Lost my card to an ATM in American Samoa

Had the same thing happen at a standalone ATM in Tafuna. Tried contacting the number on the ATM, but got nowhere. A local told me only bank-run ATMs offer help recovering cards. I went to the nearest ANZ branch and they said they couldn’t assist unless it was their own machine. If your card is swallowed in American Samoa, act fast - bring ID, head to the branch during hours, and hope it wasn’t a third-party machine. I learned the hard way - always carry a backup card.

Lost my card at an ATM inside a small grocery store - and learned later it wasn’t managed by a major bank. Swallowed card recovery in American Samoa depends entirely on the ATM location. If it’s inside a bank, go directly to the branch. If not, you may need to call a number listed on the machine and hope for help. I didn’t get mine back and had to call my bank to cancel it. From then on, I only used ATMs attached to bank buildings and during open hours.

I lost my debit card to a Bank of Hawaii ATM in Pago Pago - no error message, just silence and then nothing. I reported it to the branch inside the same building and they said retrieval might take two business days, depending on technician schedules. Getting a swallowed card back in American Samoa is possible, but not guaranteed. If it’s not a bank-attached ATM, your chances go way down. Bring ID and know the exact time it happened. Meanwhile, I survived using my backup Visa and some USD I had on hand.

This happened to me at the ANZ ATM near Laufou Shopping Center. I went to the ANZ branch first thing the next morning with my passport and explained the situation. They confirmed they could retrieve the card but said it might take up to 48 hours. If an ATM in American Samoa swallows your card, you’ll need to go to the managing bank directly. It helps if you know which bank owns the machine. If it’s a weekend, you might be out of luck until Monday. Also, freeze the card in your app to be safe.