What if my Debit card is swallowed at other banks ATMs?
ATM are a great convenience, but there are those rare occasions when an ATM will swallow your card. But this isn’t a reason to worry. Your ATM card can be returned quickly with your account funds remaining intact if the right precautions are taken.
Please follow the bank’s instructions on how to get your card back as soon as possible.
Reason why an ATM will swallow your card?
An ATM can retain your card for various reasons. Some of the most common reasons are:
An out of order or malfunctioning ATM due to technical issues
If you lost your card, blocked it, later recovered it and tried to use it without unblocking it, your card may be swallowed by the ATM.
If you have entered the wrong PIN code more than 3 times during the transaction the ATM will hold your card considering it a stolen card or a theft attempt.
After the transaction, you forgot to take your card within the specified time from 15 seconds to 30 seconds, the ATM could retain it.
If my card is swallowed by another bank’s ATM will i be charged or can they withdraw money from my account?
Unless the ATM has been tampered with or is suspected of fraudulent activity, you have no reason to worry. Your account should not be hacked and your funds will remain intact as long as you are quick to act.
Tips to retrieve your ATM card when it gets swallowed by an ATM
In the event of a card being swallowed when attempting to withdraw at another bank’s ATM, you need to act quickly.
Take note of the time the machine swallowed your card and check to make sure that no more transactions are occurring. Wait for 10 minutes if you need to be absolutely sure.
Contact your bank and raise the issue with them. At this point, you should request a card lock to ensure that your account is not generating any more transactions.
Contact the bank associated with the ATM that swallowed your card and ask for instructions to retrieve the card. Most ATMs should have the issuing banks contact details on the machine. If you are dealing with ATMs located in a branch or transaction office, ask the security personnel or go inside the branch for assistance.
Follow the instructions of the bank to get back the card. It usually takes 5 days to resolve. The procedure should not be too complicated as long as you remember to bring along valid ID such as an identity card, Passport or any other government recognised registration card as requested by the bank.
How to prevent my card from being eaten up by other banks ATMS when withdrawing money?
You are not always near an ATM of your issuing bank and so withdrawing money at other banks’ ATMs is unavoidable when you need cash. To limit the risk of your card being swallowed when making withdrawals at other ATMs, you should pay attention to the following:
Avoid suspicious ATMs
Some ATMs may not have been properly serviced and may be faulty. If you see some signs that it looks unkempt or abandoned, avoid inserting your card in such machines.
Follow Instructions carefully
Always read instructions on the ATM because most times, there are usually some notes on the machine to inform you that the ATM is faulty and that you should use another one. Also the process of withdrawing money from each bank is not the same, so when you use a bank that you are unfamiliar with, this could inadvertently cause problems.
Multiple entries of wrong password
Be careful when typing your password on the ATM because when you make multiple attempts with the wrong password, the ATM may suspect that you stole the card and withhold it to protect the account holder’s fund.
Expired card
An expired card will not bring out any money from the ATM. If you are trying to withdraw with such a card, the machine can swallow it.
Blocked card
If you have reported to the bank to block your card because it is lost, but failed to ask your bank to un-block it after you found it, the ATM may swallow the card if you attempt to use it to withdraw money.
Wrongly inserting your card
You need to follow the arrow sign on your debit card and insert it into the ATM correctly. If you insert your card wrongly, the ATM may swallow it instead of returning it back to you.