In the Machine’s World, Debit Cards are like Potato Chips…

   “The dryer ate my sock” “The toaster threw my toaster pastry across the room” “ I left the Roomba running and now I can’t find Vice President Sniffles the hamster”  We are surrounded by hungry machines, ready at any moment to snap up our belongings and create havoc in our lives!  Never Fear, for I am here with SOLUTIONS!  Pin your matched socks together with a small safety pin before putting them in the wash, use a toaster oven instead of a pop up toaster, and never trust a robot alone in your house with soft, furry loved ones that resemble adorable dust balls.

     Most recently, I was faced with the harrowing experience of having my debit card taken hostage by an ATM.  Granted, in my case, it was my fault because I was playing “Words with Friends,” not watching “ATM with Card” and after about four seconds of waiting, the machine decided I ran off and took the card back for my safety.  Regardless of the reason, watching your card being taken into the dark deep recesses of an ATM is, in a word, upsetting.  So what do you do?  Is it gone forever? Are you without a card for the entirety of Charleston Restaurant week?  Perhaps not.

So the ATM took your card, now what?  Call your financial institution to see if there was a reason your card was taken in the first place and secondly, to see if they will eventually have access to the card and be able to return it to you.  Some financial institutions receive the cards taken by the ATMs with their daily deposits, and if they are nice, they may be willing to let you come pick up your card, or at the very least, mail it back to you.  
What if you lost your card in an ATM that belongs to a financial institution other than your own?
This can be a bit trickier, since now there are two financial institutions involved.  My first step would be to call the financial institution that owns the ATM that took your card to find out their policy on giving cards back to non members/account holders.  Some will not return the card.  Some will, but they often request a statement of some sort from your financial institution saying that you are in good standing and it is ok to return the card to you.
I tried all of that, and I still can’t get my card fast enough to enjoy amazing deals during restaurant week.
Now you get creative.  There is always the method of getting some cash from your local financial institution by going INSIDE a branch and speaking to a person, and then paying for dinner the Dave Ramsey way. However, I like to try the “Hey, you’ll never believe it.  My debit card was taken by the ATM and now I can’t go to restaurant week with you unless, you wouldn’t…would you?  You’ll pay?  That’s so nice of you.  You are amazing.  I can’t say it enough.” Method.

     So there you have it.  The ATM machine taking your debit card is not the end of the world, and might be the beginning of a free dinner if you play your cards right.  With a well placed phone call, you and your card could soon be reunited, and, as Peaches and Herb said, it feels so good!