How to Turn in a Lost Credit Card

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: July 25, 2022

You look down on the ground and find a credit card. What do you do? While your first instinct might be to call the police or search for the owner, there are probably better (and easier) options. Hats off to you for doing the right thing and taking the necessary steps to ensure that this gets resolved. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about what to do when you find a stranger’s credit, debit, or bank card.

Section 1 of 4:

What should I do with a lost credit card?

1
Call the number on the back of the credit card and report it lost. The number on the back is a customer service number. Call and explain that you found this person’s card. The card issuer will deactivate the card and ask you to destroy the card, turn it in at a branch, or throw it in the trash after they’ve canceled it on their end.^{[1]
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- This will guarantee with 100% certainty that nobody uses the card—even if someone ran up and snatched it out of your hands, it’s unusable.
2
Destroy the card to protect the cardholder from fraud if you can’t call. It sounds strange, but cutting the card up with scissors is a very kind thing to do. The owner of the card may not know it’s missing, and this ensures that nobody gets a hold of it.^{[2]
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- This is probably your best bet if you find the card in a remote or random area where the owner is unlikely to return and look for it.
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3
Turn the card into the bank branch that issued it if you’re close. If you’ve picked up a bank card with an institution you recognize and you happen to be super close to a branch, you can take the card there and turn it into a teller. The branch will reach out to the person who lost their card and let them know it has been turned in.

Section 2 of 4:

Is it okay to leave a card with a business?

It’s reasonable to leave a lost card with a business, but it is risky. If you find a credit card inside a business, like a restaurant or hotel, the person who lost their card is likely going to return and look for it. Feel free to pass it off to an employee.^{[3]
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Research source} Just keep in mind that it is possible whoever you give the card to can use the card for their own purposes now.^{[4]
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- It’s definitely safer to call the number on the back yourself to report it lost.
- Try to hand the card to someone in charge if you have a choice.
- This doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong by turning the card into a business. In the vast majority of cases, the person you give it to will follow proper procedure and return the card if someone comes looking for it.

Section 3 of 4:

What if someone claims you have their card?

If someone says you have their card, ask them to confirm the name. If you’re standing there holding the card and wondering what to do next, someone may come up to you and say, “That’s my card!” If they do, ask them to confirm the name. If they do, hand it over to them. If they don’t get the name right, do not give them the card and call the number on the back to report it lost.
- If they give you a hard time about asking for the name on the card, calmly explain that you simply want to make sure the card gets back to its owner. They should be understanding.

Section 4 of 4:

Things to Avoid

1
Don’t try to find the person to return the card. It’s nice of you to be tempted to return the card yourself, but this isn’t a particularly viable option. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing if you found the right person with that name. You’re better off reporting the card as lost.^{[5]
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- Even if the name is super unique and you think you found the right person, it’s always possible there are two people out there with the same name.
- If you see a wallet or credit card drop out of someone’s jacket or pocket, feel free to pick it up and give it to them.
2
Leave the police out of this. This isn’t a criminal matter, so there’s no need to involve the police. They would just call the number on the back of the card anyway, since there’s no address on a credit card.
- If you find a whole wallet, turn it in to the police, but don’t call 911.
3
Don’t hold on to the card for an extended period of time. This isn’t the kind of thing you want to put off for too long. If you ever get pulled over by the cops or someone does your laundry and they find a stranger’s card, you’re going to have some explaining to do. This isn’t usually a crime on its own, but it’s certainly suspicious. When you find a stranger’s card, don’t pocket it and forget about it.
- The other reason to act quickly is that the person may cancel their card. That’s not the end of the world (and they should probably do this anyway), but if you want to help them get it back by returning it to the bank, you should act quickly.
4
Do not use the card, as tempting as that may be. If you think you’ve just hit the jackpot, be aware that using a credit, debit, or bank card is fraud. In some states, you can actually be sentenced to years in prison for this. Just don’t do it.^{[6]
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