How Do I Activate My Netspend Card?

Before you can activate a NetSpend card, you first have to acquire it. You can obtain a NetSpend card through the following steps with these helpful tips.

Jeff Whelpley is the editor / author responsible for this content.
Nov 18, 2019

A NetSpend card is a prepaid Visa card that offers its holders the ability to purchase goods and services with a credit card even if they cannot get the approval for a credit card. Once you load your card you can start spending and may even be given credit after a swift application process.

Using a NetSpend card has plenty of other benefits other than the ability to purchase things without credit card approval. You can also get cash back from an ATM or while making purchases at select merchants. Moreover, you can add checks to your NetSpend card via your smartphone.

You can deposit funds directly into your NetSpend card through paychecks from your employer if the option is available. However, there are other ways through which funds can be directly deposited into a NetSpend card including receiving state and federal benefits, pensions and tax refunds.

A unique way to directly deposit funds into your NetSpend account is by visiting a NetSpend Reload Network location and asking them to top up the card for you. You can be charged a fee for the deposit or not depending on the location.

Requesting a NetSpend card

Before you can activate a NetSpend card, you first have to acquire it. You can obtain a NetSpend card through the following steps:

  1. Launch your web browser and open www.NetSpend.com
  2. Click the 'Sign Up Now' tab and the online application will begin to load
  3. Fill in the necessary details on the application including personal data as prompted
  4. Select one of the card options presented to you
  5. Click the tab labeled 'Review the fees associated with your prepaid card.' There are no fees for card issuance but you will have to select a pay as you go arrangement or a monthly plan for fees incurred in the future. Some of the future fees will include withdrawal fees, deposit fees, PIN purchases among other transaction fees
  6. Once you have reviewed the fees and chosen a payment plan, click 'Get My Card' and your card will be on its way.

Activating the NetSpend card

A NetSpend card will typically arrive in the mail seven to ten working days from the day you request it.

You can activate your NetSpend card in either of two ways: online or through the phone.

Online activation

You can activate your NetSpend card online through the following process:

1. Launch your web browser and open www.NetSpend.com

2. Click the icon labeled 'Activate Card' on the top right hand corner of the website's homepage

3. Wait for the page to load after you click the icon and then type the card number and security code that is provided on your NetSpend card. The card number is 16 digits long and the security code is a three-digit CVC2 code located on the back of the card

4. You will also be prompted to provide your address, Social Security Number and Date of Birth. Enter them in the empty fields appropriately

5. Enter a username and password of your choosing and click 'Continue' and you should receive confirmation that your card has been activated.

Activation by phone

You can also call a customer care representative at NetSpend and request card activation. The customer service representative will ask you for the 16-digit card number and the three digit security code on the back of the card.

The representative will also ask you for information to confirm your identity such as your Social Security Number. Your card will be ready to use as soon as the customer service representative activates it.

You can find NetSpend's customer service contact information on GetHuman.

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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 Netspend Card?

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