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Activate and Use Your Debit Card

Once you've opened one of our personal or business checking accounts and ordered a debit card, your debit card will arrive in a white envelope at the address you provided us. For security reasons, the envelope does not say that it has your card in it.

Activating Your Debit Card

1. Call the number that's on the sticker on your debit card and on the carrier that your new debit card is attached to.

2. Follow the voice prompts, including saying your card number and the last 4 digits of your social security number. 

3. You'll be asked to choose a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your card. Please take note of your selected PIN as a reset could cause delays.

4. When you hear a message that says "Your card has been successfully activated," the call will end and you'll be ready to use your debit card.

Your Debit Card Number

There are sixteen digits on the back of your contactless debit card, which is your debit card number. This number is specific to your checking account but is not your checking account number. This is the number that you'll use if you need to use your debit card over the phone or online. If using online, please be sure to take advantage of the added security benefits from Mastercard®.

Your Debit Card Embedded Chip

Every First Commonwealth Bank debit card has an embedded EMV chip for added security. This is the square chip that appears on the front of your card. You can learn more about how chip technology protects you during every transaction.

Your Contactless Debit Card

Contactless payments use short-range wireless technology to quickly complete payments between a contactless-enabled card or payment-enabled device and a contactless-enabled checkout terminal. A contactless Mastercard® is a chip card that has a near field communication (NFC) antenna, which enables close-range payments. You can learn more about how contactless technology protects you during every transaction.

Debit Card CVV Numbers

A CVV code is an additional layer of protection against unauthorized spending on debit and credit cards. Your CVV code can be found on the back of your debit card and is three digits. You may be asked to provide this when using your debit card. 

Debit Card Expiration Dates

On our contactless debit cards, the expiration can be found on the back of the card. This appears next to the words "Valid Thru" and is a two digit month followed by two digit year. You'll get a new debit card in the mail from us before your card expires.

More Ways to Use Your Debit Card