So I got a 28 Degrees Mastercard with a credit limit of $3500 a few weeks ago. I leave in a week for my New York holiday and I realised I have no clue how to use the thing! I need to preload it with American dollars then I hope to use it over there for purchases and to get some cash out if I need it. Can anyone give me some steps on how to do this and how to use it? The 28 Degrees site is a bit short on helpful information. Any hidden fees I should be aware of too?
Cheers!
Would I be able to use the card in Singapore as well? (Haven't used a credit card before so please excuse the noobness). I'll be there for 6 weeks and just want to have access to money and no/minimal fees. So, is it as long as I have a positive balance on my card, I won't have to pay interest or bank/transaction fees? Thanks. :)
After the 1st of Jan, it still makes a great Credit Card option while overseas, and for any OS internet purchases.
What's the next best option after Jan 1st? I'm heading over to Asia on the 14th of Jan. Or should I start a new thread concerning this, rather than jacking this one? :P
Citi bank
Pretty much the same (someone correct me if i'm wrong), but is a visa debit.
Yup, same as 28D. Just load money on, the withdraw at an ATM. Only thing is, try to get a Citibank ATM to avoid the ATM fees
Also, if/when you use the card, make sure you have money on it, because unless you have an overdraft, they'll reject you.
What is the citibank card called? Trying to find it on their website to apply, as I will be living in london for 6 months from January
CITIBANK PLUS ACCOUNT
You go to a PO and load up to $1000 max for a cost of $5. I think you need to have some sort of barcode for the PO to scan, so if you do not have an account printed it out it may be problematic.
Also, when you call 28D to ask all these questions, tell them you are travelling (as w' all cc), so that they don't cancel as a possible fraudulent charge.
So I might just phone up 28 Degrees directly with my questions so I can let them know this at the same time.
I don't know anything about going to the Post Office or a limit. I just Bpay to the card from my bank account as if I was paying the bill.
I was $3500 positive last trip.
Yes, phone them up. They won't make it easy for you to load cash as it is not the reason they exist. But, it's ideal for o/s credit card charges as very low / no fees. I use it all the time when os.
So I will probably start by putting $1000 on the card and top up as I go. What is the best way while I am over there to add more funds? A couple of days delay might be an issue for me.
BPay from your transaction account over Internet banking?
Where do I grab the details for Bpay for my 28 Degrees card?
From your statement. They are the details you would use to pay the bill.
I think the BPAY Ref No is the same as your credit card number but the last 2 digits are different so you need to watch out for that.
It's a new card so I don't have a statement yet. Where else might I find the details?
Go to "My Account" > "Paying My Account" page:
This service is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Check with your bank about the BPAY methods available to you. You'll need the following information:
Biller code - 150615
The customer reference number (CRN) is your 28 Degrees MasterCard account number - this can be found in the top right hand corner of your statement.Please note that using your card number instead of your account number will result in delays to your payment or your payment not being received.
If you're paying by BPAY on your due date, make sure you complete the transaction before your bank's cut-off time. Remember that some BPAY payments can take up to 3 business days to appear on your account.
I think you can find your account number from the welcome letter.
When I went earlier this year I used the 28 degrees as a credit card and the Citibank card as an ATM debit card.
It worked just fine and I used internet banking if I needed to top them up.
Same here, both these cards I keep with my passport. And are used exclusively for overseas travelling. Never had an issue.
I had issues early this year with my 28deg card in some ATM's in south america. Brazil was probably the worst. I had another traditional(magstripe) card Mastercard that still worked fine. So, this didn't appear to be a Visa/Mastercard issue, but most likely the older ATM's not able to handle the chipped card as well.
But as NY is the centre of the universe, you shouldn't have problems in the centre of the universe :)
Good call
What happens if your card gets stolen or skimmed at the ATM overseas? Do these cards provide any protection while travelling?
I got charged a cash advance in my latest statwment despite having a positive balance i.e. loaded money on
will be calling them up to rectify this, make sure u check ur latest statements carefully
Having a positive balance doesn't always mean you won't get a cash advance fee.
Credit cards are not ATM cards. You are withdrawing money from a credit facility. Having a positive balance just means you won't be paying any interest on the cash advance.
If you are referring to 28 Degrees this is what they say in their FAQ:
Will I be charged a cash advance fee if my card has a positive balance?
Yes, you will still be charged a cash advance fee if you withdraw cash from your 28 Degrees MasterCard even if the card has a positive credit balance. We do not recommend that you load your card into credit as this is not the intended purpose of the card.
That condition is meant to start January 1 they told us. The old condition is different.
I Usda bit different strategy. I carry cash (in small bits in various locations, bags, pockets, wife's purse). I exchange at local banks or traders (if doing through a local contact) . I use 28degrees purely for credit purchases. That why I get best conversion on purchases. Most places now accept a card payment. I guess NY would be the same. Exchange only how much cash I need. No need to load 1k and find out that it is not enough as your credit purchases would also go against the cash you loaded. Say if I am looking to spend. 5k (1k cash +4k credit) I would need only 1k upfront which I would carry in cash. Also losing cards would mean you would lose cash as well. It's not a great idea to put all eggs in one basket.
However if you have a partner with you both could apply for a card each and one can be used for cash purchases other credit. Both of you will get a additional card on each account.
Hope this helps.
Frostee, i know this is trivial, but make sure you have the card PIN with you or at least try that the pin works.. From memory you can change pin too at westpac ATM. And free withdrawals from westpac ATM in australia
Make sure you have an atm pin number
ATM pin can be selected when you call them up - they'll put your through to a system where you enter the pin you want into your phone keypad.
BTW with any platinum bankwest card on purchases you get no foreign transaction fees and travel insurance. however they dont like you preloading it with Australian dollars as they treat it as a cash advance. also you can use your 28 Degrees Mastercard to do balance transfers from other credit cards into and then do free withdrawals from westpac ATM up to $1000 a day and another $2000 at any bank as a cash advance in australia (daily limit 3k) since they are going to charge fees to stop this from 1 jan 2014 what is another good credit card that does not charge fees to withdraw funds if with a postive balance from a balance transfer?
"BTW with any platinum bankwest card on purchases you get no foreign transaction fees and travel insurance"
Beware this is only true for genuine credit cards, not platinum debit cards - Bankwest staff told me the wrong thing and I wasted some time and money with a debit card.
I would not recommend gift cards purchased from the post office and the like for holidays as there is no protection at all
If you lose the card that's it your cash has gone
If you purchase something on-line and there is a problem the money can't be put back onto the card
I think that's correct
In principle, you do not need to load up your card into a debit. It's a credit card for a reason! 28D is a great choice too is it doesn't charge conversion fee or many other fees associated to international spending.
I used my 28 degrees for 8 months while living all over Europe and as I was sure to pay my bills within the week of my expenditures, I had no issue using it to take out cash or spend in shops (except denamark…. they have a 'no foreign card' policy :P)
Safe travels!
The advantage of the pre-1st Jan terms was you could load a positive balance and withdraw cash at foreign ATMs fee free and at a very good exchange rate.
If you had a negative balance you could still withdraw cash, but interest charges accrue from day of withdrawal. Now they charge a fee for the withdrawal from 1/1/14 and both strategies will be more costly.
So let's see if I have this straight. If I log on to my net banking with my current bank and make a Bpay payment to the 28D billet code and my customer reference number from my statement I will be able to load up my card with a positive balance. After it is loaded on I can go overseas and start using my card anywhere as well as withdrawing cash and I don't have to worry about any fees. The exchange rate being calculated at the time of each transaction. Is this correct?
So I called up and got my CRN. Now it is a 12 digit number that takes the last 12 numbers of my 16 digit card number and the last two are different. On net banking I get an error saying that the CRN is the incorrect length. How long is it supposed to be?
For BPay? Ref should be your full 16 digit card number and Biller Code being "150615".
Sweet thanks for that. I made a payment to my account so hopefully it works fine :) I can use my card to get cash out overseas too can't I?
Yes. Make sure you select the source as "Credit" when you withdraw cash from overseas ATM.
Thanks for the note :)
another noob question, how can I setup the PIN for the 28 degrees card?
I need to call their CS?
Sorry for the noob answer: did you steal the card from someone?
The PIN should arrive around the same day as the card.. If you didnt get, the letter would have advised you what to do.
If you are changing pin, you can do so at westpac ATM..
Read in the paper on the weekend that 28 Degrees is adding a big fee ($4 a go apparently) for using your CC to withdraw money overseas. Heading OS soon so a little worried!
Yep. They've closed the loophole people used to pre-load the card for ATM withdrawals.
Best is to setup a Citibank Plus Account. Lot's of threads and posts on this already.
You preload it with Australian dollars and then you can withdraw US dollars in ATM over there. Since you have positive balance on your card, "cash advance" won't cost you interest. You also get favourable interest rate and no foreign transaction fee.
However from 1 Jan 2014 onwards 28Degrees is closing off this loophole by introducing a fee. Shouldn't be an issue for you if your NY trip is next week.