Emergency Visa Card by German DKB bank
In the afternoon, I reported the loss of my card to the hotline, three hours later, I received the emergency cash and in the morning, the emergency-Visa-Card arrived by express messenger.
What had happened?
On the way to the USA, my DKB Visa Card got lost.
Stolen or lost?
I do not know.
After searching through all my luggage, I had no other option, but to block the card and take advantage of the DKB-emergency service. This is free of charge for us active DKB-customers!
How to get the emergency-package
For our smart bank customers, I describe the sequence of my emergency order and provide you with tips on how to make it even better.
1. Report card loss and block the card
As used to, I called the hotline of the DKB (+49-30-12030000).
From abroad through Skype in order to save costs … 😉 This was clever, because I had to wait about 4 minutes in the waiting line until I could talk to a staff member.
After the legitimating through phone, the card was blocked.
Then I was forwarded to the “Bayern Card-Service” to be able to order the emergency package. The Bayern Card-Service offers this service on behalf of the DKB.
What can you improve?
- Call the Bayern Card-Service immediately. This can block the Visa Card too. The phone number is: +49-89-411116556.
- Check, whether the last card transaction were made by you. If not, then the refund procedure will be started.
2. Replacement card or emergency package?
If you are only on the road for a short time, e.g. like for a the weekend, then I guess that it is sufficient, if one sends you a replacement card to your home address.
If you stay abroad for a longer period, like in my case it was 15 days in the USA, then you will love the advantages of the DKB-emergency package!
3. Emergency card and/or emergency cash?
At the hotline of the DKB, one said that you have to decide for one of the both options. Honestly, I remembered it different from the price listing, when I was making my research for this article.
However, this was cleared quite fast during the conversation with Bayern Card-Service: being a DKB-customer, you can choose from these three variants:
- Emergency card
- Emergency cash
- Emergency card and Emergency cash
I have decided to go for option 3, because it is the most practical, as you get a Visa Card with the following characteristics:
- high-embossed credit card number (still an obvious differentiating factor between prepaid and true credit cards)
- CV-Code on the backside (important for payments on the Internet)
The emergency cards do not contain a chip. Therefore, no cash withdrawals at the ATM are possible.
Exactly out of this reason, it is meaningful to order the emergency cash additionally.
Therefore, you are equipped with a credit card for cashless payments for about 3 months (expiration date) and dispose of cash on top.
In the USA, the emergency cash is up to USD 1,500.
Moreover, the production of a replacement card is arranged for you automatically. This will be sent to your home address.
The credit card number of the emergency card will remain the same. It is taken on the replacement card. The replacement card will have a validity period of 5 years.
By the way, the emergency card has the same overdraft facility as your former DKB-Visa-Card.
Statements that you need for the order:
- all names, just like on the ID-card or passport
- ID-card or passport (the number will be queried)
- an address, where you personally or eventually a representative (e.g. family or hotel) can receive and receipt the emergency card
- telephone number (to clarify for the Visa-emergency service of the region in which you currently are, and for the messenger, if he/she has problems to find you)
As soon as all data is taken, your conversation with Bayern Card-Service is finished. Your order will be forwarded to Visa. You will soon receive a call from the nearest Visa-emergency office.
4. Call of the Visa-emergency service
In my case, it took about two hours, then Visa Miami, Florida, USA, called me by phone in order to talk about the details of the delivery.
Even if you have stated your data already at the Bayern Card-Service, these are queried or confirmed again.
Payment of the immediate emergency cash
The staff member of Visa Florida talked to me solely in German language, which I perceived as exceptionally pleasant in this emergency situation.
He told me that my money is ready for pickup at every Western-Union-payment office within the next 5 minutes.
Emergency cash ready for pickup within 5 minutes!
As an additional service, he looked for the nearest pickup-offices for me. I decided to go to the supermarket chain “Publix”, because it was only a few driving minutes away and I like to go shopping there anyway.
Enter the term “Western Union” on Google Maps – you will be surprised, how many emergency cash-pickup possibilities there are around the globe!
Moreover, I got an instruction on how to fill the form “Pick up money”.
You can find the most important statements here:
- 10-digit MTCN (transaction number)
- Amount (in my case USD 400)
- Sender location: Miami, Florida, USA
- Sender: VISA.
For the pickup, you necessarily need your legitimating document, which was the passport in my case.
Just in case, I received the hotline-number of Visa Florida and the case number, if anything should go wrong with the pickup.
By the way, you do not have to pick up the money immediately, you have 3 days time.
Again, I was very lucky, because the staff member at Publix, who made the payment for Western Union, spoke perfect German, because he was an expat from Dresden.
On my request, I got the money paid in “big bills”:
The standard bill for cash payments in the USA is the USD-20-bill. However, you can get a different compilation on request – except at ATMs.
Supplied with fresh money, I felt much better immediately!
Let´s remember: In less than 3 hours after the report of the loss and card blocking, I already held the emergency cash in my hands! Such a super service 🙂 Many thanks!
Get the emergency card
The second point in the telephone conversation with the Visa-emergency centre was the organization of the emergency card. One assured me that a messenger would deliver it until 10:30 am on the next day.
When I asked, whether this is thrown into the mailbox or whether one has to receive it personally, the answer was that one has to sign for the delivery.
When I told them that I had an important appointment at 11 am with a travelling time of half an hour, Visa booked the delivery to 7 to 9 am, so that everything will be flawless.
Wow, emergency card in my hands after only 16 hours
Effectively, a big UPS-vehicle arrived in the next morning at 8:41 am, from which two persons dropped out and hurried with an “Extremely Urgent“-envelope towards me. Short request of my name, then the signature and I held my first DKB-emergency card in my hands.
The DKB-emergency card was delivered with the note “extremely urgent” within 16 hours to me – many thanks for this detail!
Emergency package delivered over night or even faster!
On the same day, I tried the payment in the supermarket using the emergency card and everything worked out well. This time, not by entering the PIN, but a swipe and then the signature on the receipt.
Many, many thanks to the DKB for such a great emergency service!
Conclusion
In the best case, one never has to report a card loss.
But, how would my journey have been, if the DKB would not have supplied me with cash and card within a few hours? On top of this, this was completely free of charge for me!
How would it have been, if I would be a customer of another bank?
I prefer not to think of it!
By telling my own positive experience, I want to encourage you to think, whether besides the many advantageous conditions, like the fee-free withdrawing of cash or the refund of the foreign transaction fee – both is offered by very few other outstanding banks – perhaps this extraordinary emergency service is a reason to apply for the DKB Visa Card?
In my case, this decision has turned out to be dead right!
Moreover, the DKB Visa Card does not cost you any fees.
Card and account have, of course, a whole bunch of further meaningful options for us bank customers, as you can learn from other articles on this special portal.
In this article, it was all about presenting you the emergency service from my own experience and to encourage you to supply yourself with this free and advantageous card, if you go on trips from time to time.
Please write me through the comments feature at the end of this page, whether you have decided to become a DKB-customer because of this article. I really would like to read such contributions. Thanks!
“Apply for the DKB Visa Card now”
… including the emergency option, around the globe!
www.dkb.de/privatkunden/dkb_kreditkarte (Online-application)
Questions on the emergency card or emergency cash?
… I would be happy to answer them, as long as I can help with my experiences. Please use the comments feature for this. Likewise, you can report of your experiences with the emergency service.
Here the content for you as a video (including telephone conversation):
Important supplement of the 15th of March 2107
When I checked my account statement, I noted a fee that I have never seen at the DKB:
I queried at the DKB and received the following answer:
At cash payments besides from ATMs (= at the counter), a 3 per cent transaction fee applies (at least Euros 5).
Indeed, I have picked up the emergency cash at the counter of Western Union. With this, the charge as clearly mentioned in the price listing of the DKB, is correct.
I did not have this “on the screen”, because I have never paid this fee before. Therefore, I have to correct my statement above in the article and in the video and apologize. Please accept it, my dear readers.
As a result, the conclusion still is extraordinarily positive!
Free emergency card + cash option. Perhaps one may not order cash very lavishly. 😉
Further subjects for smart bank customers:
- DKB cards > Which card for what purpose?
- Open the DKB as a joint account
- Open the DKB-account (step-by-step instructions)
A small petition to our smart bank customers 🙂
Did you already know the sequence and all advantages of the DKB-emergency package?
If not, then please recommend this article to friends and family – this could be the “salvation” at the next journey and you will receive a big “thank you” for your attention!
I personally am very thankful to the DKB for this great service.
Of course, I do not desire that anyone has to face such a loss situation. However, if you do, then I hope that you are a DKB-customer and know my instruction!
Many thanks for your help / recommendation of our article!
Hi. I found a credit card on the name of your bank.
I am in Istanbul, Turkey. What should I do?
Many thanks for your honesty! Anyway, this is not the bank, but a private web portal. On the card’s backside you can find an inscription: “If found, please return to: Deutsche Kreditbank AG, Taubenstrasse 7-9, 10117 Berlin, Germany”. I assume the card has meanwhile been blocked, but maybe you’d still like to send it back. As you know: Who does good, experiences goodness 🙂 Thanks!