when trying to activate a Sberbank bank card.

Sberbank has 2 options for activating credit cards and debit cards:

• automatic;
• in the terminal.

In the first case, activation occurs at the bank branch immediately after entering the PIN code, for example, in the process of issuing the Maestro card. A sign of activation of a Sberbank card is an SMS from number 900. After a successful procedure, the message indicates that the client card has been activated. The last 4 digits of the product are indicated at the end of the message.

Activation of a Sberbank card in the terminal

Activation of Sberbank plastic products is one of the mostsimple manipulations with credit cards. If the procedure for issuing the card was not automatic, then the client must activate it independently through the terminal or ATM. Forced activation is required when receiving a credit card with a PIN in an envelope.

To activate a Sberbank payment instrument at an ATM, the owner must perform any operation, for example, request a balance. To do this, follow:

1. Insert card into terminal.
2. Enter the PIN from the envelope.
3. Select the line "Balance request".
4. Check out the balance on the screen or receive a check (customer's choice).
5. Take card from device.

What should I do if activation has not occurred?

Sometimes, for Sberbank cards, a message about successful activation arrives late. Therefore, customers may begin to worry about the state of the account. To check if the Sberbank card is active, it is enough to perform any operation by entering a PIN code. The method will help to bring the credit card to readiness if automatic activation has not yet come.

In 10% of cases, when requesting a balance, an error message may appear on the terminal screen. Most often it occurs after receiving instant issuance cards ("Momentum"). How to activate a new bank card in this case?

Firstly, the customer can ask for a replacement plastic media. Sometimes the problem is related to poor-quality material from which the card is made. Instant issuance cards are reissued instantly with a new numbercredit cards and the same account.

Secondly, the account holder can order a personalized card. Its delivery will take no more than 14 days. Maintenance of a name card costs at least 750 rubles (in the first year). The money will be debited from the Sberbank card account after receiving it.

Third, it is recommended to wait 24 hours. Sometimes Maestro cards are activated with a delay. This is not always due to technical problems or defective plastic media. If a day after issuance, the card is still inactive, you should replace it with a new one or apply for a reissue to a registered personal bank card in one of the branches or Sberbank Online.

VTB 24 card activation

In order for the VTB 24 card to become active, the client can use several options:

1. Contact the office.
2. Call support.
3. Online banking.
4. Terminals or ATMs (make any transaction).

Account holders have no problems trying to activate a bank card with the help of bank managers or hotline specialists. Activating a credit card in the VTB 24 terminal resembles the algorithm with Sberbank cards. But, unlike most Russian banks, at VTB 24 you can use an online bank to activate.

How to activate a VTB 24 bank card in an online bank? You need to do the following:

• log in to the app with your username and password;
• go to the section with plastic cards;
• select a credit card that is not active yet;
• make any operation, for example, transfer between accounts.

A feature of card activation via Internet banking is the presence of at least one ruble on the account for any transaction. Activation in VTB 24 is possible subject to the presence of at least one active card. Otherwise, the client must use the terminal or choose another way to activate the product.

How to make a card active: Tinkoff

A feature of Tinkoff Bank is the lack of offices: all operations are available for online or at the company's terminals. Therefore, the activation of the Tinkoff credit card is possible only on the official website of the bank.

How to activate a bank card via the Internet?

Required:

• Go to the official Tinkoff website.
• Select the "Credit card activation" section.
• Enter credit card number in the special field.
• After entering the number, the system will identify the data. If everything is entered correctly, the client will receive the code in the message. It must be entered in the provided field.
• Set PIN. It comes automatically in Tinkoff cards and consists of 2 parts. One of them appears on the screen, the second will come in a notification from the bank.
• Check the operation of the card using any operation.

After successful activation, you receive an SMS from the bank. But sometimes the message arrives with a delay of 20-50 minutes. In this case, the client must check the balance interminal "Tinkoff" or call the support service.

You don't have to use a credit card to make sure it works. Clients can create an account in the Internet bank with a zero balance or activate the free auto payment service without depositing funds or debiting the credit limit.

Activation of the Tinkoff card through the support service

Customers do not always have the opportunity to use the Internet to activate a bank card. But almost everyone has a mobile phone at hand, with which it is easy to contact support specialists.

This is one of the most reliable options for activating a Tinkoff bank card. It is used by customers who cannot log in to the Internet or have had difficulty trying to self-activate.

How to activate a bank card in the support service:

• Call the hotline. Tinkoff Bank provides support around the clock.
• Introduce yourself, give passport details, residence permit, credit card number.
• Answer the manager's questions necessary to identify the client. Specialists can clarify the control information that was indicated during registration, or information on the card (expiry date, account or agreement number).
• Follow the instructions of the operator.

After talking with the bank manager, the activation of the credit card occurs within 1 hour. In exceptionalcases, it takes 1 day. If the client has notifications connected, he will receive an SMS about the successful activation of the Tinkoff card.