What does NYS Department of Labor unemployment debit card look like when it arrives?
I just got approved for unemployment benefits and NYS Department of Labor said they're sending me a debit card for payments. Problem is I have no idea what this card looks like so I'm worried I might throw it away thinking it's junk mail or something. Does anyone know what the unemployment debit card looks like when it comes in the mail? Is it obvious that it's from NYS Department of Labor or does it look like regular bank mail?
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Maya Patel
The unemployment debit card comes in a plain white envelope from KeyBank. It says 'Important Financial Information' on the outside but doesn't specifically mention NYS Department of Labor unemployment. The card itself is blue and white with the KeyBank logo and says 'Unemployment Insurance Debit Card' on it. Definitely don't throw away any mail from KeyBank!
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Isabella Brown
•Thank you! I was definitely going to toss anything that looked like bank marketing. How long did it take to arrive after you got approved?
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Aiden Rodríguez
Just to add - mine came about 7-10 business days after my first payment was issued. The envelope will have your name and address but the return address says KeyBank, not NYS Department of Labor. Inside there's the debit card plus instructions on how to activate it and set up your PIN.
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Emma Garcia
•Wait so if I haven't received my card yet but my online account shows payment issued, should I be worried? It's been 2 weeks since my first payment.
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Aiden Rodríguez
•Two weeks is definitely too long. You should call KeyBank directly at the number on the NYS Department of Labor website to check if the card was sent to the right address.
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Ava Kim
honestly the whole debit card thing is such a pain... why can't they just do direct deposit like normal jobs? had to wait forever for mine and then the activation process was confusing too
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Maya Patel
•You can actually switch to direct deposit once you get the card! Just log into your KeyBank account online and set it up. Much easier than dealing with the card fees.
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Ethan Anderson
I threw mine away by mistake thinking it was a credit card offer! Had to call NYS Department of Labor to get a replacement which took another 2 weeks. The envelope really doesn't make it clear what it is. If you're expecting it, just keep any mail from KeyBank until you can check what it is.
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Isabella Brown
•Oh no! That's exactly what I was worried about. Did they charge you for the replacement card?
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Ethan Anderson
•No charge for the first replacement but they said if I lost it again there would be a fee.
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Lindsey Fry
Just wanted to share my experience - I almost missed mine too! The KeyBank envelope is pretty generic looking and if you're not expecting it, it totally looks like credit card junk mail. Mine took about 10 days to arrive after my first payment posted. Pro tip: if you're worried about missing it, you can actually call KeyBank's unemployment card customer service line to confirm they have your correct mailing address on file. Better safe than sorry!
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Amara Adebayo
•That's really helpful advice about calling to confirm the address! I didn't even know that was an option. Do you happen to remember what number you called? I want to double-check they have my current address since I recently moved and I'm not sure if I updated it everywhere with NYS DOL.
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Zainab Ibrahim
•The KeyBank unemployment customer service number is 1-866-295-2955. They're actually pretty helpful - when I called to confirm my address they were able to update it right away and even told me the exact date my card was scheduled to be mailed out. Definitely worth calling if you moved recently since any delay in getting that card can be really stressful when you need those payments!
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