Got ReliaCard after financial eligibility notice - why did PA UC send two cards?
So confused right now! Last week I got that determination letter saying I'm financially eligible for PA unemployment benefits (yay!). But now today I just got a ReliaCard in the mail and I'm not sure what this is for? I thought PA UC deposits money to your bank account if you set up direct deposit, which I did during my initial claim. Did they send the card anyway? Do I need to activate this thing or can I just stick with direct deposit? Anyone else get both?
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Edward McBride
PA UC automatically sends the ReliaCard to everyone who qualifies for benefits, even if you selected direct deposit. It's their standard procedure. If you want to stick with direct deposit, you don't need to activate the card, but I'd keep it somewhere safe just in case there's ever an issue with your direct deposit method or you need to switch payment methods later.
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Gael Robinson
•Oh that makes sense! Thanks for explaining. I'll just tuck it away somewhere safe then. Was worried they might have canceled my direct deposit somehow.
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Darcy Moore
congrats on being eligible!! i got mine too even with direct deposit setup. dont throw it away tho, my direct deposit got messed up one time and they sent $ to the card instead
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Dana Doyle
•this happened to me too! they randomly switched me back to the card after 3 months for no reason. when i called they said something about a 'system update' 🙄
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Gael Robinson
•Great to know, thanks! How do you check if money went to the card instead of direct deposit? Is there an online account I need to set up?
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Liam Duke
They send the ReliaCard to everyone who qualifies for benefits. It's their backup system. Here's what you need to know: 1. If you set up direct deposit during your initial claim, that's still your active payment method 2. You don't need to activate the ReliaCard right now 3. Keep the card in a safe place - if there's ever an issue with direct deposit, they'll use this card instead 4. You can check your payment method by logging into your PA UC dashboard and going to Payment Information I always tell people to at least set up the online account for the ReliaCard (even if you don't activate the physical card) so you can monitor if any payments do get sent there accidentally.
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Manny Lark
•omg i threw mine away thinking it was junk mail becuz i did direct deposit. now what do i do????
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Liam Duke
•Don't panic - you can request a replacement card. Call the ReliaCard customer service number (it should be in your unemployment paperwork). Let them know you need a replacement card. There might be a small fee, but it's worth having as a backup.
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Rita Jacobs
The ReliaCard is a DISASTER! I had direct deposit set up and they STILL sent payments to that stupid card without telling me. I was waiting for money in my bank account for WEEKS before I figured out it was going to the card. Then when I finally activated it, there were FEES for not using it! The whole PA unemployment system is designed to confuse people and make everything harder than it needs to be!
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Khalid Howes
•I had a similar experience. Was checking my bank account daily wondering why my payments weren't showing up. If you log into your PA UC dashboard, under the payments section it should show you where each payment was sent. That's how I finally figured out they were going to the card.
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Gael Robinson
•That sounds awful! I'll definitely keep an eye on both my bank account and check the UC dashboard then. Thanks for the warning!
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Dana Doyle
When I was on unemployment last year, I tried calling PA UC for two weeks straight to ask about this exact situation. Impossible to get through! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at UC in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 The agent confirmed that the ReliaCard is sent to everyone automatically as backup, and they helped me check that my direct deposit was properly set up. Saved me so much stress!
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Darcy Moore
•did this actually work?? ive been trying to reach someone for days about my payment going to the wrong place
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Dana Doyle
•Yep it really did. I was skeptical at first but was desperate after spending hours getting busy signals. Got through to an actual PA UC person who fixed my issue right away.
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Khalid Howes
Here's what's happening: The financial eligibility notice confirms you qualify for benefits based on your past wages. The ReliaCard is sent automatically to all approved claimants regardless of payment preference. If you selected direct deposit, your payments should still go to your bank account, but the card is provided as a backup method. I recommend checking your payment method in your PA UC portal to confirm direct deposit is still active. If you see "DD" next to your payment information, you're set for direct deposit. If you see "Debit Card" then your payments will go to the ReliaCard.
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Gael Robinson
•Thanks for the explanation! I just checked my portal and it does say "DD" so looks like I'm good. Appreciate everyone's help with this!
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Manny Lark
My friend said u have to call and activate the card even if u dont use it or theyll think ur claim is fraud or something??? is that true?
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Edward McBride
•No, that's not true. Your claim won't be marked as fraudulent if you don't activate the ReliaCard. It's simply sent as a backup payment method. As long as you're completing your weekly certifications and meeting all other UC requirements, your claim remains valid regardless of whether you activate the card.
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Nadia Zaldivar
Just wanted to add my experience - I got the ReliaCard about a week after my eligibility determination too. I was also confused at first! Like others mentioned, PA UC sends it automatically as a backup. I kept mine in my wallet without activating it for months, and my direct deposit worked perfectly the whole time. The one thing I'd suggest is writing down the card number somewhere safe (maybe take a photo) in case you ever need to reference it when calling UC. That way if there's ever a payment mix-up, you can quickly tell them the card details without having to dig around for the physical card.
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Hassan Khoury
•That's really smart advice about writing down the card number! I didn't even think about that. Quick question - when you say your direct deposit worked perfectly, did you ever have to do anything special to make sure it stayed as your primary payment method? Or does it just automatically keep using direct deposit once it's set up?
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