Members have questions so we’ve answered the most popular frequently asked questions. Click on the topic below pertaining to your question.

Debit Card

Frequently Asked Questions

You may stop into any Charter Oak branch location to receive an instant issue debit card. Requests can be made through a teller or member service representative. To expedite your request, call our Contact Center 860.446.8085 and request a card. If you are unable to stop into a branch during business hours, our Contact Center will have a debit card mailed to your address on file.

Call 800.992.3808 from the phone number associated with your account and you will be prompted to answer a few security questions. Once the questions are answered correctly your card will be activated.

Call 800.992.3808 from the phone number associated with your account and you will be prompted to answer a few security questions. Once the questions are answered correctly, the system will ask for a 4-digit PIN. Once accepted, the card can be used immediately

If your card is expiring there is no action required on your part to get a new one. A new card will be ordered for you automatically at the beginning of the month that your current card expires.

If you don’t recognize a charge from a merchant on your statement, please stop in to any of our branch locations and meet with a Member Service Representative to discuss it further, or please call our Contact Center at 860.446.8085 to discuss the charges.

Yes. The fee is 1.00% of each transaction in U.S dollars.

Yes. If you are traveling, please notify us so your Debit Card will work without any issues during your travels.

You can use your Debit Card as either Debit or Credit. If used as Debit, you will be required to enter your 4 digit PIN. If used as Credit, you will not have to enter a PIN but you will have to sign for the transaction.

Yes, there is a daily limit to the amount that you can use with your Debit Card. You are able to withdraw up to $500 from an ATM on a daily basis, and you can use your Debit Card in stores for up to $3,000.00 on a daily basis.

Yes. With Charter Oak’s Two-Way Text Alerts Fraud Monitoring, keeping your card safe is as easy as sending a text. With our interactive fraud alerts, if our system detects suspicious activity on your card, you will receive a text message to your cell phone with details about the suspected transaction. All you have to do is respond to the text with a “yes” or “no” to confirm or deny the transaction. You may also receive a call from 1.877.253.8964, which is our Fraud Detection company, trying to contact you to verify if the attempted transaction is legitimate. (If you haven’t updated your cell phone information with us, please send a secure message via our Online Banking service, call our Contact Center at 860.446.8085 or toll free at 800.962.3237, or visit any branch.)

Debit/Credit Card Compromise

Frequently Asked Questions

Card compromise means that credit/debit card information may have been obtained by unauthorized individual(s). Most compromises involve a criminal gaining unauthorized access to a merchant’s or card processor’s computer system (sometimes referred to as “hacking” into or installing “malware” to capture data on a system).

The name of the merchant or processor where the breach occurred is rarely released by Visa. In very large breaches which affect millions of cardholders, the name is usually made known to consumers by the merchant or company.

Information encoded on the card pertains strictly to the card, potentially including the card number and expiration date. Confidential information such as Social Security Numbers, driver’s license numbers, addresses and dates of birth are not stored on the Visa Card.

Not necessarily. This means that your card number could potentially be used by someone. Monitor your account and report any fraudulent activity to us immediately.

It depends on the circumstances of each compromise. In most cases, you will get a new card. If Visa determines the risk level to be low, you will simply need to monitor your account for unauthorized charges. The mailed notice you receive from us will say whether or not your card will be replaced.

Yes, a new PIN is generated and the card number is different. You will receive the PIN within 3 to 4 days after you receive the card. For security purposes the PIN is mailed separately from the card. You can change the Debit/ATM PIN at any of our branch offices. A credit card PIN can be changed at an ATM.

You can activate your new card by calling the number received with your card.

No, under these circumstances, we do not charge a card replacement fee.

You will usually receive your new card within 10 days of the compromise notice.

Your old card will continue to work for at least 10 days after the date on the compromise notice from us.

We can leave the old card open until you return and activate your new card if you call us to make these arrangements.

You can call us at 860.446.8085 or 800.962.3237 or the card processor at 800.472.3272800-472-3272 (Debit/ATM) or 800.325.3678 (Credit) or come into any branch and we will deactivate the card immediately.

Contact the merchant when you have received and activated your new card and give them the new card number and expiration date. You may be able to use the merchant’s website to update this information.

Unfortunately, we have no way of stopping criminals from “hacking” into merchants computer systems. While the possibility of a card being used fraudulently is low, we recognize the inconvenience members face when this happens. We will assist you in getting fraudulent activity removed from your account.

Always know where your card is, and if you misplace it, call us immediately so we can block the card. (If we’re not open when you realize your card is missing, call 800.472.3272800-472-3272 (Debit/ATM) or 800.325.3678 (Credit). Never write your PIN on or near the card. Monitor your statement for activity you didn’t authorize. Never give your card number to anyone over the phone unless you know who you are dealing with. When using your card on the internet, use reputable companies to make your purchases.

Follow these steps:

  1. Contact the credit union or card processor at one of the above numbers for your type of card to report the fraud and have the card blocked.
  2. You will be instructed on what steps will be required to file a fraud claim.
  3. Contact the merchant that charged your account and let them know that the charge was fraudulent. In any case, we will need the merchant name, name of person you talked to, date you contacted the merchant, date and amount of fraudulent charge, merchant’s response to you, and any other details that would assist our investigation.

Online Banking

Here Are Some Frequently Asked Questions About Our Online Banking.

Charter Oak’s improved Online Banking lets you meet your banking needs digitally with new features and benefits and an expanded suite of services to make your experience easier, more convenient, and more efficient.

Our improved Online Banking features include:
  • Set up alerts to let you know when important transactions post or if your balance is low.
  • Check your account balances 24/7.
  • Open a new savings account or certificate.
  • Unlock yourself if you forgot your password.
  • Turn your debit card on and off, create a travel note, request a limit change.
  • Move money between your accounts at Charter Oak and other banks.

If you are a first time user or you have any questions about Online Banking, call our Contact Center during regular business hours at 860.446.8085 or 800.962.3237, or visit any of our branches.

Don’t Forget To Update Your Contact Info!
If you’re a Charter Oak member who has recently changed your mailing address, email address or phone number, please stop by any of our branches or contact us at 860.446.8085 or 800.962.3237 with your new information. You can also set up convenient alert notifications in our new and improved Online Banking to notify you of debit card purchases, when important transactions post, if your balance is low, and so much more! So take a moment to set up your Online Banking alerts today!

Browser Requirements for improved Online Banking:
  • Internet access through an ISP provider
  • Firefox+
  • Microsoft Edge+
  • Safari+
  • Google Chrome+
  • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support
  • 128 bit encryption

PLEASE NOTE: As of January 1, 2021, we no longer support Internet Explorer and legacy Microsoft Edge browsers. If you are currently using these browsers we recommend you switch to the new Microsoft Edge or another supported browser.

+ We will support the last two versions of Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Utilizing older browsers may result in disabled functionality or limited access to services. The supported browsers above are for use with the traditional online banking interface and devices (desktop/laptop), and do not apply to use with mobile devices (phones/tablets). If using a phone or tablet to access online banking outside of an app, functionality and appearance may vary from the traditional interface.

Yes! Whenever you have pending transactions, such as a direct deposit, you will see those transactions appear as “Pending Transactions” right above your Posted Transactions, such as the various transactions for your Checking account. Pending Transactions will also appear on your Dashboard on the lower right side, directly above the “Quick Links” section. You can choose how many days of upcoming activity and types of information (Transfers/Pending Transactions/Bill Pay) you’d like to display by clicking on the small gear in this section.

You access Online Banking the same way. There is a large login box on CharterOak.org for your username and password as well as a login link on our mobile website, and we also offer new apps for iPhone and Android products, available in The App Store and Google Play as well as CharterOak.org on our Online Banking and eBanking pages. Please be sure to delete our old app before uploading our new app.

Not at all. We’re making this experience member friendly, which means you can access our improved Online Banking with your current user name and password. It’s that simple. Enter your information when we unveil our new Online Banking System and start banking digitally with great new services and benefits.

Our Online Banking is accessible in a variety of ways – from your desktop, to your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. We’ve designed our new system to be more user friendly, more convenient and more accessible from wherever you are – whether you’re at the office, on your smartphone, or using your tablet.

Charter Oak’s Online Banking is accessible from many of the most popular browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Safari. Because it’s no longer supported by Microsoft, we don’t recommend Internet Explorer as a browser.

Absolutely! Our Online Banking works with Apple mobile devices as well as Android mobile devices. We offer our new Online Banking app via The App Store for Apple devices as well as through Google Play for Android devices. There are also links available on CharterOak.org on our Online Banking and eBanking pages. Please be sure to delete our old app before uploading our new app.

Yes! With our Online Banking, members who use a biometric log in, such as a Face ID, on their mobile device are able to enable their Face ID to sign in and access their accounts. And Touch ID is also available, as well, for your convenience.

If you are logging in to the app and you forget to log out before the session times out, you will need to enter your username and password in order to log in again. This is an important security feature.

Yes you can. With our transition to our new Online Banking platform, you will have to update the URL address if your provider hasn’t already done so. Please use this address of https://my.charteroak.org to link to our Online Banking service. We also suggest that you contact your third party provider to make them aware of this new URL address for Charter Oak’s Online Banking.

Of course! We know that it’s critical to you to be able to bank whenever and wherever, so our Online Banking is available to you on your time – 24/7 and 365 days a year. Whether you’re checking your balances from your desktop or paying a bill from your smartphone, you have round-the-clock access to Charter Oak’s new Online Banking!

You can add an external credit card to Online Banking via Account Aggregation for viewing purposes only or via our Bill Pay feature if you wish to make payments on the credit card. As a reminder, please do not add a credit card via the “Add an External Account” option that is found under the Transfer/Payment widget.

No worries – there is option for “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password” on the login screen. You simply click on the option that applies to you and follow the steps so you can log in and enjoy your online banking experience!

Yes, you can. Within our Online Banking you can manage your transfers by clicking on the “Transfers/Payments” widget and following the steps. Our Contact Center is also available to assist you with this process by calling 860.446.8085 during our regular business hours.

You can use the feature “Hide an Account” to hide a particular account from the dashboard view and from the “Accounts” widget. You are able to view the account by clicking on “Settings” and then clicking on “Accounts.” And you can change accounts that are hidden to an unhidden status at any time.

Yes, as long as you’re an active online banking user (at least once every 90 days). If so, you can see your transaction history over the past 24 months once you’ve used our system after the initial launch period.

Downloading your transactions can be done within the desktop version of Online Banking by clicking on the download button found under “Transactions” within the Accounts section. Please click here to view these helpful step-by-step instructions for downloading your transactions.

We realize that online Bill Pay is popular – and very convenient – for many of our members. Bill Pay is available to you, and you don’t need to make any changes or go through any sort of re-enrollment process. Simply log in to our new Online Banking and pay your bills online with the same convenience you’ve come to expect with Online Banking.

Our Online Banking lets you link these accounts to view account balances and transactions from the convenience of your dashboard. Learn how to link external accounts to view (Savings, Checking, Loans, credit cards etc.) at other financial institutions with our helpful instructions. Please Note: For the ability to move money to and from external accounts please refer to the next Question & Answer.
Yes you can with our new Online Banking platform! This option will enable you to originate ACH transfers to and from external accounts (accounts outside of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union). Learn how with our handy step-by-step  instructions on adding access to your external accounts. Please Note: External accounts linked must be owned by you the member. You should never attempt to link an account you are not a signer on.
  • We want to make sure that your experience with our improved Online Banking is a great one, so we’ve trained our Branch teams as well as our Contact Center representatives to be familiar with all that this new system will offer you.
  • You can ask questions via the secure Message Center or call our Contact Center at 860.446.8085 during our regular business hours and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you.