Looking for the best virtual dollar card to use for your online payments and international purchases in Nigeria?
Then you’re not alone.
If you make money online in Nigeria, there’s a good chance that you pay for one or two digital services to aid your online business.
Recently, the Nigerian banking system has witnessed a lot of breakdowns in products and services, with several monetary reforms and changes.
One of which is the discontinued access to online payments in USD with Naira denominated debit cards.
In recent weeks, many banks have been announcing that the $20 monthly limit on naira cards for international POS and online payments is no longer feasible.
Now, you are required to have an actual USD debit card to be able to pay for services on international websites from Nigeria.
The good news however, is that you can make those online payments via the use of a virtual dollar card, which can be gotten from several fintechs in Nigeria.
In this post, we’ll look at some of the top virtual dollar cards you can use to ease your online USD payments and keep your online business thriving.
Let’s dive in.
Kudiwave
Kudiwave is one of the simplest platforms for accessing dollar virtual cards that you can use in Nigeria.
I like the ease of signup and customer onboarding of the Kudiwave app, and everything just seems to work straightforward with this app.
All you need to get started with Kudiwave is your BVN and a quick live selfie picture via the app.
They charge a one-time $1 card creation fee, which is added with your first deposit on the virtual dollar card.
The only drawback with Kudiwave is that their exchange rate seems to be on the high side.
Klasha
Klasha is one of the most innovative fintechs I’ve discovered in recent times.
The platform is built for the eCommerce niche, especially for those looking to make money via mini importation.
I like their signup process and the options for account verification. You only need your BVN, government-issued ID card, and utility bill to get started.
Klasha seems to offer a very competitive exchange rate for their virtual dollar card. I think they offer arguably the cheapest exchange rate for a USD virtual card in Nigeria.
If you’re into eCommerce in Nigeria, then you’ll absolutely have fun using this Fintech app.
Payday
Payday is recognized as the official app for freelancers and tech bros in Nigeria.
They offer a lot of options to get paid and use your money however you want. With virtual accounts in different currencies.
Payday virtual dollar card is quite easy to create once you get onboarded onto the platform, and you can use the card to pay to almost every online merchant you can think of.
However, the Payday app is quite buggy in my opinion, and getting onboarded on the platform is quite a hassle.
If you’re patient enough to scale through and get to start using the app, you’re going to have fun using their detailed services.
Chipper Cash
Chipper Cash is the big fish on this list, with the app offering several financial services to match the lifestyle of today’s woke millennials.
Their virtual dollar card is also widely accepted, so you’re definitely going to get a good deal using the Chipper Cash virtual card.
However, if you’re in Nigeria, getting verified to use Chipper Cash virtual cards can be a hassle due to their inefficient verification process.
To speed up your verification process on Chipper Cash, it is advisable to use your Nigerian passport instead of your NIN or Driver’s license.
Also, make sure that the address on your Chipper Cash profile matches that of the one on your verification document.
Tribapay
Tribapay is one of the most comprehensive Fintech apps, purposely made for seamless payment services.
On Tribapay, you can create a virtual dollar card that you can use on select online merchants globally.
However, Tribapay seems to have a high exchange rate when it comes to naira to USD conversions on the app.
But the company is looking to review their exchange rate. So, it’s best you inquire with them before using their virtual dollar card.
Fundall
Fundall is a purpose built personal finance app in Nigeria that offers a host of financial services such as investment, bills payments, and even loans.
Fundall offers virtual dollar cards on their app in a seamless way, and I like that their onboarding process is quite smooth.
However, they are quite expensive to use. You’ll have to pay a $3 creation fee to get a virtual dollar card. Plus their exchange rate seems to be on the high side.
If you don’t mind using an expensive but quick and efficient service for your virtual dollar card and payments, then Fundall might just be what you’re looking for.
UBA Dollar Prepaid
The UBA Dollar Prepaid card is perfect for those who want to be in control of their funds while dealing with competitive exchange rates.
Moreso, a few international websites do not accept payments with virtual dollar cards from Nigeria.
They would need a snapshot of a physical card before accepting payments from Nigerian clients.
So, the UBA prepaid dollar card seems to be a perfect option for a variety of reasons.
Apart from making online payments, you could even use it to save in dollars and keep the bulk of your money in different currencies.
This is different from the UBA domiciliary account which offers a gold debit card that can be used for online purchases, POS, and international ATMs.
To get a UBA dollar prepaid card, you’ll have to visit the nearest UBA bank branch and request for the card.
After which you can source for dollars in the black market to preload your UBA dollar card.
Easy peasy eh?
Conclusion
You can use any of the above listed virtual dollar card services for your online payments in Nigeria, and they would most likely work fine.
The differentiating factors between these Fintech apps are the types of services available on the platform, the exchange rates, the card creation fee, and the swiftness of onboarding.
Many users don’t mind paying a premium if they can sign up today and use the service immediately. Especially for someone like me.
Others wouldn’t mind waiting even up to a week if it means that they would pay less in fees and exchange rates.
So, your choice would largely depend on your immediate payment service needs.
All in all, it seems that virtual dollar cards have come to stay and could become the default way to pay for international online services in Nigeria for the foreseeable future.
Thanks to the CBN and its unstable monetary policies!