In today's world, debit and credit cards are a common and relevant banking product. Those who do not use them are becoming less and less. Most people have several cards of various banks with certain conditions. They are replaced by a multicurrency card, which is an assistant on trips abroad. Read more about them below.
Features
It is not profitable to make purchases in another country with a Russian debit card - a large commission is charged, and using only cash abroad is considered unsafe.
In this case, they propose the option of issuing three cards: in rubles, euros and dollars. But at the same time, you will have to pay a service fee for all cards, and carrying them with you and bogging your head with additional passwords is not a very pleasant experience.
For such cases, they created a multi-currency card, it has a link in several of your accounts with different currencies: as a rule, these are rubles, US dollars and euros. At the time of purchase, the choice of currency is carried out automatically. For example, having paid in America, your funds will be debited from the dollar account, if you are in Europe, then payments are made in euros, and in Russia, respectively, in rubles. But if the currency of the account does not coincide with the active accounts, then, according to the conditions of the bank (may vary in each financial institution), the funds will be debited from the main account, and the conversion fee will also be written off. The payment systems of such cards are VISA and MasterCard.
Operating principle
A multi-currency card is an accumulative one, due to which all standard operations are carried out, and there is also the opportunity to participate in loyalty programs. As for the service, it has certain features. When making international payments, the concept of “base currency” arises. It is established by the financial institution depending on the country in which the operations take place.
The main priority of this card is the ability to withdraw your money anywhere in the world. If there are not enough funds on one account, then they can be transferred from another account. Many cards have their own order of debiting. For example, in Russia, the order of priority will be as follows: rubles, dollars and euros.
Also, banks under this program provide a short-term loan if you did not have enough money while using a multi-currency card. Overdraft - this is the name of this type of loan, which is issued in rubles on the territory of the Russian Federation.
When you are in another country, do not forget that you can withdraw cash only with interest, from 1 to 5%, depending on the bank. Free cash withdrawals are available only within Russia.
Which banks provide this service?
Do all financial institutions provide this service? At the moment, everyone can open a multi-currency card. This product is not yet well known and popular in our country, but it is clearly gaining momentum. Here is a list of banks where you can pick up a multicurrency card on favorable terms for you:
- VTB 24.
- Alfa Bank.
- Citibank
- Tinkoff
- Binbank
- Interprogressbank
- Loko-Bank
What documents do I need to provide to receive such a card?
To draw up a card in any of the banks you will need to fill out a questionnaire, provide a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and an identification code.
There is also a service that involves changing your existing card to a multi-currency. If you do not want to hold a large number of cards, then you can replace it with one. To do this, you just need to call the hotline of your bank or go to the office for renewal.
Who needs such cards?
A multi-currency card will be useful to those who often travel abroad. But everyone can arrange it and use it as a standard debit card, and if necessary, use additional accounts.
Even if trips abroad take place once a year, nevertheless this card will be beneficial. While in your country you can pay in rubles, and before leaving for another country, replenish another necessary account. If you want every trip to take place without any hassle, then you should definitely get this card.
Multi-currency bank cards: conditions, features.
At the moment, not all banks can provide this product. It is worth noting that Sberbank does not have a multi-currency card. In other financial institutions, the conditions are different. For example, in some banks, registration is free, but the commission for annual service is higher than in others. Or there is a service charge, but there is a wide range of services. In this regard, the choice of the organization where you are going to draw up a card should be taken seriously.
Among all the offers of banks on multicurrency cards, there are several of the most popular. About them later in the article.
Citibank
This bank offers the largest number of currencies to choose from. Detailed terms and conditions are presented in the table.
| Available Currency | 10 currencies (including rubles, US dollars, euros, Japanese yen, Swiss franc, etc.) |
| Cash withdrawal | free at any ATM |
| bonus program | cashback for all purchases |
| Opening Amount | is free |
| Change invoices | via online banking or by phone |
| Additional features | the ability to pay for purchases in a contactless manner |
| Service price | free of charge, provided that the balance on the account at the end of the month is from 300,000 rubles or the amount of purchases should be monthly from 30,000 rubles; in case of non-compliance with the conditions - 250 rubles per month |
| Registration term | from 3 to 10 working days |
| Way of registration | via online banking or at a branch |
Binbank
In this bank you can get a card in the shortest possible time. In the table you can find other conditions for design.
| Available Currency | rubles, US dollars, euros |
| Cash withdrawal | free at any ATM up to 75 000 rubles per month |
| bonus program | miles up to 7% in the Travel category |
| Opening Amount | is free |
| Change invoices | automatically |
| Additional features | travel insurance, personal bank service, concierge service, the ability to pay for purchases by contactless means, support for Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay |
| Service price | free of charge, provided that the balance on the account at the end of the month is from 600,000 rubles or the amount of purchases should be from 20,000 rubles; in case of non-compliance with the conditions - 195 rubles per month. |
| Registration term | about 2 days |
| Way of registration | at the bank office with an online application |
Tinkoff
A card of this bank can be issued via the Internet, which is very convenient. Detailed conditions below.
| Available Currency | rubles, US dollars, euros, pounds sterling |
| Cash withdrawal | free at any ATM from 3000 rubles per month |
| bonus program | cashback up to 5% in certain categories |
| Opening Amount | is free |
| Change invoices | via online banking (home delivery) |
| Additional features | Support for Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay, the ability to pay for purchases in a contactless way |
| Service price | free of charge, provided that the balance of the account at the end of the month is from 30,000 rubles; in case of non-compliance with the conditions - 99 rubles per month. |
| Registration term | 1-2 days |
| Way of registration | You can open a multi-currency card using Internet banking |
"Alfa Bank"
This is a fairly reliable financial institution. The conditions for issuing a card are presented in the table.
| Available Currency | rubles, US dollars and euros |
| Cash withdrawal | at ATMs of this bank and its partners, the conversion is five% |
| bonus program | returns up to 10% at gas stations, as well as up to 5% in restaurants and cafes |
| Opening Amount | is free |
| Change invoices | using online banking |
| Additional features | support for Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay the ability to pay for purchases in a contactless way |
| Service price | free of charge, provided that the balance on the account at the end of the month is more than 100,000 rubles, or the amount of purchases or the transfer of wages must be at least 20,000 rubles; In case of non-compliance with the conditions - 99 rubles per month. |
| Registration term | up to five days |
| Way of registration | bank branch |
Reviews
On the forums you can find a huge number of conflicting reviews about various multicurrency cards. But basically a positive impression of such a service can be traced, as this is associated with a number of advantages:
- Savings in maintenance. Replaces several cards in different currencies at once.
- These cards are insured against theft.
- The ability to make purchases in various currencies to choose from.
- The ability to carry out conversion operations at the bank rate.
- Free full-featured internet banking is provided.
- Individual credit limit.
- The amount for the service does not differ much from standard cards, and in some cases the service can be completely free subject to the conditions at banks such as VTB, Tinkoff, Citiback, BinBank and Alfa Bank.
But also disadvantages were identified:
- It has a short validity period.
- In some circumstances, the holder may lose a decent amount on conversion.
- A small selection of banks. Sberbank does not provide multicurrency cards, given that it is one of the largest financial organizations;
- There is a risk of losing all funds in case of loss of a card.
Do not forget that a multi-currency card requires a serious approach. Before registration, it is necessary to properly understand the specifics of this product. But at the moment, the best multicurrency debit card, according to consumers, is that provided by Tinkoff Bank.
On this side, a multicard is a convenient banking tool. You just need to choose the one that is right for you.