The program’s website tells people who receive federal benefits on a Direct Express card to keep using their current Comerica card until a replacement Fifth Third card arrives. Cardholders are not required to take action, and the change does not alter the amount or timing of their benefits. The Fifth Third card is coming by mail, and activation requires a four-digit personal identification number.
The instruction printed on the program’s own pages
The Direct Express website says: “If you already have a card from Comerica, you can keep using it until you receive your new Fifth Third card.” The transition happens automatically, and new cards are mailed to existing cardholders. The site’s tagline for the change is “New card. Same great service.”
The program’s transition FAQ adds that “your Comerica card will remain fully functional” while a cardholder waits and that cardholders will be notified before the new card arrives. It also says: “Your new card will not impact the amount or timing of your benefits. You’ll still receive your federal benefits on the same schedule set by your federal paying agency.” For recipients paid by card, that sentence carries the money point of the transition: the payment date and the amount stay as they were.
No delivery date, and a window that runs into 2027
Neither Direct Express page gives a mailing date, a start of the transition or a deadline. The Social Security Administration gave the broadest timeline in a May 18 notice to advocates marked as updated. New enrollments moved to the new financial agent beginning in May 2026, the notice said, while the transition of existing accounts would come later in 2026 or early 2027. SSA’s wording ties the Comerica card’s use to its expiration date, saying beneficiaries should continue using Comerica-issued cards following the transition until the card expires, while the Direct Express pages tie it to the arrival of the Fifth Third card.
As of Sept. 29, no page read for this report gives a date for when any given cardholder’s new card ships, so the SSA range of later in 2026 or early 2027 remains the only public window, and a news search found no report of a delay or pause.
SSA’s Chief Communications Officer, Nick Perrine, is named on the notice, which is addressed to advocates and colleagues and asks beneficiaries to keep their contact information up to date “to ensure they receive all communications.” The Direct Express FAQ ties its promise of advance notice to the same request: “please make sure we have your up-to-date contact information.”
How Fifth Third came to hold the program
Fifth Third Bank announced on Sept. 9, 2025, that the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service had designated it the new financial agent for Direct Express. In its press release, the bank described a five-year financial agency agreement covering about 3.4 million cardholders and said Comerica would continue servicing existing accounts until cardholders receive new cards from Fifth Third. The release does not list steps for cardholders; the program’s own website does.
Fiscal Service Commissioner Tim Gribben said in the release that Direct Express “plays a critical role in delivering federal benefits payments electronically, especially lifeline payments such as Social Security and Veterans benefits.” Bridgit Chayt, Fifth Third’s head of commercial payments, said the bank was proud to have been selected for the role.
Who receives benefits on the card
Fifth Third put the number of Direct Express cardholders at about 3.4 million. Gribben’s statement names Social Security and Veterans benefits as the lifeline payments the card delivers, and the program’s website is titled for managing federal benefits. The FAQ leaves the payment schedule with the federal paying agency, the office that issues each benefit, so a change of card issuer does not move a deposit date set by that agency.
Activating the Fifth Third card with a four-digit PIN
Once the new card arrives, the Direct Express site lists three ways to activate it: the new Direct Express mobile app for iOS or Android, the secure website at account.usdirectexpress.com/on-boarding, or the phone number printed on the back of the card. In each case the cardholder must “set a 4-digit PIN to complete setup.” The site’s security guidance is to shield the keypad when entering the PIN at an ATM and not to write the PIN on the card. The FAQ directs anyone with other questions to customer service, which it lists as available 24 hours a day.
Where Direct Express sits among Social Security payment methods
SSA’s direct deposit page lists two electronic ways to receive Social Security: direct deposit into a bank account, and a Direct Express Debit Mastercard. Beneficiaries who want to change a payment method can use Treasury’s Go Direct website, the Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800-333-1795, or SSA at 1-800-772-1213, and the page also lists 1-877-874-6347 among its sign-up numbers. The SSA transition notice states that the agency “will continue to assist with benefit payment inquiries.”
Payment dates and a plan for a missing deposit
Direct Express cardholders receive federal benefits on a schedule set by the paying agency, and the move to a Fifth Third card leaves that schedule as it was. Knowing the scheduled date is what lets a beneficiary tell a late deposit from an on-time one.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit includes the 2026 payment calendar and a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment.
See the payment calendar in The Social Security Check Protection Kit.
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
