Lost or stolen card: how to block it fast

Act now: minutes count with a lost card.

The answer in 2 lines. Lock the card in your bank's app right away, then call your bank or card issuer at the number on its official website or on your statement. Write down the date, time and the name of the person you spoke to. Check your recent transactions and dispute any you don't recognize, in writing. For a credit card, federal law caps your loss at $50. For a debit card, the sooner you report, the less you can lose: report within 2 business days.

The first 3 steps

Lock the card in your bank's or card issuer's app, then call them at the number on their official website or your statement. Banks have 24/7 lines for lost cards.
Write down the date, the time and the name or reference number the bank gives you. Follow up in writing if you can.
Check your latest transactions and list every one you don't recognize.

How much can you lose? It depends on the card

Credit card: under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability for unauthorized charges is capped at $50. If you report the loss before the card is used, you owe nothing.
Debit or ATM card (Electronic Fund Transfer Act, Regulation E): up to $50 if you report within 2 business days of learning of the loss; up to $500 after that; and possibly more if you don't report unauthorized transfers within 60 days of the statement that shows them.
If only your card number was used (the card is still in your wallet), you are not liable for those charges if you report them within 60 days of the statement.
Many banks and card networks offer voluntary "zero liability" policies that go further. Ask yours.

What not to do

Giving your PIN, a one-time code or an app approval to someone who calls "from the bank's fraud team". Hang up and call the number on the bank's website.
Waiting to see if the card turns up. With a debit card, every day can raise what you may lose.
Calling a phone number from a text or an email to report the card. Scammers use fake "card blocked" messages.

After you've blocked the card

Lost card: the bank sends a new card with a new number. Update automatic payments.
Stolen card or wallet: a police report helps with disputes and insurance. If your ID was stolen too, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan.
Unknown charges: dispute them in writing with your bank and keep a copy. For debit card errors, the bank generally has 10 business days to investigate, and can take longer only if it credits your account provisionally.
Bank not helping? File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Good to know

A credit card is safer than a debit card if it gets stolen: a fraudulent charge hits the issuer's money, not the cash in your checking account.
Save your bank's lost-card number in your phone now, and turn on transaction alerts in the app.

In Phoenix, Daniel realizes at lunch that his wallet is gone. He locks his debit card in his bank's app, then calls the number on the bank's website and writes down the reference number. That evening he sees a $240 charge from the morning and disputes it in writing the same day.

A made-up story, for illustration.

The numbers (latest published)

$50: federal maximum loss on a lost or stolen credit card.
$50 / $500: maximum loss on a debit card if you report within 2 business days, or later but within the 60-day window.
Americans reported losing about $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025, according to the FTC (figures published in 2026; 2026 figures are not yet available).

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on October 18, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for federal liability limits (Fair Credit Billing Act, Regulation E, as explained by the CFPB, FTC and OCC); high for the 2025 FTC total ($15.9 billion), given in FTC testimony to Congress in March 2026. Bank policies vary: check your account agreement. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis or legal advice.