So… Wells Fargo replaced my debit card a few weeks ago. But, the weird part about it is that I didn't make a request for a new card, and wasn't notified of fraudulent usage or even the act of my card being replaced. I finally was made aware when I decided to call them at about 2 am, after a night of delivery order attempts with a malfunctioning card. I was told that a new card was being sent in the mail, but was never told why. It then took an eternity to ship and even after all that, it was sent to my hometown address, not school. During this time period, I had to be quite creative in how I paid for my delivery food and online shopping. Now, to minimize the distress of others who may go through this in the future, I'd like to share some tips on getting through these troubling times.

Cash

Giphy

This is an obvious one, but it's just about the best substitute for someone who doesn't have any other cards to use.

Mom's American Express

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I would not recommend this one, just to avoid the wrath of my mom, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She gave me an extension of her card for my study abroad trip in Italy last summer, which might I add is rarely accepted there, so I decided I needed it in America too.

Venmo Card

Venmo

Ever heard of these? Mine had been buried months-deep in the center console of my car, but I found it just in time. Remembering that I had this card in my possession was a godsend, let me tell you. Turns out, even if you don't have the card and can't access your money online, if you have another card linked to it (a.k.a. my pink Venmo Mastercard), then you're back in business. I was able to use this card for weeks, accessing the money from my bank account, and it just came through as a Venmo transaction when I used it. While Wells Fargo was in the process of sending my card, Venmo was there.