More currencies on one card

BIDVEST Bank and MasterCard
have launched a prepaid travel
card that allows cardholders
to load up to 17 currencies on
the same card at any time.
The Multi-Currency World
Currency Card can be loaded
both before departure and
while travelling, with any
or all of the 17 available
currencies: the US dollar,
British pound, euro, Australian
dollar, Thai baht, Canadian
dollar, Argentinian peso,
Brazilian real, Indian rupee,
Chinese yuan, Israeli shekel,
United Arab Emirates dirham,
Mauritian rupee, Saudi riyal,
Japanese yen, Swiss franc and
New Zealand dollar.
Travellers can also lock in
the exchange rate on the local
currency of their destination
ahead of time, and decide
exactly how much they want to
spend in a particular foreign
currency without having to
think about conversion rates.
The card then matches the
relevant currency loaded
on to the card with that of
the country they are in. For
example, if both pounds and
euros are loaded on to the
card at the same time and the
cardholder is in London, the
card will automatically default
to the pound wallet to avoid
additional foreign exchange
fees. “Cardholders can make
instant transfers between
the various currencies on the
card if, for example, a specific
currency is depleted,” says
Japie van Niekerk, md of
Bidvest Bank.
The cardholder can use the
card to pay for goods and
services at merchant locations
or withdraw cash from ATMs
wherever the MasterCard
Acceptance Mark is displayed.
Cardholders can transfer
between currencies or check
balances and transaction
history either via the World
Currency Card mobile app or
online via the ‘My Account’
online portal. Alternatively,
currency can be preloaded
or topped up via the Bidvest
Bank online forex ordering
portal or at one of the bank’s
branches.
The card comes with Chip
and PIN protection and if the
card is lost or stolen, a free
card replacement will be sent
to the cardholder abroad in
24-48 hours.