Post Office card account (POca)

You can use any Post Office branch and our network of ATMs to withdraw cash and check your balance.

Nominate someone to collect for you

If you’re unable to or worried about going to the Post Office to collect your money, you should not give your card and PIN to somebody else to use. Instead, you can nominate someone you trust to become a Permanent Agent on your account. They’ll be given their own card and PIN to collect cash on your behalf.

To nominate a Permanent Agent, complete a ‘Permanent Agent access form’ (P6163), available from most Post Office branches. If needed, you can ask someone to take it back to the Post Office on your behalf as long as you’ve completed and signed it.

You can also nominate an agent over the phone. Call 03457 22 33 44 with the full name and date of birth of the person you wish to add to your account. We’ll ask you some security questions. Once you’ve passed them, we’ll send you a letter to give to your agent. You both need to sign and date it. They can then take it with their ID to collect their card at the nearest branch. You’ll also receive a PIN to give to your agent.

We’re aiming to upgrade this service to be simpler and quicker. Please check back for more information soon.

If you’re shielding or self-isolating 

If you’re unable to leave home (for example, if you’ve been asked to shield) and don’t have anyone nearby who can help you, then you can:

• Contact the government department that pays you to discuss other ways to receive your money
• Contact your local community hub to find support in your local area.

Find your local community hub here by typing in your postcode

If your local branch is closed it will have a notice advising of the next nearest open branch. You can also use a Post Office ATM to withdraw cash from your POca. It’s easy to search for the nearest open branch to you using our branch finder.

If your card is lost or stolen please report it immediately on 0800 389 2101. This line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can’t accept general enquiry calls, so if you have a general enquiry please call 03457 22 33 44 instead.

First you must report your card is missing to the helpline on 0800 389 2101.

Once your card has been cancelled, you’ll be asked to confirm the answers to some security questions provided on your application form when you opened your account.

Once you’ve answered these correctly, and as long as you know your valid PIN, you’ll be given a reference number to take to a Post Office branch together with some identification. This will allow you to get a new card over the counter immediately.

If you can’t remember your PIN you can be sent a new one in the post. Please ring 03457 22 33 44 and confirm the answers to the security questions you provided when you applied for and opened your account.

The new PIN will be sent through the post and can take up to four working days (or longer in exceptional circumstances).

If your PIN is blocked and you can now remember it, call the helpline and request a PIN unblock. Again, you’ll be asked the security questions. Please note: a PIN can only be unblocked once following a PIN block.

Yes, you can check the balance of your Post Office Card Account in all branches and using Post Office branch ATMs too.