Direct Express® card Reviews 280

Direct Express is a scam, I’ve called for two days spent hours on hold to have cs tell me I have the wrong extension. She hung up before telling me the extension so I’ve been calling since 6:00 am 3/3/2023 it’s now 2:20 am 3/4/23. I can’t pay bills or buy groceries because card is restricted.

This is the most sorry company in the world they're owned by Comerica Bank and folks who get disability are pigeonholed and forced into getting the direct Express card they have stolen my money on more than one occasion leaving me broke while traveling for family emergency. They locked my card 33 days in a row I would spend eight to 10 hours a day on the phone to have my card unlocked only to make one charge and it be locked again during this time I was traveling and I would have to decide whether I wanted a meal or a hotel to stay in for the night this means that many of those nights I went hungry or was forced to stay outside all night in the winter in the cold. I reported that I would be traveling prior to leaving home and they said they wouldn't be an issue they had white listed my card what a lie that turned out to be they are heartless and cruel they have no empathy or concern for human life for the misery and hardship that ridiculous security matrix has on the lives of people who are already struggling. I have brain damage from a car wreck where I was hit by a drunk driver no fault of my own so when I can't remember phone numbers or addresses exactly correct they refuse to help sometimes you call and you only need to verify current address social security number and birth date other times they want previous addresses including zip code Old email addresses and phone numbers as well as the total amounts of last several charges not deposits but charges you see with the cognitive disability that I have how difficult it might be to recall such things. I had my money stolen by unauthorized online charges they found in my favor and refunded the money to one month later decide that they had made a mistake and accuse me of fraud they took my entire month of disability and left me penniless. There is no oversight as the social security administration his powerless to hold them accountable for anything when you challenge them or remain adamant about any topic they disconnect you and refuse to allow you to speak to a supervisor after you've been on the phone for hours and hours calling back for days after days because they're automated service disconnects you due to high call volume you get nowhere except for someone obstructing your pursuit of what is right and just they treat everyone as if you are a problem and a thief they give no benefit of the doubt and they don't have the customers back ever stay away from direct Express use a direct deposit of your own choosing or even a NetSpend card a Walmart money card anything is better than direct Express I assure you

My card has been locked repeatedly for no apparent reason. I've answered security questions..sent in required identification to the proper email account. It takes days to get a response after sending in documents and that's if after sending in everything except a DNA sample if it's ACCEPTED. I sent in everything ID Birth certificate Social Security Card original copies front and back. This information is sent to a email who knows if it's secure and who has access to our very personal information. Maybe this is how so many vulnerable citizens who trusted this company funds have been stolen are compromised in these accounts.The information is still not ACCEPTED all the while my only income from SSI disability awaits me on this locked account. It's truly a disgrace considering most people who have this card receive SSI for some sort of disability and the added stress that this company puts on someone already more than likely suffering from a ailment is cruel in a sense. My blood pressure has gone up everytime I've had to endure calling this company. The wait time to talk to a representative is grueling and after already being frustrated is just even more stressful. It's too late to switch companies until I get access to the funds that have already been deposited. Please open up a regular bank account and if you have been wronged by this company like I have let's keep making complaints the more complaints the better. Considering US Treasury is offering this card to SSI disability recipients to receive direct deposits on some accountability should be held against this DIrect Express company for these actions.

They blocked me from adding my debit card to my
amex , no big deal, just call them, right? I have now been on hold for over an hour!! 2 hours now, What is going on? This is beyond ridiculous! I am changing my deposit to a bank, tomorrow!!!

I dislike the new account summary that Direct Express has adopted. It no longer looks like a regular running bank statement. It now looks like some junior accountants idea of a spreadsheet and is definitely not user friendly.. There should be a way to choose the original account summary format.

Have never received my new card they said was being sent out they have told me 3 times it was on its way, and never received it been over two months now, and no SS money. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

DE has to be the most Unscrupulous and Worst Financial Institutions to be allowed to operate and remain open.

First, approx. 5M Customers with SSDI and SSI Debit Cards.
2nd, One (1) incoming telephone line and (1) Fax line.
3rd, Approx wait times 90 minutes -2 HRS.
4th, Pre-recorded 24/7 Message: "We are experiencing heavier than normal call volume." (On a Continuous Basis).
5th, DE is not able to explain why and how so many debit cards are hit with Fraudulent Charges. The dollar figures in the tens of Millions of dollars.
6th, No dispute forms are available for download.
7th, You may as well swim in shark-infested water!!
8th, DE Reps and Fraud Division personnel are arrogant, inexperienced and should be working elsewhere, like Dollar General or Cicis Pizza.

9th, In 2019/20, Approx. $600M from the US Dept of Treasury went to Comerica Bank DBA Direct Express for payments to SSI, SSDI recipients. However; the monies have Never been accounted for as though the funds decided to walk away on their own accord!!

My card has been compromised 2X in 4 months and funds not returned; despite sending all documentation to DE. The first time, twenty seven (27) fraudulent charges; from Nigeria and England
This Parasite of a Financial Institution has taken advantage of the Disabled and Mentally Challenged customers that are not able to hold and wait for two hours or the elderly customers that just plain give up. A Class Action Law Suit Must be initiated, so that, the customers whom have been taken advantage of/ have their funds rightfully returned and the Culprits from DE be exposed and spend the next millennium behind bars while making the DE Debit Cards!!

DIRECT EXPRESS Mastercard Program affiliated with SOCIAL SECURITY & other GOVERNMENT BENEFITS , I've been using Direct Express for the last 3 years and never had a problem until Recently & money was stolen from my account via unauthorized transactions and someone ordering New ATM CARDS in my name but rerouting them to a New address .
Direct Express is A CORRUPT SYSTEM that Needs to be FULLY INVESTIGATED & Or SHUT DOWN, AFTER 4 weeks of Arguing with their Customer Service & FRAUD Prevention departments, I finally had success by contacting the ATTORNEY GENERALS office I recovered my Stolen $1900 + Service charge fees attached , I withdrew ALL my Money and opened a REGULAR BANK ACCOUNT, NEVER to do business with DIRECT EXPRESS again.

I attempted to make a withdrawal of my funds from an ATM when I got a "Transaction Timed Out" message, however, when I got home, the message on the website was that the withdrawals had been made!

I called their number the following day where I spent about 2 hours because I kept getting disconnected three times when I my call was "being transferred"!

I finally got some sort of message and was told that they would send me an e-mail asking for information and that after that it would take 45 to 90 DAYS to look into the matter.

Horrible bank, horrible support, horrible system. Stay as far away as you can!!!!

senator Elizabeth Warren did a probe on this company 2 years ago and found there is widespread fraud. its time to get a class action lawsuit going folks. i have been with this company since 2012 and i have had nothing but problems with them. i have reported them to BBB and to my state governor and senators. the company gives you one phone number for customer service and all that does is let you check your balance and thats it. you cannot speak to a live person because it does not give you the option to do so. you cannot dispute any fraud of someone taking money. you cant log into your account to even view anything in your account. that means you cant dispute any fraudulent claims. you cant cancel the card either. this has been common for them for over 10 years. they need a class action lawsuit placed on them immediately. its one big scam. avoid at all costs.

UPDATED DEC 13: tried again today to contact. was able to get through a lot quicker...prob. 30 min wait. The customer service person was so pleasant and even stated that she would like the name of the rude on i spoke to yesterday. i truly wish i had written it down. She was extraordinarily rude to me. Im still not a fan due to all the stress this problem has caused me. As today's spoke person stated...ITS MY MONEY AND IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ME WHEN I NEED IT. WITHOUT HASSLE.
The biggest issue with Direct Express is that they dont have a system in place where a customer can get help if they have an issue. This is a serious flaw.

They decide the month of Christmas to change the whole program and force you to use a phone app or you cant sign in on a computer to view your information. i was on hold for, i swear, 2 hrs and 45 mins and the gal that finally picked up was snotty. she literally asked me information that she had no right to . and then wanted my ID. over the phone. ok....weird. i ordered a ton of stuff for kids on amazon. never had an issue, amazon will take the money off your card before you can take your next breath.but NOOOO not now , not at Christmas. amazon was fine. gave me an order number and shipping date. but the money was still pending payment on my card. now today is December 12. i ordered on December 12. Direct express has my pending order as ordered on December 13. its not even close to midnight. you cant EVER get a hold of them EVER. they have one phone number and no one answer. i would suggest if you can GO WITH A DIFFERENT COMPANY. THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE VERY WORST. BASICALLY, WHAT I ORDERED WILL NOT NOW GET SHIPPED OR WILL BE OUT OF STOCK. THANK YOU DIRECT EXPRESS FOR RUINING CHRISTMAS FOR 4 LITTLE KIDS. YOUR THE BEST

The worst damn bank you can ever possibly have I would recommend never getting this bank or card. They treat people horribly bc they know people don't have a choice being on disability. You can never get a hold of any customer service person ever you'll be on hold waiting for hours !!!!! And they will let you use your car in some things and not on other things or maybe just a couple dollars at time , absolutly the most Terrible company ever ! Highly recommend not to use this if you have a choice and if you do and some one steals your money , say good bye bc they will make you file a claim which will take weeks bc they never answer the phone and then it will take months and there just going to find a reason to not give you your money back anyway so if your readind this and trying decide if you shod get it or not let the rating do all the talking , their not a 1 star company for nothing ! They will disappoint you ever second they get ! . Right now I have to wheel mysekf in my wheelchair all the way to the store just to take money off my card to just to put it into a other card that will actually let me spend my money that I have earned , this place is a joke ! be warned !!!!DO NOT GET THIS CARD !!!!!!

This is the absolute worst debit card you could ever get I don't know how many phone calls I've made or how many emails I've sent I have four different debit cards all of them have been compromised and I have no money whatsoever they don't answer the phone people hang up on you you don't get the dispute information in a timely manner and right now I'm staying in a Motel 6 with no money to pay for an extended stay and have to check out at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. I wanted a paper check sent to me in December I have been to Social Security twice in downtown Tucson and I plan to go back Monday morning but I will be homeless again as of 11:00 a.m. tomorrow because they nickel and dime you while they make an absolute fortune.

Can I not give it less than one star? I've called six times to find out why I haven't gotten my replacement card yet, and everytime I call, all I end up getting is "We're experiencing higher than normal call volumes. You can check your balance using our website, or you can call back at a later time." And then they hang up. I have bills to pay!! How am I supposed to do anything if no one is willing to answer the phone! And apparently I can't use inappropriate language here, otherwise one might have understood the extent of my anger, but apparently that's not allowed on this site.

Changed cards for no apparent reason.no problems at all with my old card someone decided to update new cards which of course never received my new card but funds apparently are going on new card I never received.will be contacting payee to have future payment deposit in to checking account.they don't care that I have no money get medication or Rather money to keep electric on to use my breathing machines or nothing.i contacted payee about them and then left message for attorney to see what my options are since I'm now unable to use my machines or purchase my medicine. They shouldn't have never deactivated my old card until I had received the new one in my hand and made sure it was activated before they deactivated my old card

I have been with Direct on n off over 15 years. I never felt as compelled to write a review till I read the reviews posted here. Yes it's true Direct has stricter policies than most. But be grateful cuz seniors are hit so much by scammers n thieves especially online. I speak from experience cuz I got hit and now I'm grateful for their rules. Only twice has something hit that was not me and they handled it all putting my $ back within hours. Never have I been told I could not use my card anywhere. It's is fewer services like reloading but for the security. I can live with fewer fees and nice service reps I've encountered. They've got my business and anyone I can refer. Thx Direct!

I do not recommend using this card service.Your money is not protected under fraudulent circumstances. Despite the website stating your money is protected and insured through the FDIC. I know clearly they could see that it wasn't me making withdrawals. Instead decided that I encouraged the criminal to empty my account. I will no longer be using this card service.My deposit will be going to a bank.

This card is considered prepaid,which is not excepted as a form of payment in many instances. Every month I had to withdraw my entire SSDI and deposit into my other account. I finally changed my direct deposit and now, not only do I not have to worry about "Payment not accepted" but my bank actually deposits my SSDI when they receive notification of a pending deposit. This was a pleasant surprise.

They ripped me off $29 just to give me an answer. They need to have in person customer service for those with fixed income. Plus they need to refund the money after the answer.

I wish there was an option for NO STARS. Is this company even real? My elderly mother receives disability & sadly had to use this card for his benefits. They are now withholding her benefits which is completely illegal seeing as how this is her disability assistance. They have hung up on us, lied to us. Claimed to send us to a supervisor but just threw us back into the que for 45 mins just to have another agent answer the phone who couldn't help us. This company is a joke and we now have a lawyer involved. Its been 5 days since her assistance was deposited and they will not release the funds. Hoping one day social security office will kick this lame ass company to the curb. They are taking advantage of their power.