Can cancelled cards be reactivated?

[WinstonWolf]

A friend's card has just been cancelled due to suspicious activity. It's been used in the country where he works and they're saying it's suspicious.

He is unable to get a new card, his work address is in another country. Basically he's stuffed as he's abroad for a couple of months and the bank are saying they can't help.

Is it technically possible to reactivate the card and if so how should he proceed/ who should he contact?

The bank is HSBC if that helps.

[trickywoo]

When I've had a card cancelled a new one with a different number has been sent out.

The bank obviously suspects that scammers have got hold of the current card details. I doubt they will reactivate it and I wouldn't want it reactivated just in case it has been compromised and £1,000s go out of it.

Had your friend previously told the bank they are abroad for this period?

Which UK address is your friends bank / card registered to? Is there no way of getting the card from there once delivered to your friend?

[WinstonWolf]

The bank know where he works, they have a marker on file but they ignored it. It may be possible to get a card to him but he's somewhere that makes it exceptionally difficult. If a new card is issued he's stuffed for quite a while.

Plan B is being formulated but I suspect it could be reactivated if he can speak to the right people at the bank.

Unfortunately I can't answer too many specific questions, I have to be fairly general in my enquiry

[trickywoo]

WinstonWolf said:

Plan B is being formulated but I suspect it could be reactivated if he can speak to the right people at the bank.

I'd agree with this. He will likely need to speak with someone higher than call center level and explain the difficult situation and hope they see sense.

[uk_vette]

Some thing very similar happened to me, while living in South Korea.
Once the card has been cancelled, it's dead in the water.

The replacement card was sent to my UK home address, where my brother went with a spare key.

He then used DHL to get it to me.

I had to borrow a few quid from work colleagues in the interim.

vette

[WinstonWolf]

Seems it can be sorted if you get high enough up the chain, card reactivated, problem solved

[ExV8]

Sounds like it was blocked rather than cancelled.

[WinstonWolf]

Call centre in providing incorrect information shocker

[ClaphamGT3]

They can be. My card was cloned in August. My bank cancelled it. When I spoke to my relationship manager, he got it re-activated for me to make a withdrawal of an agreed amount from an agreed cashpoint to tide me over whilst they got a new one to me, then they 're' cancelled it

[GCH]

Amex cancelled the wrong card for me once - mine instead of a supplementary one.

I had to make an urgent purchase using that card (a flight) that nite and they re-activated it over the phone for that purchase, so it can be done.