Switching account - debit card

S_uk

I'm thinking of switching my Nationwide Flexdirect account as the 5% interest ends soon. I understand that i'd need to provide the long number on the debit card to the account i'm switching to, however I wanted to know, does the card need to be activated first? I only opened the FD account for gaining interest on savings and haven't used the card at all. Would I need to go and buy something and use it to pay so that I can then ultimately switch the account? Unlike some other accounts I have I don't think I can activate it online.

YorkshireBoy

Activating and using the card are two different things. If you were required to activate the card there would be instructions as such (either on the card itself or on the accompanying paperwork) to call them or to do it online.

Didn't you even change the PIN number at an ATM? I always do that with all my cards and never have a problem switching accounts, even without 'using' the card for a purchase/ATM withdrawal.

S_uk

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

Activating and using the card are two different things. If you were required to activate the card there would be instructions as such (either on the card itself or on the accompanying paperwork) to call them or to do it online.

The letter that came with the card says I can activate the card by making a chip and pin payment. The thing I wanted to know was whether I had to actually activate the card to be able to switch the account.

YorkshireBoy

S_uk wrote: »

The letter that came with the card says I can activate the card by making a chip and pin payment. The thing I wanted to know was whether I had to actually activate the card to be able to switch the account.

Like I said, I've switched accounts, including FlexDirects, without ever making a C&P purchase/withdrawing cash on the card.

S_uk

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

Like I said, I've switched accounts, including FlexDirects, without ever making a C&P purchase/withdrawing cash on the card.

That's good to know then. I thought that if I had to activate the card in order to switch and couldn't do it online, I would have to make a purchase, as when I looked through all the correspondence and terms and conditions (:)) it only made reference to activation by a chip and pin transaction.

Katiehound

I switched my Nationwide Flex whatever a/c last year when the bonus 1st year only interest stopped-(to the generous HSBC deal.) I had never used my debit card except online to access my account with the PIN reader. As I recall all HSBC wanted was the long number for the switching , presumably to check that there weren't any payments pending.
I certainly did not make any purchases during the year that I had the card.