Can I cancel and re-receive my debit card just because I want to?
July 7, 2022 2:54 PM Subscribe
I have a million recurring payments I need to cancel, and also I have the debit card number memorized and use it to buy things I shouldn't. So I'd like to cancel the card and start over. Can I just say this to the card issuer, or do I have to say it is lost or stolen?
Don't assume cancelling a card will stop recurring payments, for two reasons:
1. You most likely have some sort of agreement with the merchant (gym membership, ongoing Netflix subscription, etc). If you stop paying them they will just keep billing you, month after month.
2. The major credit card networks (yes, you have a debit card but it's probably Visa or MasterCard) have a way for merchants to automatically update to the new number so that a stolen card doesn't stop all your monthly services. Example from Visa: "When participating issuers re-issue cards, they submit the new account number and expiration date to VAU. Participating merchants send inquiries on their credentials-on-file to VAU and are provided with updated card information, if available"
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 3:05 PM on July 7, 2022 [29 favorites]
1. You most likely have some sort of agreement with the merchant (gym membership, ongoing Netflix subscription, etc). If you stop paying them they will just keep billing you, month after month.
2. The major credit card networks (yes, you have a debit card but it's probably Visa or MasterCard) have a way for merchants to automatically update to the new number so that a stolen card doesn't stop all your monthly services. Example from Visa: "When participating issuers re-issue cards, they submit the new account number and expiration date to VAU. Participating merchants send inquiries on their credentials-on-file to VAU and are provided with updated card information, if available"
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 3:05 PM on July 7, 2022 [29 favorites]
Response by poster: That's fair. I'm just hoping they'll all send me "URGENT YOUR PAYMENT HAS LAPSED" emails that will make it easier for me to click on the links and unsubscribe.
posted by hungrytiger at 3:17 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by hungrytiger at 3:17 PM on July 7, 2022
Recurring payments will likely NOT stop if the vendor can prove you have a recurring payment with them. It'll simply transfer to your new card.
posted by kschang at 3:18 PM on July 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kschang at 3:18 PM on July 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
Cancel your card and wait a month to request a new one. Go through a full cycle where the recurring payments don't have anywhere to recur. Tell your bank you want to do without a debit card for a while. Then, after canceling, go to a teller and take out cash for the month.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 3:38 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 3:38 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm just hoping they'll all send me "URGENT YOUR PAYMENT HAS LAPSED" emails.
I'm sorry, but you shouldn't count on this shortcut. A few might send you emails, but many (most) will just switch over to the new card. You need to implement some other strategy to cancel these recurring payments. I don't have specific advice, but if that is the problem you want to solve, you should be asking a different question: "What's the simplest way for me to cancel all the recurring payments that are happening on my debit card?"
posted by Winnie the Proust at 3:39 PM on July 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
I'm sorry, but you shouldn't count on this shortcut. A few might send you emails, but many (most) will just switch over to the new card. You need to implement some other strategy to cancel these recurring payments. I don't have specific advice, but if that is the problem you want to solve, you should be asking a different question: "What's the simplest way for me to cancel all the recurring payments that are happening on my debit card?"
posted by Winnie the Proust at 3:39 PM on July 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
This is a different tactic, but you could download statements on the card for a year and highlight any that are recurring and deal with them that way. It seems like a massive thing, but I end up doing this from time to time and it's never as bad as I fear. Plus, all the money I'm saving through these cancelations motivates me to keep hunting.
posted by 10ch at 3:46 PM on July 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by 10ch at 3:46 PM on July 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yeah this isn’t going to really work for many providers, sorry. You need to make a list, then go through and cancel. And if the problem is debt control, there’s no reason to suspect you’re not just going to memorize the new card. Sadly the only reliable way to get on top of your finances IME is to actually get on top of them. Maybe make a list and cancel one per day? And if you’re buying things you don’t need because you like to shop, try putting things in your cart but *not actually buying them. *
posted by aspersioncast at 3:46 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 3:46 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm just hoping they'll all send me "URGENT YOUR PAYMENT HAS LAPSED" emails that will make it easier for me to click on the links and unsubscribe.
Reiterating that this isn't how it works anymore. The recurring payments will just be silently transferred to the new card number.
If you just want a new number because you don't want to have it memorized anymore, you can just tell them you want a new card. I did this about three months ago because I wanted a tappable card. I used the online chat rather than calling. It was easy: I got the new card in about a week and the old card kept working until I activated the new one.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:48 PM on July 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Reiterating that this isn't how it works anymore. The recurring payments will just be silently transferred to the new card number.
If you just want a new number because you don't want to have it memorized anymore, you can just tell them you want a new card. I did this about three months ago because I wanted a tappable card. I used the online chat rather than calling. It was easy: I got the new card in about a week and the old card kept working until I activated the new one.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:48 PM on July 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you're interested in tackling recurring payments, perhaps engaging a service like Truebill is what you're after?
posted by msbutah at 3:52 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by msbutah at 3:52 PM on July 7, 2022
Recurring payments will likely NOT stop if the vendor can prove you have a recurring payment with them. It'll simply transfer to your new card.
This makes zero sense to me - how would the vendor have the new card number without you updating it?
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:54 PM on July 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
This makes zero sense to me - how would the vendor have the new card number without you updating it?
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:54 PM on July 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
(I have gotten many of those "your payment method needs updating" emails over the years)
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:55 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:55 PM on July 7, 2022
I have not had the experience of others in this thread. Getting a new card absolutely halts all my auto payments (I have many!), and I get exactly the emails you're anticipating telling me my card appears to not be functional and asking to update payment. Just tell your bank you lost the card and go from there.
posted by (Over) Thinking at 3:57 PM on July 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by (Over) Thinking at 3:57 PM on July 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
how would the vendor have the new card number without you updating it?
It’s a convenience service from the card companies. I linked to Visa’s version of it in my earlier comment.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:07 PM on July 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
It’s a convenience service from the card companies. I linked to Visa’s version of it in my earlier comment.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:07 PM on July 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
Convenience 🤷 Changing your card number doesn’t contractually release you from payment agreements and many people wouldn’t want their Netflix/Gym/Phone payments to stop if they lost their physical card and had to change their number.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:33 PM on July 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:33 PM on July 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Anecdata: I forgot to update the card on my Patreon account and it managed to keep charging me via the old card number for like a year.
posted by BungaDunga at 5:03 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by BungaDunga at 5:03 PM on July 7, 2022
This is weird. My credit card was compromised about 8 months ago in the United States and none of my auto payments transferred over. It was really annoying. I suppose things could have radically changed in the last 8 months. It can't hurt to try getting a new card to see what happens.
posted by twelve cent archie at 5:34 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by twelve cent archie at 5:34 PM on July 7, 2022
Could you call them simply to pause all activity on your card?
posted by smorgasbord at 5:37 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by smorgasbord at 5:37 PM on July 7, 2022
I got a new debit card recently and it was a mixed bag of what got ported over or not. I didn’t really think about it but I think some vendors do get automatically updated.
Someone in my household used the Truebill service mentioned above and had good success with it. It tells you all your recurring payments and cancels stuff for you. I would probably do that and then request a new card so I wouldn’t have the number memorized.
posted by jeoc at 6:03 PM on July 7, 2022
Someone in my household used the Truebill service mentioned above and had good success with it. It tells you all your recurring payments and cancels stuff for you. I would probably do that and then request a new card so I wouldn’t have the number memorized.
posted by jeoc at 6:03 PM on July 7, 2022
I had to have a new debit card issued in June, and none of my auto payments continued until I provided the new number.
I’ve had expired card payments continue as described when the same number was reissued with a new expiration date, but when the card was stopped due to fraud, payments all stopped.
posted by terilou at 6:10 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I’ve had expired card payments continue as described when the same number was reissued with a new expiration date, but when the card was stopped due to fraud, payments all stopped.
posted by terilou at 6:10 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
(Mods, feel free to delete if this is too far afield)
also I have the debit card number memorized and use it to buy things I shouldn't. So I'd like to cancel the card and start over.
I realize this doesn't address the actual issue you're trying to solve, but getting a new debit card will most definitely not solve this problem. You'll eventually memorize the new card number and be back in the same situation. The thing you really need to start doing is understanding how, why, and when you spend, and work on changing those habits.
posted by pdb at 7:29 PM on July 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
also I have the debit card number memorized and use it to buy things I shouldn't. So I'd like to cancel the card and start over.
I realize this doesn't address the actual issue you're trying to solve, but getting a new debit card will most definitely not solve this problem. You'll eventually memorize the new card number and be back in the same situation. The thing you really need to start doing is understanding how, why, and when you spend, and work on changing those habits.
posted by pdb at 7:29 PM on July 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I know a lot about this because I work in a tangential industry, and um, people are very wrong in here. The vast majority of places are not using credit card updater services and if this is something you’re worried about you should contact your bank and ask them if you can opt out.
posted by rhymedirective at 7:53 PM on July 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by rhymedirective at 7:53 PM on July 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
If you're in the US, I'd get a new debit card and never use it for anything but ATM withdrawals, using a credit card for everything else.
Apparently some debit cards today have stronger fraud protections than they used to, so maybe this doesn't apply to you, but in general, if I'm not mistaken, credit cards give you better protection if your card or information gets stolen, plus they don't let someone directly drain your bank account. They also help build your credit. Again, you may have a better setup, but if you're not sure what your situation is then check and verify that using a debit card doesn't place you at more risk than using a credit card would.
also I have the debit card number memorized and use it to buy things I shouldn't
Often when I've gotten new cards the number is almost the same as the old one, with just one incremented digit. The date and security code change, but you'd probably end up remembering them soon enough. I think either working on impulse control or setting up some other way to place limits on your purchases (or both) is a better approach.
posted by trig at 11:40 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Apparently some debit cards today have stronger fraud protections than they used to, so maybe this doesn't apply to you, but in general, if I'm not mistaken, credit cards give you better protection if your card or information gets stolen, plus they don't let someone directly drain your bank account. They also help build your credit. Again, you may have a better setup, but if you're not sure what your situation is then check and verify that using a debit card doesn't place you at more risk than using a credit card would.
also I have the debit card number memorized and use it to buy things I shouldn't
Often when I've gotten new cards the number is almost the same as the old one, with just one incremented digit. The date and security code change, but you'd probably end up remembering them soon enough. I think either working on impulse control or setting up some other way to place limits on your purchases (or both) is a better approach.
posted by trig at 11:40 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm just hoping they'll all send me "URGENT YOUR PAYMENT HAS LAPSED" emails
So, a worst case scenario for a recurring payment when a debit card number changes is that they won’t contact you, and close your account + send it to collections, and you won’t hear about it until much, much later. Most likely not all of this will happen, but it can (and account closure is entirely possible). Really, really don’t rely on companies doing anything that will help you out when (from their perspective) an owed payment is simply declined.
posted by advil at 5:58 AM on July 8, 2022 [4 favorites]
So, a worst case scenario for a recurring payment when a debit card number changes is that they won’t contact you, and close your account + send it to collections, and you won’t hear about it until much, much later. Most likely not all of this will happen, but it can (and account closure is entirely possible). Really, really don’t rely on companies doing anything that will help you out when (from their perspective) an owed payment is simply declined.
posted by advil at 5:58 AM on July 8, 2022 [4 favorites]
Close the account that the debit card is attached to and open a new one.
posted by Nelson at 8:17 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 8:17 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
when the card was stopped due to fraud, payments all stopped.
Maybe this is why my experience is so different than so many others in this thread. I've reported fraud on three separate occasions over the past 4 years. Every time I had to change the billing info for anything automatic.
I also came here to say what Nelson said. After the last bout of fraudulent charges, I switched credit unions. The fraud wasn't their fault, but they had to mail me a new debit card which could take "up to 7 business days". New credit union handed me my card on the way out from setting up account.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:31 AM on July 8, 2022
Maybe this is why my experience is so different than so many others in this thread. I've reported fraud on three separate occasions over the past 4 years. Every time I had to change the billing info for anything automatic.
I also came here to say what Nelson said. After the last bout of fraudulent charges, I switched credit unions. The fraud wasn't their fault, but they had to mail me a new debit card which could take "up to 7 business days". New credit union handed me my card on the way out from setting up account.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:31 AM on July 8, 2022
I work for a nonprofit that has recurring credit card-based donations as an option, and this kind of card updating is done for us automatically at the payment processor level, so in our case it's actually Stripe that handles this end of things. So it's definitely a real thing, but YMMV based on the specific subscriptions you have.
Note also that if your payments do stop, but not immediately canceled, there's also the possibility the merchant could send the account to collections, which could be a big headache down the road.
posted by Pryde at 7:32 AM on July 9, 2022
Note also that if your payments do stop, but not immediately canceled, there's also the possibility the merchant could send the account to collections, which could be a big headache down the road.
posted by Pryde at 7:32 AM on July 9, 2022
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posted by tiny frying pan at 3:05 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]