How long does it take to get your Washington ESD unemployment debit card in the mail?

I double checked my address and it's right. Guess I just need to be more patient. Thanks!

mine took exactly 9 business days last year, so you're probably right on schedule

Good to know it comes from Bank of America. Should I be looking for mail from them specifically?

Yes, it'll be in a plain white envelope from Bank of America Prepaid Services. Don't throw it away thinking it's junk mail!

Yeah the phone lines are always swamped. I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an Washington ESD agent in like 20 minutes. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work or is it some kind of scam?

No it's legit, I was skeptical too but it really worked. Way better than spending hours on hold.

Good tip about activation. How long does that take?

The activation is instant if you do it online. Just go to the Bank of America prepaid website.

That's rough about your adjudication. Have you tried contacting them about the delay?

tried calling probably 50 times, never get through. this whole system is broken

That gives me hope! I'm at day 9 now so maybe tomorrow.

This is so true. The Bank of America site shows my payments way before they show up on the Washington ESD portal.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to download the app once I get my card.

Oh no! How do you request a replacement card if that happens?

You have to call Bank of America prepaid customer service, not Washington ESD. They can rush a replacement for free if it was mailed to the wrong address.

Good info. The Bank of America number is on their prepaid website if anyone needs it.

Yes, you can set up direct deposit in your Washington ESD account under payment options. Takes 1-2 weeks to take effect though.

Sweet, thanks! I'll set that up right now.

After 3 weeks you should definitely call Bank of America to see if there's an issue. That's way longer than normal.

Yeah or use that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier to get through to Washington ESD and make sure they have the right address on file.

Good to know about the ATM fees. Are there other fees I should watch out for?

Yeah there's a fee for checking your balance at non-BOA ATMs and for getting paper statements. The fee schedule is on their website.

At least it worked! I'll make sure to check my mailbox more carefully.

That's reassuring. This whole unemployment process has been so stressful.

It gets easier once you get into the routine of filing your weekly claims. Hang in there!

They probably have a contract with Bank of America that makes them money. Plus not everyone has a bank account to receive direct deposit.

Makes sense from their perspective I guess, just inconvenient for us.

Congrats! That gives me hope since I'm still waiting.

There should be activation instructions in the envelope with the card. Super easy process.

Call Bank of America prepaid customer service. They can tell you when it was mailed and help you get a replacement if needed.

Or if you need to talk to Washington ESD about it, definitely try Claimyr. So much easier than trying to get through on your own.

Good to know they'll replace damaged cards quickly. I'll keep that in mind.

That's a good idea I hadn't thought of. Thanks for the tip!

Yeah I'm gonna try that tomorrow. My mail has been weird lately anyway.

Glad it helped! Hopefully my experience can help the next person who's waiting too.

Thanks for the warning. What kind of scams should I watch out for?

Mostly fake texts or emails asking for your card info. Washington ESD or Bank of America will never ask for that stuff over text or email.