Any good all purpose gift card?

Lmvbc85 on 26/05/2014 - 17:48

Hi guys,

I have an international credit card from my home country but it doesn't work in most places. My country has a strict currency control and even though there is no law stating where I can and can't spend my money, the card just won't work in most places (woolies, coles, most fast food places, etc).

The way that I've worked around this in the past was by buying Westfield's XS gift cards which worked basically as a debit card and I could use anywhere. However, the card now does not work there either.

I am now looking for some other gift card that works in the same way. I know the post office sells some Visa prepaid cards but they cannot be bought with a credit card so that won't work. Also, my card won't work online, it needs to be a physical transaction.

Thanks a lot for any help.

PS: In case you want to do some research on the currency exchange that I mentioned, here is the wikipedia page

Financial

Comments

  • CI on 26/05/2014 - 20:28

    Poverty card bro it can't do anything it seems. Sorry couldn't help

  • [Deactivated] on 26/05/2014 - 21:22

    Why not apply for a credit card here then?
    Edit: Are you an international student? A few credit card issuers (e.g CBA, ANZ, CitiBank..etc) offer credit card programs specifically targeted to international students. They are generally approved for relatively low initial lines of credit (as low as $400) but you can slowly increase it over time. Most student credit cards carry no annual fee

    • mvbc85 on 26/05/2014 - 23:22

      Thanks for the info. That is something that I've actually been looking for so I'll check with CitiBank. However, I am looking for a way to use my current credit card because I would like to use the money that I already have back home. We can't do wire transfers and the only way for me to use my money here is through that credit card (that now barely works…)

    • twister292 on 29/05/2014 - 04:06

      ANZ won't issue credit cards to international students, and neither will Citi. CBA will do it, and Westpac may or may not depending on whether you work alongside your studies.

      ANZ's requirements for non-permanent residents (including international students) include minimum income of $50,000 a year.

      I know this because I was an international student here for quite a while.

  • zzyss on 04/06/2014 - 12:50

    Don't you get slammed on poor bank exchange rates?

    I'd get a local card and just bank the money back at home - although I don't know anything about your situation so there could be other reasons.

  • terlalu on 05/06/2014 - 16:48

    I'm pretty sure you can get eftpos gift cards from the post office. They are different to the Visa load & go cards, and you can buy them individually and are accepted pretty much anywhere.
    Otherwise get a money order issued to yourself and cash it in?

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