KeyBank card arrived today - is this NY unemployment or tourist rebate payment?
Just got a KeyBank debit card in the mail today but I'm confused about what it's for. Could this be for NY unemployment? I filed a claim a while back but thought that was all done with (lol). Or maybe it's that one-time tourism payment thing I heard about? Didn't include any clear explanation with the card. Anyone know how I can figure out what this money is actually for before I activate it? 🙏🏽
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Holly Lascelles
The KeyBank card is most likely for your NY unemployment benefits. Tourism rebate payments usually come as direct deposits or paper checks, not debit cards. When you activate the card, you should be able to see the balance and transaction history which will tell you where the funds came from. Just call the number on the back of the card to activate and check.
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Madison Tipne
•Thanks! I activated it and you're right - it's unemployment backpay from a claim adjustment. Had no idea they were reviewing my case from last year!
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Malia Ponder
my keybank card came like 3 weeks after i was approved for benefits. check your unemployment account online it should tell u if payments were issued
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Madison Tipne
•Good idea. Just checked my account and there was actually a notification about a claim adjustment I completely missed.
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Kyle Wallace
I got a similar random KeyBank card last month! Turns out unemployment was doing some kind of review of 2024 claims and found I was underpaid by like $780. Never got any notice until the card showed up. KEEP THE CARD even after you use the money - they'll reuse the same one if you ever get benefits again.
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Ryder Ross
•UGHHH why does NY unemployment make everything so confusing?!?! They should at least TEXT us when they're sending money! I threw away my card thinking it was junk mail and had to wait THREE WEEKS for a replacement. 😡
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Gianni Serpent
It's definitely for your unemployment benefits. KeyBank is the official issuer for NY unemployment debit cards in 2025. The tourism rebate program you're thinking of is the NY Explore Incentive, which comes as a direct deposit if you provided banking info or a paper check if you didn't. Never on a debit card. Before activating, check your unemployment account online - the payment should be listed there with an explanation (claim adjustment, backpay, etc.). If you can't access your account anymore, when you call to activate they can tell you the source of the funds.
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Madison Tipne
•This is super helpful, thank you! Just checked and it was indeed an adjustment from an old claim. Apparently they reviewed a bunch of 2024 claims and found some calculation errors.
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Henry Delgado
Keep trying to reach someone at NYSDOL if you're confused! I was in a similar situation - got a KeyBank card out of nowhere. Spent DAYS trying to get someone on the phone to explain it. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 20 minutes who explained everything. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Turns out they were processing adjustments for claims from early 2024 and found I was eligible for more money than I received. The agent explained everything and helped me understand what payments to expect.
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Malia Ponder
•is claimyr legit? seems weird to pay just to talk to unemployment ppl
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Olivia Kay
Don't activate anything until you verify what it is!!! There are TONS of scams going around with fake bank cards. Call the official NYSDOL number (not any number that came with the card) and verify if they sent you something. Scammers are getting really good at making fake KeyBank cards that look just like the real ones.
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Madison Tipne
•That's a good point! I did check my unemployment account first and saw there was a payment issued, so I'm pretty sure it's legitimate. But you're right - always good to be careful.
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Gianni Serpent
•This is partially accurate advice. You should definitely verify unexpected financial items, but KeyBank cards for NY unemployment do come with legitimate activation instructions and phone numbers. The safest approach is to check your NY.gov unemployment account first to confirm a payment was issued, then use the official KeyBank unemployment card website (not the general KeyBank site) to activate. The card is legitimate if it matches the official design and came in official packaging.
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