Need help updating Medicare card and setting up direct deposit with SSA before turning 70
Hey everyone, I need some advice. I'm turning 70 soon and I need to update my Medicare card with my correct legal name. Also, I want to set up direct deposit for my payments. Has anyone gone through this process recently? What's the best way to get this done? I'm thinking about making an appointment at my local Social Security office, but I'm not sure if that's necessary or if there's an easier way. Any tips or experiences would be really helpful!
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Hassan Khoury
I went through something similar last year. Here's what I did: 1. Call the SSA directly. Be prepared to wait on hold for a while. 2. Have your Social Security number and current Medicare card ready. 3. Explain that you need a new card with your correct legal name. 4. Ask about setting up direct deposit at the same time. 5. They might be able to do everything over the phone, but if not, they'll schedule an in-person appointment for you. Hope this helps! Good luck!
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Victoria Stark
This is great advice! I'd add one thing - make sure you have your bank account info handy for the direct deposit setup. They'll need your routing and account numbers.
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Benjamin Kim
Ugh, the wait times are brutal tho. I was on hold for like 2 hours last time I called SSA. 😫
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Hassan Khoury
Yeah, the wait times can be rough. I usually put my phone on speaker and do other stuff while waiting. It's annoying, but worth it to get everything sorted out.
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Samantha Howard
I found a way to skip the hold times! I used this site called claimyr.com. It's a calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, and then connects you when a live agent picks up. It costs $20, but it saved me hours of waiting. Here's the link: https://claimyr.com
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Megan D'Acosta
Sounds too good to be true. Is this legit? Has anyone else tried it?
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Sarah Ali
20 bucks? Idk man, seems kinda steep just to make a phone call. 🤔
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Samantha Howard
I get the skepticism, but it really worked for me. The time I saved was worth way more than $20 imo. Plus, I didn't have to sit around all day waiting for someone to pick up.
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Ryan Vasquez
Just tried it and it actually worked! Got through to an agent in about 30 minutes without having to stay on the line myself. Thanks for the tip! 👍
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Avery Saint
whatever you do, make sure you have ALL your documents ready before you call or go in. I made the mistake of not having everything and had to start the whole process over again. Such a headache! 🤦♂️
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Taylor Chen
Pro tip: if you're going in person, get there EARLY. Like, before they open early. The lines can get crazy long and sometimes they cut off new people if it gets too full.
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Keith Davidson
This! I showed up at 10am once and they told me to come back the next day. Now I always aim to be there at least 30 mins before opening.
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Ezra Bates
Has anyone tried doing this online? I thought I saw something about being able to request a new card through the SSA website, but idk if that applies to name changes too.
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Ana Erdoğan
I looked into that, but I think for name changes you still need to talk to someone directly. The online stuff is more for simple replacements.
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Ezra Bates
Ah, bummer. Thanks for the info tho!
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Sophia Carson
Just a heads up, when I set up direct deposit, it took about 2-3 months for it to actually kick in. Don't panic if you don't see the change right away!
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Elijah Knight
lol good luck dealing with the SSA. I swear they make everything 10x more complicated than it needs to be. 🙄
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Brooklyn Foley
Preach! 🙌 It's like they're stuck in the 1980s or something.
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Jay Lincoln
C'mon guys, they're not that bad. Sure, it can be frustrating, but the people I've dealt with have always been pretty helpful.
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