Is your phone or ATM card stolen and you need to block the bank account on it so that unauthorized transactions will not be carried out using them, then this article is for you. Today, we are going to dive deeper into explaining how you can place temporary post no debit (PND) on your Access Bank.

You can block your Access Bank account through USSD banking, mobile banking, visiting a branch, or contacting the bank customer service. You can also block your Access Bank account from another person's phone if your phone is stolen and if you don't have access to your account.

However, it's important to note that blocking your Access Bank account on another phone requires that you have a USSD banking PIN, know the phone number linked to your account, and know your 10 digits account number.

What is PND in Access Bank?

Post No Debit (PND) in banking is a temporary restriction preventing withdrawals or transfers on a bank account. It can be placed by the account holder or the bank. When placed on an account, no debit transactions will be allowed to processed but incoming transactions like receiving money can be facilitated.

PND is temporary because the account is not banned completely. However, the restriction can be time-limited or manually removed when the account holder or bank decides. Another thing you should know is that PND affect both the bank accounts and the ATM card attached to it.

So, when a PND is placed on an account, no debit transactions (transfers)—on the account itself and the ATM card, whether at the ATM terminals or POS—will be allowed to processed until the restriction is removed.

How to Block Access Bank Account

There are several ways to block Access Bank account. You can block your Access Bank account through USSD code on your own phone and on another person's phone. You can block it via the Access Bank mobile app. You can also block the account by visiting a branch or by contacting the bank's customer support team.

Blocking Access Bank Account via USSD

Blocking via USSD on your own phone

Blocking your Access Bank account via USSD banking on your phone is mostly useful if only your ATM card is stolen or if you don't have access to internet connection at the moment. In this case, you can simply dial the code on the phone number linked to the bank account to place a temporary debit restriction on the account.

To block your Access Bank account via USSD, dial *901*911# on the phone number linked to your account. Because you're blocking the account for yourself on your registered phone number, then choose option 2 (which is Block Account) from the prompts and select the “Account” you want to block (you can select either one of your accounts or all of them if you have more than one under that phone number).

You will be required to input your USSD banking PIN, and once all the processes are done successfully, you will receive a successful request notification. The notification will be display on your phone screen, showing that your account(s) have been instantly blocked.

Blocking via another phone

You can block your Access Bank account through another person's phone but it's important that you know that you must have activated USSD banking and set the PIN for your account. This method is mostly effective when your phone is stolen; you can easily get someone else phone, dial the code and get your account blocked.

To block your Access Bank account when your phone is stolen, dial *901*911# on any phone and select option 2, which is “Block Account”. Next, select 'Self' or ‘Third party’ for others and enter the phone number linked to the account. Enter your USSD banking PIN to authorize the account.

Once your account is blocked from another person's phone, no unauthorized debit transactions will be facilitated on the account henceforth.

Blocking via Access Bank Mobile App

Blocking Access Bank account through the AccessMore mobile app has full control to the actions. I mean, you can selectively block or freeze the attached ATM card without affecting the main account's transactions and transfers. However, if you just wish to block your account without anything attached to it, you can simply submit a form here.

To block your Access Bank ATM card via the banking app, you will need to log into the AccessMore app and navigate to the menu of the app. Next, use the "Card Management" option and follow the instructions to effectively block or freeze your Card.

However, you can follow back the instructions to unfreeze/unblock your card. For account blockage, use the self-service options on the app to block your account instantly.

Visit a Branch

Visiting a branch is another easy method to block or freeze your bank account. But this is mostly effective if you don't need to block the account urgently. This method is helpful for people who don't understand how to use a phone properly. They can easily go-to bank and request for account blockage. They'll be given a form to fill and submit. Once the form is properly filled and submitted, the account will be blocked within 48 hours.

In this case, the account holder will need to visit the branch again to unblock the account.

Contact Access Bank Customer Support

Contacting the Access Bank customer support team is another no hassle way to block your bank account and its ATM card. Here are the means of contacting the bank's customer support team:

• Call: Access Bank helplines are 02012712005, 02012802500, and 07003000000.
• Social Media: Facebook (@AccessBankPLC), Instagram (@access_more and @myaccessbank), Twitter (@ccesabank_help for customers support) and LinkedIn (@access-bank-plc).
• Email: Customer Service/General Inquiries (at contactcenter@accessbankplc.com), Fraud Reporting (at stopfraud@accessbankplc.com), SME Banking Support (at EBCare1@accessbankplc.com), and CSR/Partnerships (at CSRSECRETARIATRETAILBANK@ACCESSBANKPLC.com).

For urgent issues like a lost card or blocked account, using the telephone hotline is recommended for faster service if you don't have access to internet or cannot use the USSD banking code.