Have you received your new credit card? Before you can take advantage of it, you need to activate it. Whether you’re a CIBC, TD, BMO, RBC, Scotia or American Express customer, each bank has its own methods for activating a credit card. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Activating a credit card guarantees that the rightful cardholder receives and wishes to use it. This is a crucial step in security and fraud prevention.
As a general rule, the following information is required to activate a credit card:
Generally, there are three main ways to activate a credit card in Canada:
The easiest way to activate an American Express credit card is to use the AMEX mobile application.
If you are a new user, create your online profile and activate your American Express credit card. You can also visit this site or call 1-800-869-3016.
Activation of your Scotiabank credit card can be started online, especially if you already have access to Scotiabank online banking. If you have a Scotiabank credit card, call 1-866-220-5355 or go to this page.
You can activate your National Bank credit card via NBC online banking:
Alternatively, you can activate your NBC credit card by calling 1-800-268-0808.
To activate your BMO credit card, you can do so via the BMO website or the mobile application. For BMO credit card activation by phone, the numbers vary depending on the type of card.
For example, for BMO Mastercard credit cards, call 1-800-263-2263.
Online activation of a CIBC credit card is available but requires creating a CIBC online account. If you prefer a traditional method of activating your CIBC Credit Card, call 1-800-385-2582.
Start the activation process for your RBC credit card online if you already have access to RBC Online Banking. Otherwise, call 1-877-900-5900 to activate your RBC credit card.
Unlike other banks, TD does not offer online activation. To activate your TD credit card, call 1-877-491-6062.
Your Mastercard credit card will be activated directly with your Visa credit card issuer (BMO, National Bank, MBNA, etc.).
Your Visa credit card will be activated directly with your Visa credit card issuer (BMO, RBC, Desjardins, etc.).
Yes, it’s safe to activate your credit card online as long as you’re on your bank’s official website.
Contact your bank immediately to report the loss or theft of your credit card.
There are several ways to activate your credit card quickly:
Yes, once activated, your credit card is ready to use.
For secure activation of your credit card, you will be asked to provide certain information:
There are two main ways to activate your credit card. You can opt to call your bank or issuer directly. What’s more, the majority of banks today offer activation via the Internet, either through their website or via a dedicated mobile application.
To activate a Desjardins credit card, go to the official Desjardins website and log in to your account. Then follow the instructions to activate the card. Alternatively, you can contact Desjardins customer service by telephone.
Visa Desjardins cards are activated in the same way as other Desjardins cards. Log on to your personal space on the Desjardins website or contact their customer service by telephone for detailed instructions.
To activate a card online, most card issuers offer a specific section on their website where you can enter your card details. After filling in the necessary information, follow the steps indicated to complete activation.
The easiest way to find out if your card is activated is to try making a small purchase or checking the balance at an ATM. If the transaction is approved, your card is active. If not, contact your bank or card issuer.
To activate a National Bank of Canada (NBC) credit card, you can log in to your NBC online account or call NBC customer service for activation instructions.
To activate an RBC credit card, go to the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) website and access your account online. Then follow the suggested activation steps. You can also call RBC Customer Service to activate your card over the phone.
Savings are here: