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Information > SHAZAMChek ® CARD FAQ’s

How long will it take for my card to come in?

Cards are ordered on Saturday mornings and will take anywhere from 7 to 10 business days for you to receive them in the mail.  Cards can be “RUSH” ordered, but there is a small fee.  Depending on the day a card is rush ordered, it may come in anywhere from 1 to 5 days sooner than a card ordered normally.  Cards and PIN’s come in VERY PLAIN envelopes do not throw them away mistaking them for “junk mail.”

I received my card, but have not received my PIN.  What should I do?

Cards and PIN’s are sent to you in separate envelopes.  Your PIN should arrive 2 to 3 business days after you receive your card.  If after 4 days, you still have not received you PIN, contact the bank and we will make sure that it was ordered and shipped correctly.

What should I do if I forget my PIN?

Please refer to your PIN mailer.  This should be kept in a secure place away from your card.  You are the only one who has access to your PIN.  If you are still unable to remember and/or find your PIN, a replacement can be ordered.  This will be shipped directly to you from SHAZAM®’s secured card vendor.  However, there is a fee for this.

Can I choose my own PIN?

Yes.  GTSB now offers the Easy PIN option for all Debit Cards.  Once you receive your card in the mail or have forgotten your other PIN number, visit the GTSB location closest to you and they will get an Easy PIN reference number assigned to your card so you will be able to create your PIN.

Should I keep my PIN number written down in my purse/wallet, just in case I’m at an ATM and can’t remember it?

No.  Never keep your PIN in the same vicinity as your card.  This makes it too easy for a criminal to use your card if they have it.  Even if you think it is disguised well as a phone number or address, a clever thief knows what to try.

Can I have two cards with the same PIN, one for me & one for my husband/wife?

Yes.  With this Easy PIN option, this is now possible.

Can I have a SHAZAMChek® card in the name of a business?

No.  A SHAZAMChek® card must be in the name of an individual.  However, it can be attached to a business account.

Can I have a SHAZAMChek® card without having a checking account, just a savings account?

No.  In order to have a SHAZAMChek® card, it must be linked to a checking account.  The SHAZAMChek® card can be linked to a savings account as a second account, but not by itself.  If you want access to money in your savings account, but do not wish to open a checking account try a GTSB ATM card.  The ATM card can be issued at any of our four facilities.

When using my card at a merchant location, should I select “Debit” or “Credit”?

Either will work.  By selecting “Credit”, the clerk will have you sign a receipt rather than entering your PIN.  This will lower the risk of other customers or the clerk watching you enter your PIN.  If you select “Debit”, you have to enter your PIN.  This increases the risk of someone else finding out your PIN.

What do I do if my card is lost or stolen?

Contact SHAZAM® or the bank as soon as you realize that it is missing!!  By doing this, your card can be “Hot Carded” immediately and any unauthorized transactions can be stopped.  SHAZAM®   (800) 383-8000

An ATM “ate” my card, how do I get it back?

Depending on the type of ATM that captured your card, we may not be able to get it back.  Some ATM locations are required to destroy the card as soon as they are captured.  Some places will charge a fee and send the destroyed card to GTSB.  This fee is in turn passed on to you.  A way to avoid a captured card situation is to be quick with removing your SHAZAMChek® card from the ATM.  An ATM may also capture your card if your card is damaged.

When I received my monthly statement, I noticed that I was charged twice for the same purchase or withdrawal, what should I do?

First contact the merchant and try to get a refund from them.
Your next option is to contact us.  If we are notified within 60 days of the charge being posted to your account, we can usually get a refund.  In most cases, the money will be credited back to your account immediately.

I recently got married, but my card doesn’t expire for a while, can I get a new card with my correct name on it?

Yes.  All you need to do is bring in a copy of your marriage license along with your identification to any of our four facilities and a replacement card (with the same PIN) will be ordered for you at no charge.

My card has been denied at several POS (Point of Sale) locations but worked fine at others on the same day.  I know there is enough money in my account and I have yet to reach my daily limit. What is the problem?

On many occasions, the merchant will give you a reason for denial.  However, some do not.  In most call in and internet purchase cases, this type of problem is caused by an incorrect address in one of your card files.  This problem could be with SHAZAM® or with GTSB.  Either way, it is easily corrected.  Just contact us and we will be sure that not only we have the correct address on file for you, but that SHAZAM® does as well.  This may seem to be an inconvenience to you, but is actually a very good security measure.

In some cases, the denials may have nothing to do with your account or card information.  Not all merchants are online with the SHAZAM network; this makes doing a Debit transaction impossible because of the way Debit payments are routed.  Try having the merchant run the transaction through as a Credit.  The payment will come off of your account the same, but it is routed through Mastercard rather than SHAZAM.

Does my card have withdrawal limits?

- Yes. Unless requested by the customer, the default limits for SHAZAMChek® cards are as follows:

  • $ 500.00 - Daily limit - All PIN & Signature based - The daily limit is the maximum dollar amount the cardholder can spend in a 24 hr, from midnight to midnight, each day
  • $ 500.00 - Unmanned limit - PIN based only - The unmanned limit applies only to transactions the cardholder initiates at an ATM
  • $1000.00 - 3-day limit (any 72 hr. time period) - PIN based only - the 3 day limit applies to PIN based transactions initiated at ATMs and POS terminals.

- Upon your request, your limits can be set higher or lower for certain periods of time. (Vacations, all day shopping trips, large dollar purchases, Etc.)

- NOTE: If you have more than one card attached to one account, the limits are card limits, not account limits. Each card will have access to the full $500.00.

I made a deposit yesterday, but when I went to the ATM last night, my deposit was not included in my balance.  How long will it take for the ATM balance to include my deposit?

It depends on what time of day you make your deposit.  We send a balance file to SHAZAM® every morning, Monday thru Saturday, with the previous day’s balance.  If you make a deposit on Monday before 2:30, the balance on the ATM will reflect this deposit on late Tuesday morning.  If you make a deposit on Monday after 2:30, the balance on the ATM will not reflect this deposit until late Wednesday morning.  A deposit made by 10:15 on a Saturday morning will be included in the ATM balance on late Monday morning.

How can I avoid paying foreign ATM fees and surcharges?

The only way to avoid paying a foreign ATM fee is to use an ATM affiliated with GTSB.  You can find these at any of our four facilities as well as Becker’s Convenience Mart in Germantown and at 4th & Walnut in Breese.

There are two ways to avoid the surcharges.  You can either use an ATM affiliated with GTSB or you can use a “Privileged StatusTM” machine.  The participating ATM’s will be marked with a “Privileged StatusTM” sticker.  For a full list of participating ATM’s and their locations, visit SHAZAM.net.  Using a “Privileged StatusTM” machine will allow you to avoid the surcharge only, not the foreign ATM fee.

My Shazam card expires in a month, how do I get a new one?

A report is generated a month in advance for all cards expiring in the following month.  We make address and name changes when necessary, delete closed cards and cards with no activity,  and send the corrected report to SHAZAM®.  From this report, SHAZAM® automatically sends you a new card at no cost to you about 2 weeks prior to the expiration.  If your cards expiration date is 11/09, your card is good until 11/30/09.  You should receive your new card in the mail sometime in the middle of November.

We are taking a European vacation; can I use my SHAZAMChek® card overseas?

Yes.  The SHAZAMChek® card works in other countries just as it does in the United Sates.  The only differences are the fees and the currency exchange.  You will be charged the foreign ATM fee of $3.00 as well as a surcharge.  When making a purchase or withdrawal in another country, in their currency, the amount that shows up on your statement will be in converted dollars.  You will receive whatever the current exchange rate is for that currency on the day of the purchase.  (Ex. $20.00 may show up on your statement as $14.82 for Europe or $2.16 for Mexico, Etc.) 

Is it a good idea to use my card to reserve hotel rooms and rental cars?

No.  When reserving a hotel room or rental car with your SHAZAMChek® card, you will have outstanding authorizations on your card.  These outstanding authorizations will go against your daily withdrawal limit, and will continue until the room/ rental car payment is posted.  (Ex. Hotel room for the weekend $200.00, rental car for the weekend $100.00, your daily withdrawal limit until your reserved room and car is paid for is $200.00.  The amount of time you have the lower withdrawal limit depends on how far in advance you reserved the room and car.)  The best thing you can do is to reserve the room and car with a credit card and when you get there to pay for them, use your SHAZAMChek® card.

Can I use my SHAZAMChek® card at any ATM?

No.  You can only use your SHAZAMChek® card at machines that have the SHAZAM® or CIRRUS® symbol.  For a list of all CIRRUS® ATM’s in a particular location, visit Mastercard.com or call (800) 4-CIRRUS.  For SHAZAM® and “Privileged StatusTM” locations visit SHAZAM.net.

Where can I use my SHAZAMChek® card?

You can use your card at any SHAZAM® or CIRRUS® ATM and at most merchants that accept MasterCard.

Is there a fee for using my SHAZAMChek® card at a merchant location rather than writing out a check?

No.  There is no transaction cost involved when using the card at a MasterCard location.

How will the transactions appear on my checking account statement?

Each transaction made by your SHAZAMChek® card will have a descriptive entry on your checking account statement.  Your statement will have the date the item was posted, the name of the merchant, location of the merchant and the amount of the transaction.  This can easily be matched up to the receipt you will receive for each transaction.