If a cardholder believes their Visa® Prepaid Card has been lost or stolen, please deactivate the Card right away to prevent additional transactions and protect against fraud. If you confirm the Card needs to be replaced, see Temporarily Deactivate and Replace a Lost or Stolen Card.
Temporarily deactivating a Card pauses it so no new purchases can be made. It's a good first step if the Card has been misplaced, or if you'd like to pause spending while you sort something out. Nothing is closed and the balance stays on the Card, and you can reactivate it whenever you're ready.
In this article, you'll learn how to temporarily deactivate a Card, what deactivation does and doesn't do, and how to reactivate the Card.
Throughout this article, "cardholder" means the person whose name is printed on the Card. Depending on how the Card was ordered, that may be the Beneficiary or Account Owner, or the Authorized Individual or Authorized Legal Representative who manages the account on their behalf.
Before you begin
- You'll need full access to deactivate a Card online. Only users with full access can temporarily deactivate or reactivate a Card from the dashboard. If you have read-only access, please ask a user with full access on your account to complete these steps, or use the automated phone system (Option 2 below).
How to temporarily deactivate a Card
You can temporarily deactivate a Card in one of three ways. The dashboard and the automated phone system are typically the fastest options, especially in the evening or on weekends.
Option 1 – Online dashboard
- Sign in to your dashboard. Each plan has its own sign-in page; you can find the link for your plan in ABLE Visa® Card - How to Log In Online.
- Open the cardholder's page. If you manage one Card, you'll land on that cardholder's Transactions tab as soon as you sign in. If you manage more than one Card, select the cardholder whose Card you'd like to deactivate first.
- Click the Account tab. If you need help finding it, see How to Navigate to Your Cardholder's Account Tab.
- Click Temporarily deactivate.
- Follow the prompt on the screen to confirm.
- Check the Card status. It now says Temporarily inactive.
Option 2 – Automated phone system
Cardholders, and anyone who manages the account on their behalf, can report the Card lost or stolen through our automated phone system, which deactivates the Card. Call the number for your plan:
- STABLE Account: 1-888-364-8430
- All other ABLE accounts: 1-888-219-9054
- 529 Savings Plan: 1-888-442-8480
Then:
- Press 5 to report the Card as lost or stolen.
- Enter the last 4 digits of the Card number.
- Enter the 4 digits of the year the cardholder was born.
- Enter the last 4 digits of the cardholder's Social Security number.
- Press 1 to report the Card as lost or stolen. This deactivates the Card.
If a cardholder uses the automated phone system to deactivate their Card, the Authorized Legal Representative (ALR), Authorized Individual, or Account Owner who manages the account will be notified by email and will receive guidance on next steps.
Option 3 – Customer Support
Contact our Customer Support team, and we'll deactivate the Card for you. If a cardholder asks us to deactivate their Card, we'll set the Card inactive and notify the person who manages the account by email.
What temporary deactivation does
- New purchases are blocked. The Card can't be used for new purchases, in stores, online, or through Apple Pay or Google Pay. The change typically reaches the cardholder's phone within a few minutes.
- Some purchases may still go through. Purchases the merchant already approved before the Card was deactivated (sometimes shown as pending) may still go through.
- Recurring charges will be declined. Subscriptions and other automatic charges on the Card will be declined while it's deactivated.
- The balance stays on the Card. Deactivating doesn't close the Card or move any money. Everything is there when you reactivate it.
How to reactivate the Card
Found the Card, or ready to let the cardholder spend again? You can reactivate it from the dashboard.
- Sign in to your dashboard and open the cardholder's page.
- Click the Account tab.
- Click Reactivate card and follow the prompt on the screen.
Once reactivated, the Card can typically be used for purchases again right away. If the Card was added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, it typically starts working there again on its own.
If the Card was deactivated through the automated phone system or by our Customer Support team and you don't see the Reactivate card option, please contact our Customer Support team for help.
Please be aware
- Deactivating doesn't replace the Card. If you confirm the Card is lost or stolen, close it and order a replacement. See Temporarily Deactivate and Replace a Lost or Stolen Card.
- Planning a withdrawal to the Card? We recommend waiting until the Card is reactivated before you start a withdrawal in Vestwell. If a withdrawal is already on its way to a deactivated Card, please contact our Customer Support team.
- See a transaction you don't recognize? If you see a transaction you don't recognize or believe is incorrect, contact our Customer Support team right away — we can help you review it and file a dispute. The sooner you contact us, the better. You can read more in Disputing Fraudulent Transactions or Merchant Errors.
If you have any questions about temporarily deactivating a Card, please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Support team.