In the second round of stimulus checks, some 8 million people received payment by prepaid debit card or “EIP Card”.
As part of the third round of $1,400 stimulus checks, some recipients will receive the funds on a prepaid debit card or “EIP Card”.
In the first round, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department processed four million cards with the stimulus check. As part of the second installment, the number of EIP Cards doubled. For the upcoming third round of distribution, officials plan to send payments in plastic, although the exact number has not been disclosed.
However, in order to use the card with which you can withdraw money from ATMs, shop in establishments and online, it is key that you activate it.
The above is the first thing you must do to be able to freely use the prepaid card.
How to activate the EIP Card with stimulus check?
The eipcard.com website details the procedure you must follow, which starts with a call to 1.800.240.8100.
As part of the activation process, you will need to provide the system with the card number, the last six digits of your Social Security number and the three-digit security code on the back of the card.
The answering machine will then prompt you for additional information to validate your identity through your name and mailing address or by answering identity verification questions.
It should be noted that there are cases where two people carry the same card and where the first name of one of the beneficiaries is associated with the last name of the second beneficiary. In these instances, the person whose first name appears on the first line is the one who must activate the card and validate his or her identity to continue the process. Only this bearer should activate the EIP Card.
The next step is to create a four-digit personal identification number or PIN that will be used for ATM transactions, automated assistance and requesting balance information, among others.
After the above procedures, you are supposed to be able to use the card without any problems.
Additional fees on some transactions
Another important issue to note is that some of the transactions involve additional fees. This applies mainly to withdrawals and balance inquiries at out-of-network ATMs.
The authorities decided to waive the replacement fee if your card is lost or stolen.
If your card is lost or stolen…
In such cases, you should immediately contact Customer Service at 1.800.240.8100 and select the “Lost/Stolen” alternative. Upon request, the card will be deactivated for security reasons and will be replaced for free.
This issue was one of public debate, especially in the first round of payments, as thousands of recipients mistakenly threw away the card envelope they received in the mail because they thought it was junk material.
In principle, the rules stated that these recipients had to pay for the replacement.
This created an upset among beneficiaries and even members of Congress, which led the IRS and the other agencies in charge to waive the additional fee for EIP Card replacement.
For more information on the scope of the debit card stimulus check, visit eipcard.com.