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Here's What to Do If Your Credit Card Is Lost Or Stolen

Last Updated: September 18, 2024

3 min read

Table of contents

Key Points:

You may be able to freeze or lock your credit account while you look for the lost credit card.
If there’s a fraudulent charge on your credit card statement, there’s a good chance someone stole your credit card.
If you're sure someone stole your card, report it to your card issuer immediately and request a replacement card.

If you lost your credit card, don’t panic. Although a lost or stolen credit card could lead to identity theft and unauthorized use, there are steps you can take to get your card back or get a new one.

Freeze your lost credit card account

If you think you have a lost or stolen card, the first step is to freeze or lock your credit card account. If your credit card issuer allows cardmembers to freeze or lock their account temporarily, you can freeze the account while you look for the card. Then, if you find it, you can unlock or unfreeze the account and resume normal use.

Freezing or locking your account can prevent a thief from using it. So, if the card was stolen, no unauthorized transactions can be processed, and you can minimize the chances of credit card fraud.

If you lost or misplaced your credit card, freezing your account can give you a chance to find the card without canceling it entirely. Then, you won't have to request a new card or wait for the replacement card to arrive. You only need cancel the credit card if you're sure it's lost or stolen.

At Discover, the Freeze it^® on/off switch on our website and mobile app lets you prevent new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers in seconds if you misplace your card. And you can unfreeze just as easily.¹ You can quickly unfreeze your account if you find your card.

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Try to find the lost credit card

If you think you lost your credit card, start by retracing your steps to find it.

You can use your online banking account, mobile app, or call your credit card issuer to get a record of your most recent transactions. If you call your credit card company, they may verify your identity by asking you for certain personal information. If you view your account online, check under “pending transactions” since it can take a few days for purchases to post to your account.

Once you’ve identified the most recent transaction(s), call or visit the merchant to see if they’ve found your lost card. If the most recent transaction(s) happened after you lost your card and they're fraudulent purchases, it's possible that someone stole your credit card. Immediately contact your credit card company to report the stolen card.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers have limited liability for unauthorized charges or fraudulent credit card charges under the Fair Credit Billing Act. You’re never held responsible for unauthorized purchases on your Discover Card.²

Did you know?

Regularly reviewing your credit card statement and credit report is essential since even unauthorized charges could impact your credit score if left unresolved. Protect your credit score and minimize identity theft risk with fraud protection tools like Discover Identity Theft Protection.

Report your credit card as lost or stolen

If there’s no hope of finding your missing card or you’re sure it’s been stolen, notify your card issuer. Discover^® Cardmembers should immediately call customer service at 1-800-347-2683 to let us know the card is lost or stolen.

Your card issuer can invalidate the missing card and may ask you to destroy any additional cards associated with the account. Then, the card issuer can deliver a replacement credit card.

If you’re a Discover^® Cardmember, you can expect to receive a new card within six business days, and there’s no replacement card fee. Once you receive your new card, you should activate the card and contact any merchants that automatically bill you to update your card information.