Yes, credit cards need to be activated before they can be used. Before activation, the credit card cannot be used for consumption, cash withdrawal and other operations.

Under normal circumstances, after applying for a credit card, you can adopt several methods such as bank outlet activation, online activation and mobile banking activation.

Most credit cards do not charge an annual fee before activation, but some high-end credit cards will also charge an annual fee if they are not activated. The annual fee is included in the current bill, and the overdue will affect the personal credit record.

If the credit card is overdue, there will be a penalty interest, full interest, and the daily interest rate will be five ten thousandths. For example, if your credit card is overdue for 5,000 yuan and the overdue days are 30 days, then the penalty interest is 5,000× 0.05 %× 30 = 75 yuan.

In addition, in addition to interest, there will be liquidated damages after the deadline, and the charging standards for liquidated damages of different banks are different. Generally speaking, most banks charge a penalty of 5% of the minimum unpaid amount.

We know that overdue is an act of dishonesty. Once the credit card is overdue, the bank will report the overdue record to the central bank's personal credit report, and the overdue record will be kept in the personal credit report for five years. During this period, applying for a bank loan may encounter high interest rate and small amount, and even the loan application is directly rejected by the bank.

At present, credit reports are mainly used for various consumer credit businesses of banks. With the continuous improvement of the social credit system, credit reports will be more widely used in commercial credit sales, credit transactions, recruitment and job hunting and other fields. In addition, the personal credit report also provides a way for inquirers to examine and standardize their own credit history behavior, and forms a verification mechanism of personal credit information.

In addition, for those who are particularly overdue, their travel will also be affected. They can't spend money on planes, high-speed trains, hotels and mobile phones, and their children can't go to key schools, so it's hard to break their word.

Credit card arrears are protected by law. If the cardholder maliciously overdraws and fails to pay it back within the time limit, he is suspected of committing a credit card crime and will be punished by law and face jail. The punishment depends on the overdue situation. The more serious the circumstances, the heavier the punishment. Those who are particularly overdue may even be sentenced.

In order to reduce losses, banks generally reduce the credit card limit of cardholders, or even directly seal the cards. Once the credit card limit is reduced or blocked, it is difficult to withdraw cash or unblock it. If you use a credit card, you must repay it on time. Overdue behavior is not desirable. Never try the law, let alone take chances, otherwise the consequences will be very serious.

Do I have to pay for the first year of free credit card deactivation?

The activation of the credit card is free, and the annual credit card fee will be charged only after activation. The first-year free period is calculated from the date of activation.

Can I use the credit card directly after I get it? Don't I need to charge?

After the credit card is processed, it cannot be used directly and does not need to be recharged. It can only be used normally after activation.

Take the postal savings credit card as an example:

Card activation

The obtained card is still inactive. You need to activate the card at our business outlets and set the transaction password and inquiry password at the same time.

The transaction password is used for cash withdrawal and consumption; The inquiry password is used to call the customer service hotline or register additional online banking. After the card is activated, pay attention to the activation SMS reminder sent by the Postal Savings Bank. If the card is not activated, you will receive a SMS reminder to activate the card, and call the credit card customer service hotline to inform the situation in time to ensure the security of the account.

After the card is activated and the password is set, the card can be swiped normally.

Extended data:

Card custody

1. Do not put the card with hard objects to avoid scratching, magnetization or bending of the magnetic stripe of the card;

2. Don't put the card near the magnetic field, including the magnetic buckle of mobile phone, video recorder, TV set and bag;

3. Don't store the magnetic strips of two cards in opposite positions;

4. The signature and card verification code on the signature column should not be defiled, and must be clear.

Avoid leakage

1, don't put the card and ID together;

2. Don't disclose your trading password and inquiry password to others;

3. Don't lend your card to others;

4. Don't disclose important information to others, such as expiration date and card verification code.