Euro Pacific Bank

Bank Card Closure

Published: September 20, 2022

As you may be aware, Euro Pacific Bank is now in liquidation pursuant to an order entered into with the Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (“OCIF”). As a result, the bank card provider, Intercash, has informed us that all bank cards are now in the process of being closed.

Effective immediately:

  • The Card Top Up function in eBanking is disabled due to the Intercash API being turned off; card funding is no longer possible
  • Cards are NOT blocked and can continue to be used/spent
  • You have 90 days to spend or deplete the funds on your card

Any cardholders that still have a balance after the 90 day period can reach out to the Intercash support team at [email protected], and Intercash will guide you on how to obtain the funds once cards are to be de-activated in 90 days.

Euro Pacific Bank strongly encourages all cardholders spend their remaining balance within 90 days to avoid additional customer service procedures.

What is a Contactless Bank Card?

Contactless technology lets you make everyday purchases quickly and safely wherever the universal contactless symbol is displayed—global retail stores, fast-food restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, and more. Simply tap your contactless-enabled Euro Pacific bank card at a secure contactless reader to make a payment.

Benefits

  • Safe and secure – encryption that is unique to every purchase protects transaction data, and your card never leaves your hand, reducing risk of loss or counterfeit
  • Faster checkout – no more fumbling with cash, and contactless payments do not require you enable web-based transactions beforehand
  • It’s simple – just tap your card against the reader at checkout and you’re good to go

How do I use contactless?

1. Look for the contactless symbol at the point of sale.
2. When you are ready to pay, hold your card over the reader at close range.
3. Once the reader confirms that your transaction is approved, you are ready to go.

Additionally, customers using a contactless card do not need to enable them for web-based transactions. These cards are automatically enabled for web based use.

Enabling your card for web based (online/ecommerce) transactions

  Does this apply to my card?
These instructions do not apply to cards beginning in 5295. For all other cards this function must be used to enable web based transactions.

Please follow the instructions below to enable your card to perform web based (online/ecommerce) transactions.

  1. Go to the Card Portal.
  2. On the login page, enter your Card Number or SAN and Access Code.

      DON’T HAVE YOUR ACCESS CODE?

    1. If you don’t know your Access Code, click the “Forgot Access Code?” link below the login button.
    2. Enter your Card Number or SAN and the Email you registered when ordering your card.
    3. You will receive an email with your Access Code.
    4. Return to the login screen and enter your Card Number or SAN and Access Code.
  3. On login, in the middle of the page, you will see an option to enable e-commerce transactions. Check the box and you will be able to complete your transaction within the next 36 hours.
  4. Portal Function to Enable eCommerce

If you are still having difficulty enabling e-commerce transactions after following the instructions above, please contact our Client Services team at +1-888-527-4041, send a message through your online banking account, or email [email protected].

Disputing a fraudulent card transaction

If you suspect that a fraudulent transaction has occurred on your card, it is recommended that you first block the card to prevent any further transactions. This can be done through the same channels as reporting a lost/stolen card.

Once your card has been blocked, you can call the Call Center on the back of your card. A customer service associate will guide you through the process of submitting the fraudulent transaction claim.

Please keep in mind that fraud disputes can take some time as they must be fully investigated and as such any refund owed will not be immediate. You will be required to provide supporting evidence to substantiate your fraudulent transaction claim.

Over the counter cash advance

An over the counter cash advance refers to usage of your Euro Pacific Bank Card to withdraw cash from any source, outside of an ATM (ex. bank, merchant, post office etc.). These transactions have the same limits as ATM withdrawals.

When will I receive my Bank Card?

All card orders are shipped approximately 4-5 business days after our card supplier receives our card request, which is sent to them every Wednesday. Be sure to enter your Card Request on or before Tuesday to avoid waiting until the following week.

After our card supplier ships the card, they send us the tracking code. There may be a slight delay between the shipment and when we receive the tracking code to forward to you, so thank you in advance for being patient.

What happens when my card expires?

Before your card expires you will be contacted by the Bank to confirm you want a renewed card sent out. You will be required to pay a nominal renewal fee, including any courier charges (if applicable) to have a new card sent to you.

If you do not respond to the request to have a renewed card sent out, one will not be automatically issued.

Pre-authorized/blocked amounts for car rentals and hotels

Due to specific card scheme rules for car rental and hotel companies, the auto-release time frame for these holds is up to 180 days. However the holds can be manually released upon request providing our card processor with the proof of final payment (invoice/receipt) or confirmation from the hotel the amount won’t be debited.

Normally all merchants have to present transaction for clearing within 7 days from the auth day. At the same time the car rental and hotel companies can send the clearing at the time when the client actually check-out/ return the car.

The holds will automatically be released when the cardholder pays at the end of the rental period or hotel stay if the payment is made using the same card. This is because the payment is made using the same reference as the hold authorization, so the two are reconciled and the hold is released. However, if the cardholder only uses the card for authorization, then settles with the car rental company or hotel using a different card or cash, then the holds remain intact. The hotel or car company should be releasing these authorizations themselves, but often they tend not to bother doing this, which is causing cardholders this issue.

As per our card processors Compliance, these holds are not released until 180 days afterwards, however cardholders can contact the processor and provide proof of cancellation or payment via a different method and they will then release these holds manually.

Reporting a lost or stolen card

Option A: Recommended and Fastest
Login to your online banking account and click the “Block/Suspend Card” button next to your card number on the “Accounts” screen. The card will be immediately blocked from further use.

Option B: Secondary
Call the IVR number (see below for options) and follow the steps provided to immediately block the card and report it stolen.

  • Toll Free: +1-888-527-4041
  • Local (PR): +1-787-305-3663
  • United Kingdom: +44-20-3318-4096
  • Hong Kong: +852-5808-2784

Once your card is blocked, to order a replacement card, please follow the normal procedure for requesting a card through the banking software. Note that you will not be automatically sent a replacement without following this process. Alternatively you can contact our Client Services department and speak with an agent during bank business hours to request a replacement card.

Activating your card

The process to activate your card is easy. When you recieve your card in the mail, it is attached to a letter. The letter contains instructions that you need to follow to activate your card. If you have trouble with the activation, please call us and we can assist in walking you through the process.