Westpac Global Currency Card Review

Learn about the Westpac Global Currency Card in this review to help you decide whether this is the card for you.

  • Reloadable, prepaid Visa Money Card
  • Simple, secure and easy way to spend overseas and online
  • Load up to 5 of 11 available currencies
  • Preload currency, lock in your exchange rate
  • Use card at anywhere ATM with the VISA logo
  • Existing Westpac customers only – request card in less that 3 minutes online

Pros and cons of using Westpac Global Currency Card

  • Change your PIN online
  • App available to Apple and Android
  • Up to $3000 emergency cash transfer
  • Only open to existing customers
  • Can only load AUD and convert
  • Only 5 wallets can be active

Benefits of the Westpac Global Currency Card

Security

  • Issued with two cards each with a different 16-digit Visa card number
  • $3000 AUD emergency cash transfer (fees apply)

Convenience

  • Automatically withdraw from other currency wallet if you have insufficient funds at the applicable exchange rate

Savings

  • Avoid Westpac’s foreign transaction fees when withdrawing cash from any preloaded currencies
  • Pay no ATM withdrawal fees from any Global Alliance ATMs

Manage Your Money

  • Load your card instantly through Westpac Live Online Banking
  • Use the Westpac Global Currency Card app – available through iTunes or Google
  • Transfer funds from currency to currency known as ‘wallets’
  • Activate each card independently via the website

Currencies and Countries

Currencies Supported

  • Australian dollars (AUD)
  • US dollars (USD)
  • Euro (EUR)
  • Great British pounds (GBP)
  • New Zealand dollars (NZD)
  • Hong Kong dollars (HKD)
  • Canadian dollars (CAD)
  • Singapore dollars (SGD)
  • Thai baht (THB)
  • Japanese yen (JPY)
  • South Africa (ZAR)

 

Load Amounts

  • Minimum Load via Debit $100 (initial load), $50 (subsequent reloads)
  • Maximum Load via Debit $50,000, $25,000 ( in branch)
  • Minimum Load via BPAY $100 (initial load), $50 (subsequent reloads)
  • Maximum Load via BPAY $6000

 

Transaction Limits

  • ATM Withdrawal Limit (24 hours) : AUD 2,000 (or currency equivalent)
  • POS Transaction Limit (24 hours): AUD 10,000 (or currency equivalent)

Fees

All prices are in AUD

Card Purchase Initial Load Reload Funds
Free Free** 1% of amount loaded

 

 

Foreign Currency Conversion* Inactivity Fee Card Termination
3% Nil Free

 

 

Negative Balance Replacement Card
Rates determined by Westpac Free

 

*Foreign currency conversion is charged when you spend in a currency that is not loaded or supported on the card

* *When load is made through WestpacOnline or Mobile Banking via Bpay or Transfer Funds

 

 

ATM Transaction and Balance Enquiry Fees
AUD 2.00

GBP 1.50

NZD 3.00

CAD 2.50

THB 75.00

ZAR 20.00

USD 2.00

EUR 2.00

HKD 15.00

SGD 3.00

JPY 200

Case Study

Mandy is Australian and banks with Westpac. Her father is South African and as a family they fly to South Africa at least once a year.

Now Mandy isn’t so little, her parents have stopped funding her whilst she is abroad. Mandy didn’t want to be charged for using her usual Debit card while over there, so decided to enquire with her bank about alternative options.

She was told that Westpac has a reloadable prepaid card that Mandy can preload at a time when there is a favourable exchange rate. This would then be locked and she would be able to budget her spending while abroad.

She could also load her card instantly online, or transfer funds into her South African ‘wallet’ if she ever got low.

What’s more, she got to see her parents surprised and impressed expressions too!

Online Tools

Save time and let our online tools crunch the numbers for you.

Currency converter

Burning to know what the exchange rate is? Check today’s exchange rate on any amount.

View tool ⟶

Travel money comparison tool

Heading overseas? Find the best rates for exchanging currency online or find a store near you.

View tool ⟶

Knowledge centre

Learn the ins and outs of currency

View tool ⟶

Money transfer comparison tool

Finding the best deal can be nightmare. We bring together all your options by highlighting the fees and rates.

View tool ⟶

Ileana Ionescu
Content manager
With a background in business journalism, Ileana is an experienced content manager, creating content for Exiap that helps its audience make informed decisions about their finances.
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Last updated
November 13th, 2018