How do I activate my Green Dot card?

If you recently received your GreenDot card and need help setting it up, you've come to the right place. Here's how to activate your account and card.

Jul 15, 2019

Your Green Dot card, much like any other card, removes the necessity of always carrying cash around with you. You can use it to either make online payments or cash withdrawals at any point where the card is accepted. This card is ideal for people who want to improve their credit ratings or who want to keep their spending under control.

How to Get a Green Dot Card

There are only two ways to get your Green Dot card. You can either buy a card online or at a retailer near you. When you get a temporary card, you can still use your card and account details to purchase things, but you will have to wait to get your actual card. This takes approximately 2 weeks.

How to Activate Your Card Online

This is a process that only takes a few minutes. Here are the steps you should follow to activate your card:

  1. Go to Green Dot's page
  2. At the top right corner, click the "Register Card" tab.
  3. A prompt will ask you whether or not you have online banking by asking you to enter your online banking User ID and password. If you are not registered, you are automatically enrolled in order to continue with the process.
  4. The following page will ask for the details of your card; the account number and the three-digit security code. The three-digit security code is found at the back of the card near where the signature is. Be careful when keying in these details. An error in one digit could mean that you have to start the process all over again or verify your account details.
  5. Type in your card's expiration date
  6. Select the "Continue" tab at the bottom.
  7. The final page will need you to put in your name, date of birth and address. All banks are required to ask you about this information in accordance with the U.S. Patriot Act.

The activation process is the same for card that are gotten via mail. However, for these cards, you will have to load money before you start using them.

How to Activate Your Card via Phone

This option is viable for people who have trouble with the internet or simply don't trust it. Here are the simple steps you need to follow:

  1. Call the customer care line. This is a toll-free number that can be called from anywhere. If you are calling outside of the United States, you will need to enter your country's exit code in order for your call to go through
  2. The customer care agent will ask about your card, and account details and any other document details.
  3. You will be taken through all the activation steps and you can go ahead and activate your account over phone

If all the steps are done correctly, your card will become active and you are free to use it only if you have loaded funds.

How to Load Funds on Your Card

You can choose any of the following methods:

  1. Transfer funds directly from your bank account to your Green Dot card
  2. Deposit a check from your mobile device to your card
  3. Get your tax refund deposited on your card
  4. Do a direct deposit at your local Green Dot Centre

Fees Associated with the Green Dot Prepaid Card

The Green Dot card is only purchased for $1.95 at local stores. There is however no purchase fee when you purchase the card online. You will incur monthly charges of $7.95. This monthly fee is however bailed when you load $ 1000 or more in the previous billing cycle. For ATM withdrawals, the charges are $3 for withdrawal and $0.5 for balance inquiry. For lost cards, the replacement fee is only $5.

You can choose to register more than one Green Dot card. However, Green Dot may choose to limit the number of cards issued at its own discretion.

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Jeff truly believes that all customers deserve good service. He’s been building tools, inventing phone tree hacks and helping customers since before his days at GetHuman. He's also a Google GDE and involved in the Angular community.
How do I activate my Green Dot card?

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