IF you’ve ever lost your bank card, you’ll know of the panic that sets in at the thought of a stranger having access to your bank account and using your cash.
Few things are then as frustrating as finding it a day later after you’ve already cancelled it, but luckily more and more banks let you freeze the card while you try to find it.
Refer to Source – Alamy
Banking giants including HSBC and Barclays as well as challenger banks such as Monzo allow you to do so, and then unblock it using online or mobile banking.
The card can’t be used while it’s frozen, but if you end up finding it, you can start using it again straight away.
Just keep in mind that not all banks offer it for both debit and credit cards, while some don’t block ATM cash withdrawals.
Which banks let you freeze your card?
The Sun checked with the UK’s major banks that provide current accounts whether they offer freeze features – below’s what we found.
Of the 18 banks we asked, the Co-operative Bank hasn’t yet got back to us.
Santander told The Sun it currently doesn’t offer it, but that it’s “an area that we are currently looking to develop”.
Similarly, TSB said it doesn’t offer the function but that it’s “always looking at ways to improve the customer experience”.
Of course, if you’ve permanently lost the card or you think it’s been stolen, you should report it to your bank so it can cancelled.
This can take up to seven working days depending on your bank, so make sure you do it as soon as possible.
Which transactions will be frozen?
For the majority of banks, a frozen card means all transactions made on your card will be blocked, including cash withdrawals, in-store payments and online transactions.
The block usually also includes any payments made through Apple Pay and Google Pay.
The exceptions are the Lloyds Banking Group – Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds Bank – which let you choose which types of transactions you want to freeze, such as those made with the physical card, online and through the app.
Keep in mind these freezing transactions won’t stop ATM use, and may not block all smaller contactless payments where the merchant doesn’t ask the bank for authorisation.
A few days ago, The Sun revealed that NatWest is the worst bank for helping fraud customers after massive rise in complaints.
Meanwhile, Metro Bank was forced to tell customers that their money is safe after rumours on social media prompted panic.
In December, Monzo was voted best bank by customers while TSB toppled to the bottom of the table.
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