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Not Junk Mail: What You Need To Know About IRS Stimulus Pre-Paid Cards

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Much to the surprise of many of Americans, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out some of the final stimulus payments in the form of a pre-paid Visa debit card.

This last-minute curve ball from the IRS has left many of the more than four million who received these cards with questions.

How do I recognize the card?

Since it has often been mistaken with junk mail, here's what to look for.

The card will come in a plain white envelope with a return address from Omaha, Nebraska.

On the front of the card will be a Visa logo and on the back the back will be a Metabank icon.

The envelope will also include information explaining how to activate the economic impact payment (EIP) card by going to eipcard.com.

Will I be charged a fee to use it?

In most cases, no. You can use it at stores and to make purchases online just like any other Visa debit card.

You can also go to a bank or use it any ATM to withdraw cash. However, to avoid being charged a fee you can only do this once unless the ATM is in the card's network

What ATMs are in the card's network?

To find out the closest ones to you, go to eipcard.com. Most of the in-network ATMs in North Texas are located at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Target stores.

What if you accidentally threw the card away?

If your card is lost, you can call customer service at 1.800.240.8100.

For cards with more than one name, only the primary cardholder (listed first on the card) can make the call. A replacement will cost you $7.50.

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