Payment cards are gradually replacing cash. To use a credit card, you must activate it. Clients do not always know how to activate a bank card. Activation methods vary by bank. Do not delay the process: if the card is inactive, the client will not be able to make an expense transaction on it.
Why activate the card?
To use a credit card or debit card, you do not always need a positive account balance, but activation is a prerequisite. The card activation procedure takes no more than 24 hours, the client will be able to use the payment tool immediately after the operation.
Activation allows not only access to all the possibilities of plastic, but also to check whether there is a marriage. Damaged cards must be replaced immediately if they are Maestro Momentum cards. Personal credit cards are reissued free of charge, their owner will be able to get within 14 days.
Ways to activate 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;
- by phone support services;
- through an online bank;
- at terminals and ATMs;
- on the website of a financial institution;
- automatic activation.
Activation is required for both debit cards and credit cards. But depending on the type of product, it may vary. In different banks, the procedure is also different. Using the example of Sberbank, VTB 24 and Tinkoff Bank, it is proposed to compare the activation features of plastic products.
How to activate a Sberbank payment card: all methods
The cards of the largest bank in the country are used by more than 20 million people. 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 in the bank branch immediately after entering the PIN code, for example, in the process of issuing a Maestro card. A sign of Sberbank card activation is SMS from 900. The message after a successful procedure indicates that the customer card is activated. The last 4 digits of the product are indicated at the end of the message.
Sberbank card activation in the terminal
Activating Sberbank's plastic products is one of the simplest credit card manipulations. If the procedure for issuing a card was not automatic, then the client must activate it independently through a terminal or ATM. Forced activation is required upon receipt of a credit card with a PIN code in an envelope.
To activate a payment instrument of Sberbank at an ATM, the owner must perform any operation, for example, request a balance. To do this:
- Insert a card into the terminal.
- Enter the PIN code from the envelope.
- Select the line “Balance Request”.
- View the balance on the screen or receive a check (at the client’s choice).
- Pick up a card from the device.
What to do if activation has not occurred?
Sometimes, with Sberbank cards, a message about successful activation arrives late. Therefore, customers may begin to worry about the status of the account. To check if the Sberbank card is active, it is enough to perform any operation with entering the PIN code. The method will help to alert a credit card if automatic activation has not yet occurred.
In 10% of cases, when requesting a balance, an error message may appear on the terminal screen. Most often it occurs after receiving cards of instant issuance (“Momentum”). How to activate a new bank card in this case?
First, the customer can apply for a replacement plastic carrier. Sometimes the problem is associated with poor-quality material from which the card is made. Instant issuance cards are re-issued instantly, with a new credit card number and the same account.
Secondly, the account holder can order a name card. Its delivery will take no more than 14 days. Serving a name card costs at least 750 rubles (in the first year). Money will be debited from the account of the Sberbank card after receiving it.
Thirdly, it is recommended to wait 24 hours. Sometimes Maestro cards are activated late. This is not always due to technical problems or defective plastic media. If the card is still not active one day after the issue, you should replace it with a new one or reissue it with a personalized bank card in one of the branches or Sberbank Online.
Activation of the VTB 24 card
In order for the VTB 24 card to become active, the client can use several options:
- Contacting the office.
- Support call.
- Online Banking.
- Terminals or ATMs (any transaction).
There are no problems with trying to activate a bank card with the help of bank managers or hotline specialists from account holders. Activating a credit card in the VTB 24 terminal resembles an algorithm with Sberbank cards. But, unlike most Russian banks, in VTB 24 you can use an online bank to activate.
How to activate a VTB 24 bank card in an online bank? You must complete the following steps:
- enter the application using login and password;
- go to the section with plastic cards;
- choose a credit card that is not yet active;
- make any operation, for example, a transfer between accounts.
A feature of activating a card through Internet banking is the presence of at least one ruble in the account for any transaction. Activation in VTB 24 is possible provided that there is 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 absence of offices: all operations are available for execution online or in company terminals. Therefore, activation of a Tinkoff credit card is possible only on the bank’s official website.
How to activate a bank card online?
It is necessary:
- Go to the official Tinkoff website.
- Select the “Credit Card Activation” section.
- Enter the 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 a code in the message. It must be entered in the designated field.
- Set PIN code. 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.
Upon successful activation, an SMS comes from the bank. But sometimes the message arrives late for 20-50 minutes. In this case, the client should check the balance in the Tinkoff terminal or call the support service.
It is not necessary to make an expense transaction with a credit card to make sure that it works. Clients can create an account in the Internet bank with zero balance or activate the free “auto payment” service without depositing funds or writing off a credit limit.
Activation of the Tinkoff card through the support service
Customers are not always able 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 can’t access the Internet or have had difficulty trying self-activation.
How to activate a bank card in the support service:
- Call the hotline. At Tinkoff Bank, support is available around the clock.
- Introduce yourself, give passport details, registration, credit card number.
- Answer manager’s questions necessary for customer identification. Specialists can clarify the control information that was indicated during registration, or information on the card (validity period, account number or contract).
- Follow the instructions of the operator.
After talking with the bank manager, credit card activation occurs within 1 hour. In exceptional cases, it takes 1 day. If the client has notifications connected, he will receive an SMS about the successful activation of the Tinkoff card.