Anyone manage to withdraw cash from NY unemployment debit card without fees?
I received my unemployment benefits via the KeyBank debit card a few weeks ago. Trying to avoid those ridiculous ATM fees, but every time I try to get cash from an ATM (even ones that are supposedly on the "free" list), I still get charged $3-4 withdrawal fees. Attempted to withdraw at Allpoint ATMs, KeyBank ATMs, and even tried the cash back option at CVS when making a small purchase. Nothing seems to work! Called customer service twice and spent over an hour on hold each time only to get disconnected. Has anyone figured out how to actually get cash from these cards without getting hit with fees? I need to pay my landlord who only takes cash, and I'm getting desperate. Already lost about $20 in fees trying different places.
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Ashley Simian
Yo i had the SAME issue last month. The trick is to go to actual KeyBank locations NOT just their atms. Those are guaranteed no fee. I tried like 6 different atms that were supposedly "in network" and got charged every single time. Such a scam.
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Miguel Harvey
•Thanks, but the closest KeyBank is like 30 miles from me. Wish they'd told us this before sending these stupid cards 😠
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Oliver Cheng
•this is exactly why they do it this way... they KNOW most ppl dont live near a keybank. its all about those sweet sweet fees 🤑
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Ashley Simian
•Yeah its total BS. I had to drive 45 mins to find one. btw if ur desperate their website lets u transfer to ur bank account for free but it takes like 5-7 business days
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Taylor To
After fighting with this system for weeks, I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a live agent on the phone. Got them to switch my payment method to direct deposit instead of that awful card. Best money I've ever spent to finally get my benefits paid directly to my bank account! Even showed my friend how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Ella Cofer
•this sounds like an ad lol. does this actually work tho? i've been trying to get through for days
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Taylor To
•Not an ad i swear! I was desperate after like 200 calls that went nowhere. It connects you with a real person who can actually change your payment method. Way better than dealing with that card
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Kevin Bell
•wait so they just get someone on the phone for you? thats it? i dont get it
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Taylor To
•Yeah basically they wait on hold (sometimes for HOURS) then call you when they get a real person. saved me like 2 days of my life tbh
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Savannah Glover
•Idk man ive tried everything at this point so might as well give it a shot. Can they help with payment disputes too or just reaching someone?
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Taylor To
•They just connect you to an agent - then you can talk about whatever you need. I got my direct deposit set up AND fixed an issue with a missing payment.
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Felix Grigori
Cash back at Walmart always works for me with no fees. You can pull out up to $100 cash back per transaction.
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Felicity Bud
Here are some ACTUAL ways to avoid fees with the NY unemployment KeyBank card: • Transfer the money to your bank account through the KeyBank website (takes 2-3 business days but NO fees) • Use cash back at grocery stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger (usually fee-free and up to $100) • Find a CREDIT UNION with the CO-OP network - they often have free ATM access for KeyBank cards • You can request paper checks instead by calling unemployment (good luck getting through though lol) • Set up direct deposit by updating your payment preferences online The whole system is designed to generate fees - KeyBank makes MILLIONS off unemployed people. I fought with this for months last year! If you're struggling to get someone on the phone to change your payment method, I used claimyr.com and got through in about 45 minutes. An agent helped me switch to direct deposit and I never dealt with that card again.
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Miguel Harvey
•THANK YOU for actual helpful advice! I tried the transfer to bank option but it's asking for routing numbers and stuff I don't have on me right now. Gonna try the cash back method tomorrow.
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Felicity Bud
•No problem! The cash back method is defnitely the quickest. Just be aware some places have minimum purchase amounts (like $10). Good luck!
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Max Reyes
•The credit union thing is hit or miss tho. I tried 2 different ones and still got charged at one of them.
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Mikayla Davison
lmao welcome to the wonderful world of NY unemployment where they make it as difficult as possible to access YOUR money 🤡
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Adrian Connor
•fr fr they be acting like they giving us their own money 💀
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Mikayla Davison
•exactly!! and then they got the nerve to make us wait 4-6 weeks to even get approved 🤦♀️
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Aisha Jackson
has anyone tried asking for direct deposit after already getting the card? can you switch?
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Ryder Everingham
•Yes you can switch! Go to your online account and update payment preferences. BUT it only applies to future payments, not money already on the card.
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Aisha Jackson
•thx! gonna try this tonite
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Lilly Curtis
I hate those stupid KeyBank cards with a passion. I ended up just using mine to pay bills online and buy groceries instead of trying to get cash. Avoid the ATM altogether.
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Leo Simmons
my trick was to do large grocery shopping trips with max cash back instead of lots of small withdrawals. fewer fees that way. still annoying tho.
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Lindsey Fry
•This is the way. I do one big shopping trip at Target, get $100 cashback, and make it last.
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Saleem Vaziri
TBH the whole system is a nightmare. I've been on unemployment for 3 months and spent AT LEAST $50 in fees just trying to access my own money. Called KeyBank customer service 4 times and they keep saying to use "in-network" ATMs which STILL charge fees! The whole thing feels designed to fail.
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Kayla Morgan
•Its bc keybank makes a percentage on every fee. They literally profit off broke ppl who cant find work. Its disgusting
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James Maki
•Same here. Even the "free" ATMs they list often still charge fees. Total scam.
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Saleem Vaziri
•update: i finally reached someone at the DOL using that claimyr service and got switched to direct deposit. worth every penny to never deal with that stupid card again.
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Jasmine Hancock
Just throw the whole NY unemployment system away and start over 😂 Nothing works right
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Cole Roush
Transfer the entire balance to your regular bank account through the KeyBank portal. They don't charge for that. Takes a few days but better than paying fees every time. That's what I did.
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Miguel Harvey
•Does it work with any bank? I have a credit union.
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Cole Roush
•Yep! As long as you have your account/routing numbers it should work fine with credit unions too.
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Scarlett Forster
i never found a free atm. ended up just using the card for purchases and then doing cash back. the system is rigged to make money off people who are already struggling.
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Arnav Bengali
Ask ur landlord if hed take venmo or cashapp instead? Worth a shot.
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Miguel Harvey
•My landlord is like 70 years old and barely knows how to text lol. Cash only unfortunately.
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Sayid Hassan
•classic landlord move lmao
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Rachel Tao
If you go to the KeyBank website and log in to your account, you can transfer the money directly to your personal bank account for free. It's under "Move Money" then "Transfer". Takes like 3-5 business days but zero fees.
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Derek Olson
call the ny unemployment office and ask to switch to direct deposit!!! it's way better. took me forever to get through to them but worth it.
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Danielle Mays
•call the unemployment" office LMAOOO good one. might as well "say just fly to the" moon🤣
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Derek Olson
•ik ik it's impossible to get through. I used claimyr.com to get someone on the phone after trying for like 2 weeks on my own.
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Roger Romero
I swear they choose the most difficult payment systems on purpose. Same issues in 2021 and STILL not fixed 🤦♂️
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Anna Kerber
not all heroes wear capes but the person who told me about claimyr.com definitely deserves one. finally got through to unemployment after weeks of trying. switched from that trash debit card to direct deposit in literally 5 minutes.
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Niko Ramsey
•What's claimyr?
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Anna Kerber
•It's a service that calls unemployment for you and waits on hold, then connects you when they get a human. saved me hours of hold music lol
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Niko Ramsey
•omg where was this 2 months ago when i was crying on hold for 4 hours 😭
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Seraphina Delan
•Does it actually work? Sounds too good to be true
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Anna Kerber
•it really does. i was skeptical too but I was desperate after trying to call for WEEKS. Got through in like 37 mins and the agent fixed everything.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Honestly, I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now. Got my card two weeks ago and every single ATM has hit me with fees - even the ones on their "approved" list! It's like they designed this system specifically to screw us over when we're already struggling. I've wasted almost $30 in fees just trying to get MY OWN MONEY out. The cash back trick at grocery stores seems to be the only thing that actually works without getting charged. Such BS that we have to jump through all these hoops just to access our benefits. Going to try that bank transfer option everyone's mentioning - anything to avoid feeding more money to KeyBank's fee machine 😤
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Chloe Zhang
•OMG YES! Finally someone who gets it! I've been dealing with this exact same BS for weeks now. The "approved" ATM list is complete garbage - I got charged at literally every single one I tried. The cash back method at grocery stores is definitely the way to go, just make sure to ask first because some cashiers don't know about it. Also that bank transfer thing people are talking about actually works - it's buried in the KeyBank website under "Move Money" but it's totally free. Just takes a few days. Hang in there, this whole system is designed to steal from us when we're already down 💔
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