How To Fix The Most Common Direct Express Problems
How To Contact The Direct Express Dispute Resolution Department
If you would like to contest suspicious or unauthorized charges on your Direct Express MasterCard debit card, you need to call the Direct Express dispute resolutions department.
The dispute resolution department can only be contacted through Direct Express customer service at one of the toll-free numbers below:
Customer Service: (888) 741-1115
Hearing-impaired: (866) 569-0447
International: 1 (765) 778-6290 (collect)
Direct Express customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How To Report Direct Express Fraud
If you would like to report fraud, it is important to know that the Direct Express website doesn’t provide any downloadable dispute forms. They also don’t have a fax number you can use to send in a formal complaint.
The only way to dispute a charge on your Direct Express card is to call customer service at one of the numbers above. Customer service will ask you several questions, including your social security number and date of birth, to confirm your identity.
Make sure you have your Direct Express card number ready as well as the necessary information about the specific transaction you would like Direct Express to investigate such as the name of the retailer, date of transaction, and the amount charged to your card.
After approximately 10 days, you will receive a Direct Express fraud packet in the mail. You will be asked to complete it and send it back. Once they have received the fraud packet from you, Direct Express needs between 45 and 90 days to finalize the fraud investigation.
How To Get A Refund Via A Direct Express Payment
When you return an item you purchased at a retailer, you will get your money back on your Direct Express card account. Make sure you follow the store’s policy while making the return. It may take up to 30 days for the refund to be credited back to your card account.
RELATED:
- Get all the facts here on what to do when your Direct Express card is lost.
- Learn more about Direct Express Benefit Access.
Direct Express Debit Card Complaints
Here are the most common complaints about Direct Express MasterCard debit card:
- Difficulties reaching Direct Express customer service by phone and in particular connecting to live customer service person.
- Receiving a Direct Express card without consent. Instead of receiving their payments to their bank or credit union account, some customers are sent benefits via a Direct Express card, which they did not request.
- Unauthorized transactions. The Direct Express card is relatively often targeted by online criminals for fraud.
- Depositing money on the account. You are not allowed to add funds to your Direct Express debit card account except for federal government benefit deposits and purchase refunds.
- Replacing a lost or stolen Direct Express card. Getting a hold of customer service to ask for a replacement card can be challenging. Receiving a new card usually takes up to 10 days and sometimes even longer.
- Not being able to get Direct Express routing and account numbers. These numbers are not publicly available and can’t be obtained from Direct Express.
- Bill payment issues. Customers often wrongly believe that they can set up online bill pay using the account number and routing number. It is possible to pay bills with your Direct Express card only if the company you are paying accepts Debit MasterCard.
- Finding an in-network and surcharge-free ATM. If you don’t live near a surcharge-free ATM, withdrawing cash can be expensive, with some of them charging as much as $6 per transaction.
- Issues with the Direct Express mobile app. Sometimes the mobile app stops working after a few months and some customers have problems registering their card.
- Long and complex dispute resolution process. The only way to dispute a charge on your card is to contact customer service which can be time consuming.
- Canceling Direct Express cards. Due to the growing incidence of fraud, Direct Express occasionally cancels customer cards and mails them new ones. This is sometimes done without notifying the cardholder. While waiting for a new card to arrive, it is not possible to withdraw funds from the account.
- Difficulties using the card abroad. Even if you notify Direct Express ahead of time about your travel, in some cases they may decide to flag your card and decline transactions.
Got more questions about Direct Express? Learn more here.