For our cardholders' protection, all non-EMV, magnetic stripe-only EastWest Debit Cards will be deactivated at 11:59 PM of December 4, 2017 and can no longer be used at ATMs, POS terminals, and online merchants from then on.

Avoid the inconvenience! Please claim your FREE debit card with EMV & payWave from your store of account now. If your debit card is payroll, please coordinate with your company's HR Department.

1. What is the reason for the deactivation? 

We are deactivating all non-EMV, magnetic stripe (magstripe)-only EastWest Debit Cards for our customers' protection. If you continue to use your old magstripe-only card, you are at greater risk of losing your hard-earned money to ATM skimming and transaction fraud.

EMV-chip equipped EastWest Debit Cards have enhanced security features to protect you against fraud and identity theft and provide you with greater peace of mind anytime and anywhere you transact.

For more information on EMV, please click here. For payWave, please click here.

2. What will happen if I don't have an EMV debit card by December 4? 

If you don't have an EMV card by December 4, you will not be able to access your funds via ATMs, POS terminals, and online merchants with your non-EMV debit card starting December 5. You can transact only over-the-counter, subject to fees; or through EastWest Online, if you're enrolled in the facility.

3. Until when can I claim my free EMV debit card? 

Non-payroll debit cardholders 

You have until December 29, 2017 to claim your free replacement card from your store of account. 

Payroll debit cardholders 

Please coordinate directly with your HR Department.

4. If I already claimed my free EMV debit card, is there anything more I should do? 

If you already claimed your new card, thank you. 

Please dispose of your old card properly by punching holes on the magnetic stripe or cutting the card into several pieces. 

We also request you to take precautions to protect yourself from cyber criminals and identity thieves: 

   ● Never disclose your account number, card number, PIN, password, or any account information to any individual, including anyone claiming to be a representative of EastWest. If you receive requests for such information via email, phone call, or in person, please ignore the request and report the incident to service@eastwestbanker.com. 
   ● Keep all your cards in a safe place and don't let anyone use them. 
   ● Set your debit card purchase and withdrawal limits to have greater control over your spending. 

For more banking security tips, please click here.

5. I also have an EastWest prepaid / gift card. Will it also be deactivated on December 4? 

No. Non-EMV Prepaid and gift cards will be deactivated at a later date, which will be announced soon.