- Your bank’s website: Sign in to your account and search for activate new card.
- Mobile app: Many banks allow you to activate your card in the mobile app.
- Phone: Typically, your new card will include a sticker with a toll-free number to use for activation.
Unlock more possibilities with a debit card
You know a debit card as the fast, convenient way to pay for goods and services online, in-store or using your mobile wallet. Your Visa Debit card is also your key for transferring money in real-time* back and forth between your bank account, digital wallets, and your favorite apps including investment, peer-to-peer (P2P), gaming and more.
Fast
Convenient
Secure
* Actual fund availability depends on U.S. receiving financial institutions.
Explore all the ways to use your Visa Debit card
There are lots of ways to use your Visa Debit card to make purchases, pay bills, withdraw cash and transfer funds. When moving money back and forth between your accounts, digital wallets and apps, use your Visa Debit card to have the funds in your account within minutes.*
Shop online
Safely shop online with your Visa Debit card, whether you store your card credentials on your favorite sites or use a digital wallet.
Tap to pay
Tap to pay with your Visa Debit card at over 150 million locations worldwide, from the corner store to a restaurant halfway around the world.
Withdraw cash
With over 2 million ATMs globally, you have fast, convenient access to cash 24/7/365 without having to wait in line at a bank.
Digital wallet and online account funding
Fund digital wallets in P2P apps for peer-to-peer money transfers and move money between your bank account and investment accounts, including crypto, all in real-time.*
Receive payouts from apps
Transfer earnings from online marketplaces, gaming winnings, government benefits, insurance claims or funds received through a digital wallet in your P2P payment services app to your bank account within minutes.*
Send money internationally
When using international money transfer apps, quickly send money to friends and family directly from your bank account using your Visa Debit card, and the recipient’s account details.
*Actual fund availability depends on U.S. receiving financial institutions.
Cutting-edge protection for every debit card transaction
Behind the scenes, your money transfer and purchases are monitored using a suite of fraud protection techniques from Advanced Intelligence (AI) models to encryption of your card details. And you can shop safely because you are covered by Visa’s Zero Liability Policy.**
Zero Liability Policy
Data encryption
Visa Advanced AI
Fraud monitoring
**Visa’s Zero Liability Policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more detail.
Additional Visa Debit cardholder benefits
Visa benefits are constantly updating to meet the real-life needs of our cardholders, providing access to valuable perks that reflect what’s most relevant in their lives today.
Using your Visa Debit card
Learn more about how Visa Debit cards work.
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This unique 16-digit number is printed on your Visa Debit card. To shop online or by phone, you’ll need this number, along with your card’s expiration date and CVV number.
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- Select the items or service you want to purchase and head to check out.
- At check out, enter your debit card information: 16-digit card number, expiration date and CVV code.
- Make sure you’ve used the correct billing address for your debit card.
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A Visa Debit card works basically like a check. The amount of your purchase is deducted directly from your checking account.
You can use your Visa Debit card to:
- Place an order online, by phone or mail
- Get money out of an ATM using your PIN
- Swipe or insert (chip)¹ your card at merchants
And with a Visa Debit card you have the added security of Visa, too. And that includes Visa’s Zero Liability Policy²—which protects you from fraudulent charges.
- ¹EMV* cards include a secure microprocessor chip that performs cryptographic processing during a payment transaction. In an EMV transaction, which includes dynamic data, the card is first authenticated, followed by verification of the cardholder. The transaction is then authorized online or offline, according to issuer-determined risk parameters.
- *EMV is an open standard set of specifications for chip cards and acceptance devices.
- ²Visa's Zero Liability policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more details.
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With your Visa Debit card, you can sign for your purchases, or in some cases enter a PIN when a merchant provides a PIN pad. In other instances, you can pay without signing or entering a PIN.
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You can get cash back when you use your Visa Debit card at many merchant locations. To get cash back, press DEBIT instead of CREDIT. You will be prompted to enter your PIN and select the amount of cash that you want to complete the transaction.
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When using your card to withdraw cash at an ATM not owned by your financial institution, both your financial institution and the ATM owner may charge a fee. The ATM owner is required to tell you that a fee is being charged and how much it is.
Many Visa Debit cards have daily cash withdrawal limits of up to $1,000. Daily spending limits may be higher. These limits are meant to protect you in case your card is lost or stolen. Your card may be declined if you make daily purchases that exceed your daily withdrawal limit, even if you know you have plenty of funds in your checking account. You should contact your financial institution for more information on purchase and ATM withdrawal limits.
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When you pay at the pump, some card issuers place a “hold” on their cardholders’ funds in anticipation of the final transaction amount, to help ensure their cardholders’ accounts do not become overdrawn. Gas merchants do not place account holds. If you have questions about a hold on your account related to a fuel purchase transaction, please contact your card issuer.
Account deductions may not be applied immediately when the final amount isn't known. Visa has established these processes to protect Visa Debit card issuers, merchants and cardholders.
For these types of purchases, Visa Debit card issuers may earmark cardholder funds to cover the estimated cost of the transaction. While most transactions have a hold of less than 24 hours, Visa protects cardholders by requiring issuers or financial institutions to remove holds if the transaction hasn’t completed by defined timeframes for the type of merchant and transaction.
Some account alert amounts, including online statements, may not reflect the final amount—especially at merchants where the final amount isn’t known such as restaurants and pay-at-the-pump fueling. The account alert amount may not be the final transaction amount that will post on your statement. Your online statement should reflect the final amount of the transaction by the next business day.
Car rental companies and hotels may require you to present a credit card when making a reservation. However, you may use your Visa Debit card when you pay the bill for the rental or hotel.
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Using your Visa Debit card connected to your bank accounts means you no longer have to provide your sensitive bank checking and routing number to make or receive payments. When you use your Visa Debit card to make or receive payments, you receive the same benefits and protections including the Visa Zero Liability Policy.* If your card number becomes compromised, simply request a new card number. No need to close your bank account and open a new one.
*Visa’s Zero Liability Policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more details.
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In the US, using your debit card to make or receive payments pulls or deposits funds from your bank account balance. For receiving a payment, funds are available in typically under a minute.*
*Actual fund availability depends on U.S. receiving financial institutions.
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Your Visa Debit card is typically connected to a traditional checking account with your bank. A Visa Prepaid card is another type of account with a stored value balance. Prepaid cards can be unregistered gift cards or registered reloadable prepaid cards being used to make and receive payments ongoing. Only debit cards connected to a checking account or registered reloadable prepaid cards can receive payments.
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With bank transfers like ACH, you need to input your sensitive bank checking and routing numbers to a money transfer app to move money. With a typical bank transfer, it can take 2-3 business days or longer to receive payment.
Since your Visa Debit card is connected to your bank account, you simply need to input your debit card number to a money transfer app to move money. Transfers with your Visa Debit card happen within minutes* so you won't have to wait days, weekends, or holidays.
*Actual fund availability depends on U.S. receiving financial institutions.
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Visa or your bank does not charge a fee to send or receive money with your Visa Debit card. Some merchants and originators may or may not charge a convenience fee to use your Visa Debit card.
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Many merchants allow for money movement with your Visa Debit card, sending or receiving payments. Look for the option to use your debit card on the payment methods page within merchant’s or originator’s websites and applications.