Many want to find out how to activate a credit card without calling. This is normal because a phone call can sometimes take a long time, or it can be more difficult to understand the instructions over the phone.
In addition, a phone call requires time and a place where you can hear everything well, while with other methods to activate the credit card, you can probably do it when it suits you.
That is why today, we will confirm that it is possible to activate a credit card without calling the vast majority of banks. Of course, it is always advisable to check if your bank allows this operation, but we can tell you that it is quite common to be able to do it.
Methods to activate the credit card without calling
You should be aware that the credit card will most likely contain instructions on how to activate it. When it arrives at your physical address, you can look at the card itself, and you may be given the easiest option.
Among these options is probably to call the operator to get the activation, but as this is the method we do not want to follow because it can be the slowest. Let’s see what other two methods are usually the most common to activate the credit card without calling.
Method 1 to activate the card: use the bank’s website
As we mentioned before, most credit cards come with instructions on how to activate them. You may find a link to a web page, which will be the first activation method.
Just in case, it is possible that the activation instructions do not come on the card itself but a complementary piece of paper. For example, if the bank sends you a welcome or confirmation letter, it may contain the instructions and the website to which you can connect.
Once you have this website and this letter, you have to follow the instructions: you may be asked for the following:
- The credit card number, which, as you know, comes on one side of the card itself.
- The Social Security number, or perhaps just a few digits of it. Most banks ask for the last four digits.
- The bank account number, which, as you probably know, is not the same as the card number. This number can be consulted on the bank’s website or mobile application.
- The CVV code, a three-digit number that always comes on the back of the credit card, is separate from the card number itself.
- The zip code of your address that is registered to the banks. That is the code of the place where the letters will reach you.
- And finally, and most probably, they will also ask for your date of birth to verify that all the information is correct and that you are the person to whom they provided the credit card.
When all these data are ready, the card will be activated automatically and without needing to call. You will probably also have to sign it to be able to use it anywhere.
Method 2: activation of the card via the bank’s cell phone application
The second method to activate the credit card without calling is through your bank’s web application. Not all of them can do it, but it will be possible soon because most already do it.
This option makes the whole process much easier. You must download the application on your cell phone and look for the registration tab. There, instead of entering the card digits one by one and the rest of the data, you can take a picture of the card to scan it and thus collect the data.
You will probably be asked to naturally enter the CVV code, which, as we have told you, is the one on the back of the card and has three digits. But otherwise, the card will be activated automatically in just a few minutes.
In short, as you can see, it is much easier to activate a credit card with any of these methods than by calling by phone. You always have that last option in case the other two don’t work or you feel less comfortable, but you should have, in short, different ways to do it.