Chase Bank is one of the most popular banks around, holding accounts for millions of customers across the globe. While they have some of the most advanced technology of most modern banks, can Chase Bank issue you a debit card the same day you open your account?
As an ex-banker at Chase, this is a problem I came across all too often. Unfortunately, Chase cannot give you a debit card the same day you open your checking account.
Don’t worry though, as one of the best (ex) bankers in the game, I know of two alternatives to a debit card while you wait for it in the mail:
- Getting an ATM Card for the time being
- Adding your new card to a Digital Wallet
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- Invest in the world you want to see
Can Chase Give You an ATM Card the Same Day?
While Chase can’t issue one of their debit cards in the branch, they can issue ATM cards the same day you open your account.
The ATM cards they issue are most commonly used for savings accounts, but if you request one your banker should be able to provide it.
There are some key differences between an ATM card and a debit card.
Debit cards can be used anywhere, drawing the funds from your account and using Visa as a payment platform.
ATM cards aren’t linked with Visa, and can’t be used for purchases at normal point of sale locations.
ATM cards can only be used at their namesake, at the ATM. You can withdraw cash, deposit checks or cash, and transfer money in between your accounts.
Again, you can’t use this card to buy groceries or pay for an oil change, so don’t get confused.
Because ATM cards have an incredibly limited use, most bankers won’t offer them when you open your account. The debit card you’ll get in the mail can do everything the ATM card can, and so much more.
If you really do want access to cash in your account as quickly as possible, an ATM card may be a good alternative for you.
Say you deposit a check on a Friday, and it won’t clear until Sunday.
The inside of Chase Bank will be closed on Sunday, but you can usually find a branch that has either an ATM in their drive-thru or an ATM inside the branch’s vestibule, which you should still be able to enter even on the weekends.
Adding an ATM card to your account is a quick process as well.
Your Chase banker usually has a stack of them in a box behind the teller line. Once you request it, your banker will grab one and manually enter the card number into the system, linking it to your account.
You don’t have to have it forever though. Once you get your debit card in the mail, you can head back into the branch and ask a banker to delete the card off of your account and then destroy it.
Can Chase Add Your Card to Your Digital Wallet the Same Day?
Adding a debit card to your digital wallet has many of the same benefits as having a physical debit card.
The key difference is that while Chase cannot issue any debit within the branch the same day the account is open, they can help you add your card to your digital wallet right away.
Most cards work on most wallets. As a banker, I sometimes ran into problems when my customers wanted to add their credit cards to their digital wallets.
For the most part though, my customers didn’t have any problems adding their debit cards to their digital wallets.
How to Add Your Chase Bank Debit Card to Your Digital Wallet
To add your Chase Bank debit card to your digital wallet, you must be enrolled in online banking.
You’ll use the Chase Bank Mobile App to add the card to your wallet, and you can do the entire process by yourself or your banker should be more than happy to assist.
You can add your debit card to your digital wallet in six easy steps:
- Open your Chase Bank Mobile App: First, you have to be logged into the mobile app. Use the same username and login you always use, or use the one you just made with your banker.
- Click on the account you want a debit card connected to: If you have multiple accounts, click on the account you want to add a digital debit card to. Each account is allowed to have one card, in your name, connected to the account. Be sure you’re using the right account!
- Scroll beneath your transaction history and click “digital wallets”: Chase Bank makes it nice and easy for you to add your card, giving you the simplest name you could ask for when trying to add a card to your… digital wallets.
- Choose which digital wallet you’d like to use: As an iPhone user, I have three digital wallets to choose from: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. I use Apple Pay, but the other two options work just as well.
- Choose which card you’d like to add: Even though you took the time to make sure you chose the right account, Chase wants to ensure you’re adding the right card as well. If you have multiple cards with Chase, they’ll give you a screen with all of them present, asking you which you’d like to add.
I have three cards total with Chase, two debits and a credit. One of my debit cards is linked to a checking account I treat like a savings account, so I don’t have that card on my Apple Wallet. I do have my debit and credit card on Apple Pay, so if I ever leave my physical wallet at home I’m not completely out of options.
- Add the debit card to your digital wallet: The last step is a simple one, simply click through the confirmation screens asking you to verify your card’s addition and voila! You should be able to use your debit card through your digital wallet right away, at the ATM or even at a store to make a purchase.
How Do I Use Your Card Once You’ve Added it To Your Digital Wallet?
Congratulations, you’ve just added your Chase debit card to your digital wallet!
Now, how do you use the card?
Don’t fret, using the card on your digital wallet is even easier than adding it.
To use your digital wallet, you have a couple options. Most devices have an app dedicated to your digital wallet, so you can click on it and scroll through whatever cards are on there and choose the one you want to use.
Find the digital wallet logo, it’s on machines that accept cardless access. It looks like a Wi-Fi symbol, with three curved lines placed horizontally.
Once you find the logo, pull up your card on your phone. Your phone may ask for your phone’s password in order to pull it up.
After the card is ready to be used, scan it over the cardless access logo. The machine should make a beep, indicating that it has received the signal your phone is sending.
Next, the machine should ask for your PIN. Once that has been entered in, you’re set to make purchases, withdrawals, or deposits with your account!
Conclusion
Unfortunately, Chase no longer issues debit cards within the branch.
If you choose to get a debit card with your checking account, it will come in the mail in 3-5 business days in a plain white envelope. You won’t see “Chase Bank” or the Chase logo on the envelope, as the bank doesn’t want wrongdoers to steal it from you.
If you want to receive your card sooner, you can pay a $5 rush fee and receive it in 1-2 business days.
If you need access to your account even sooner than that, you can ask your banker for an ATM card, which they can issue in the branch, or to help you add your future debit card to your digital wallet before you ever receive it in the mail.
