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Lost Your Chime Card? Here’s What To Do & How To Get Money

Byron Mühlberg, writer at Monito.com

Byron Mühlberg

Guide

Feb 17, 2022
Advertiser disclosure

Have you lost your Chime® card and need a way to access your money? If you have your smartphone, you should first block your card and order a replacement card — both of which can be done in just a few taps right from the Chime app.

Next, you'll probably need to access your money while you wait for your replacement card (which takes around a week to arrive). In some cases, this might not be easy, but we explore a few workarounds in this guide.

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Lost your Chime card? Here's what you need to do:

  1. Block transactions.
  2. Order a new one in the app.
  3. Get money using Chime's virtual replacement card, another bank card, from a friend, mobile payments app, or prepaid debit card.
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Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC. Credit Builder card issued by Stride Bank, N.A.

Step 1 — Block Transactions

Chime

The first thing you should do if you've lost your Chime card is to block transactions from that card altogether. This is an important step to avoid theft and is fortunately very easy to do. To block your Chime card, open up the Chime app or the Chime website and do the following:

  1. Log in to your account.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Find your card (on the website via Password & Security).
  4. Toggle Allow Card Transactions from on to off.

Step 2 — Order a New Card

Mihai Moisa on Unsplash

Next, you should order a new Chime card. Like your original card, your new card will arrive by post and take between seven and eight working days to arrive. For this reason, we recommend double-checking in the app whether or not your mailing address is correct before ordering a new Chime card. With this in mind, here are the steps to get the job done in the app:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. In Personal Information check that your mailing address is correct.
  3. Find your card and press Replace your Card.
  4. Follow the instructions.

Once you've blocked your Chime card, you'll automatically be given access to a virtual card to use as a replacement until your new card arrives (but more on this later).

Step 3 — Access Your Money

Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

There are several ways to spend your money if you've lost your Chime card. The easiest will be to use Chime's temporary digital card, which will be issued to you in the interim period between your card being blocked and your new card being activated.

However, while cash withdrawals from your Chime account aren't possible without a card, there are some workarounds, which we'll explore. Below, you'll find the options you have at your disposal to get money after having lost your Chime card:

Option 1 — Use the Chime Temporary Digital Card

First and foremost, Chime provides you with a temporary digital card if you loose your physical card. This card is active from the moment you order a new Chime card and will be available in your Chime app under Settings. It will be valid up until the point where you activate your new physical Chime card once it arrives.

The temporary digital card is a fully-fledged Visa debit card that comes with the following payment information:

  • Card number
  • Expiration date
  • CVV

This means you'll be able to use it to pay online, or in person via a mobile payments app (which we explore in more detail later). On the flip side, however, this also means that you won't be able to use this card for cash withdrawals at an ATM.

What You'll Need

  1. Chime mobile app

Option 2 — Use Another Account or Card

If you've lost your Chime card, there's a fair shot you'll have another bank account or card to use to withdraw money from at an ATM. This could either be a debit card linked to a bank account at another bank or a credit card.

If you have a debit card, you can even transfer money from your Chime account to the associated bank account via ACH (as Chime doesn't support bank wires this process can take up to two days to complete). You can do this by tapping Link a Bank Account in the Chime app or website, choosing from among the banks listed, and entering your other bank’s login details (see more here). Once the transfer arrives, you'll be able to withdraw money from an ATM via debit card using cash that had initially been from your Chime account.

However, naturally enough, this method won't work if you've lost or forgotten your entire wallet along with your Chime card!

What You'll Need

  1. An account and card from another bank or
  2. A credit card.

Option 3 — Ask a Friend To Do It for You

If you have a friend who uses Chime themselves and is ready and available to help, then asking them to withdraw the money for you is an excellent option if you've lost your Chime card yourself.

To get the job done, all you need to do is go to the Friends tab in the Chime mobile app, type in friend's details name or username ("$ChimeSign"), enter the amount you'd like to send, and then tap Pay now to instruct the transfer.

The good part of this method is that not only are transfers between Chime users free of charge, but they're also instant², meaning you can send your friend some cash and ask them to withdraw it for you using their card quickly and cheaply. However, be mindful that you can only transfer up to $2,000 per month this way.

What You'll Need

  1. A friend
  2. A Chime account with sufficient balance
  3. A smartphone or other device with an internet connection.

Option 4 — Use a Mobile Payment App

This is available if you don't necessarily need to withdraw cash from an ATM but want to access your Chime balance to pay using other methods (e.g. online or point-of-sales payments¹). In this case, it's always a good idea to have your Chime account linked to a mobile wallet or digital payment solution, the most popular of which in the US include:

  • Apple Wallet
  • Google Pay
  • Venmo
  • Facebook Pay
  • Zelle
  • Cash App

To link your Chime account to one of these mobile payment solutions, you can add your Chime account as a payment method in their mobile app and transfer money to your Chime account via ACH transfer.

It's also possible to link your temporary replacement Chime card to most of these apps too. This will allow you to pay in person too as opposed to only online.

Finally, you can also use your smartphone to pay by scanning a barcode and having the money deducted directly from your Chime balance (a feature also available through the Chime app).

What You'll Need

  1. A smartphone
  2. A Chime account with sufficient balance
  3. A P2P mobile payments app.

¹ Up to a maximum of $2,500 per day.

² Funds are automatically debited from your Checking Account and typically deposited into the recipient’s Checking Account within seconds. Pay Anyone transactions will be monitored and may be held, delayed or blocked if the transfer could result in fraud or another form of financial harm. Sometimes instant transfers can be delayed.

Option 5 — Use a Global Debit Card

If you've lost your Chime card, the most effective way to withdraw cash is to use a prepaid debit card specially designed for low-fee transactions, including ATM withdrawals.

Using a competitive travel card product, you can dodge ATM withdrawal fees altogether, even when travelling overseas and spending in a foreign currency. (The only costs you might incur in these instances could be network fees from the ATM itself or a small Visa or Mastercard exchange rate markup, although it depends on the card.)

If you travel abroad from the US frequently, one of the best options available is to open a Wise Multi-Currency Account, which gives you access to a current online account, multi-currency balances, and a debit Visa or Mastercard.

Once you're signed up, and your card has arrived (which takes up to 3 weeks in the US), you'll be able to take advantage of the following unique features:

  • Local bank details in the US, Eurozone, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Romania, Canada, Hungary, and Turkey.
  • Hold, exchange, and top-up up to 56 currencies.
  • A multi-currency Mastercard debit card that's handy for paying in foreign currencies without the hidden fees.
  • Access to Wise's powerful international money transfer service right from your account balance.

We also recommend taking a look at our pick of the best banks for international travel (number one is among the best options out there for fee-free international withdrawals).

What You'll Need

  1. Proof of residence
  2. A valid ID (e.g. driver's license, passport, social security card, etc.).

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