We have upgraded our system where you will now be prompted to enter the first 6 digits of your Cash Passport card number, which can be found on the front of your Card. As security is our top concern, we want to make sure that you know that the new My Account log-in page is a genuine website page.
Cash Passport is a MasterCard® or Visa prepaid currency card. You “load” your travel money onto it in advance* (at a participating bank or retail outlet in South Africa – see below) and then use it at millions of MasterCard® or Visa ATMs and merchants across the world (depending on what type of Cash Passport you have), to access your money quickly and safely.
You can buy and (re)load Cash Passport in South Africa at branches of:
- ABSA Bank Limited
- American Express Retail Foreign Exchange (Tourvest)
- Bidvest
- First National Bank (FNB)
- Global Foreign Exchange
- South African Bank of Athens Limited
- Tower Bureau de Change
- Travelex Retail Foreign Exchange (FX Africa)
Please note that it is an exchange control requirement that all unused foreign exchange is converted into Rand within 30 days of returning to South Africa. We recommend that you wait until 10 days after your last transaction before converting the currency on your Cash Passport back to Rand, to ensure that all your transactions have been processed, and so avoid overspending on your Card. You can withdraw the balance remaining on your Card at ATMs worldwide, displaying the Visa or MasterCard® Acceptance Mark depending on what type of Cash Passport you have). Alternatively, you can take your Card back to the branch where you bought it and they’ll refund the balance.
Even with a zero balance, your Cash Passport is still valid (until the expiry date on the front of the Card), and you can reload it for your next trip anytime. Just take your Cash Passport, a valid ID, your valid passport, proof of travel, proof of residence and payment to the branch where you first purchased it, and they will reload the Card for you.
Your Cash Passport is valid for at least three years (see the expiry date on your Card) and reloadable as many times as you want – within the limits and restrictions of your Card.
If you purchased your Cash Passport outside South Africa, please visit your local Cash Passport website for information on how to reload it. See www.cashpassport.com for Cash Passport websites for other countries.
*Local Exchange Control Regulations issued in terms of the Currency and Exchanges Act 9 of 1933 and the provisions of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 apply.
The new MasterCard® Cash Passport is chip and PIN protected, for even more security. The Visa Cash Passport is PIN and signature protected. To reduce the threat of fraud, Cash Passport doesn’t reveal any personal information and is completely separate from your bank account.
For more information about the Cash Passport security features, please click here.
Cash Passport is a completely new way of carrying your money overseas, offering all the peace of mind and security of traditional travellers cheques, and the convenience of cash, worldwide. There is no need to look up local bank times before you can change money or to rely on taking large quantities of local currency with you.
Pre-loading your Cash Passport balance gives you more control of your travel budget than a standard debit or credit card and with fixed ATM fees it’s easier to manage your overseas spending.
Please click here for details of the fees and limits for your MasterCard® or Visa Cash Passport.
For details of the fees and limits of the VAT Refund Card, please visit www.taxrefunds.co.za The VAT Refund Card is a specialised Card and for any queries regarding the Card, the VAT Refund Company should be contacted directly.
The prepaid Euro Card is the obvious choice for Euro-Zone countries, choose the British Pound Cash Passport for a trip to the UK, a US Dollar Card if you're off to America and an Australian Dollar Cash Passport for a trip down under.
Each Cash Passport will work worldwide. So, no matter which currency Card you choose, you can still use your Cash Passport in countries or areas with a different currency. The system will automatically convert your stored currency to the local one, for instance from British Pounds to Indian Rupees.*
*Transactions in a currency other than the currency of the Card will be exchanged to the currency on the Card at an exchange rate determined by MasterCard / Visa on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a percentage determined by the issuer.
You can withdraw local currency from ATMs worldwide, displaying either the Visa or Plus logo or MasterCard® Acceptance Mark (depending on which type of Cash Passport you have). There are over 1 million Visa and over 2 million MasterCard ATMs worldwide, that you can withdraw local currency from. To check their location, visit the respective ATM locator. Alternatively, you can use the Card to pay directly for goods or services at merchants that accept Visa or MasterCard (depending on which type of Cash Passport you have).
No matter which currency Card you purchase, you can still use your Cash Passport in countries or areas with a different currency. The system will automatically convert your stored currency to the local one, for example, if you purchase a Euro Cash Passport, you can still use it at ATMs in America.*
*Transactions in a currency other than the currency of the Card will be exchanged to the currency on the Card at an exchange rate determined by MasterCard / Visa on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a percentage determined by the issuer.
Please note: There are a number of countries where the use of Cash Passport is not allowed, as they are subject to US economic sanctions. If you attempt to withdraw cash from an ATM, or use your Card at merchants in any of these countries, your request will be declined and the reason given as 'Decline, prohibited country'.
The countries currently affected by sanctions are:
Cuba, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), Sudan and Syria
It may take up to twenty-four hours before your Cash Passport is automatically activated. Please make sure you sign the back of your Card immediately, using a ballpoint pen.
Even with a zero balance, your Cash Passport is still valid (until the expiry date on the front of the Card) and you can reload it for your next trip anytime. Just take your Cash Passport, a valid ID, your valid passport, proof of travel, proof of residence and payment to the branch where you first purchased it (for instance ABSA, Bidvest or FNB), and they will reload the Card for you.
Your Cash Passport is valid for at least three years (see the expiry date on your Card) and reloadable as many times as you want – within the limits and restrictions of your Card. See your Terms and Conditions for more information on Cash Passport limits.
Please note that the VAT Refund Card is NOT reloadable and it should be destroyed by cutting it in half once the available funds have been utilised.
If you purchased your Cash Passport outside South Africa, please visit your local Cash Passport website for information on how to reload it. See www.cashpassport.com for Cash Passport websites for other countries.
* Local Exchange Control Regulations issued in terms of the Currency and Exchanges Act 9 of 1933 and the provisions of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 apply.
To register your Cash Passport, go to the ‘My Account’ page on this website and click the ‘Sign up’ button. You’ll be prompted to enter your primary Card number. If you have more than one Cash Passport card, please ignore the last digit on each one and pick out the Card with the lowest number. That’s your primary Card.
Important note for FNB cardholders: My Account Card Sign-up
During the Card registration process on ‘My Account’, you will be asked to provide your 'Mother's Maiden Name'. If you are an FNB Cash Passport cardholder, you should enter your National ID number here, rather than your mother’s maiden name, to match the data that you supplied during the registration process, when the Card was purchased.
You can manage these everyday aspects of your Cash Passport online, as soon as you’ve registered your Card at My Account, or you can call one of the Card Services numbers. Please note that you CANNOT change your PIN if you have a MasterCard® Cash Passport.
If you have any queries about your Cash Passport balance or you notice a Card transaction that you do not recognise, please notify the 24 hour Card Services team as soon as possible, and in any event within 60 days of the transaction debit date. They will be happy to check and confirm the transaction details for you.
If there is a transaction which is not correct, Card Services can start the dispute process on your behalf and may request you to provide additional written information concerning any unrecognised transaction, or to complete a Dispute Claim Form (See Terms and Conditions for further information). Please help them to help you by providing as much information as you can.
It is recommended that you check your transaction history and Card balance at least once a month.
Click here for further details on how to download and complete the Dispute Claim Form.
Full details of how to contact Card Services are available
here.
Cash Passport should work in any cash machine, displaying the MasterCard® Acceptance Mark or Visa or Plus logo (depending on what type of Cash Passport you have). If it doesn’t, the Card may be faulty and you can get 24/7 help from Travelex, via the Global Emergency Assistance numbers.
Please note, if an ATM screen prompts you to choose ‘which account’, it is recommended that you choose the ‘Credit’ option.
You can only withdraw cash from an ATM up to the available balance on your Cash Passport and if the amount is within the ATM’s issuing limit.
In some countries, you may be asked for a six digit PIN, when using an ATM. However, Cash Passport uses a standard four digit PIN, which will still be accepted if the ATM has been set up correctly in compliance with MasterCard or Visa regulations.
If you need assistance with any PIN issues, please call Card Services.
24/7 Global Emergency Assistance will get you back in control of your money. Instructions are available here.
If the merchant supports it, you can use your Cash Passport to make a partial payment, and cover the balance with some other payment method. Just make sure you tell the cashier before you start the transaction and confirm the amount you want to be deducted from your Card. The cashier should process your Cash Passport payment first, and then accept the remainder of the balance in whichever way you want to pay it.
This should only happen when you don’t have enough money on the Card to cover the purchase (although you can always use what money you do have on the Card, to make a partial payment – see above).
Be aware that some merchants, such as restaurants and car hire companies, may require the Card to have an available balance greater than the purchase amount, before they will authorise the payment.
Your Card may also be declined if you enter an incorrect PIN. If this happens at a merchant, you may be asked to authorise your purchase by signing instead.
In some places (usually hotels or car hire companies) you may be asked for your Cash Passport as “pre-authorisation” of your final payment. We don’t recommend you agree to this, because some of these companies may estimate your final bill and deduct money against that estimate for several days, during which you can’t access those funds for other things. You can, of course, use the Card to settle the final bill when it becomes due.
Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) is an optional service that is sometimes offered by foreign retailers and ATM operators, giving cardholders the choice of paying in either the currency of the country they are visiting or their own domestic currency.
If you make a purchase or ATM withdrawal in a country where the local currency is the same as the currency of your Card (e.g. using a US Dollar Cash Passport in the USA) and you opt into a DCC service, this may result in a foreign exchange transaction at additional cost to you.
In these cases please opt out of the DCC service and choose to pay in the local currency - NOT SOUTH AFRICAN RAND - to avoid paying an additional exchange rate.
DCC can also be applied to any South African issued card, including credit and debit cards, when used abroad.
We would not recommend using your Cash Passport to pre-authorise payments.
When using your Cash Passport as payment at certain locations, the merchant or service provider may check your Card balance before the transaction is authorised, for the value of the bill, plus an additional 10% - 20%, which will automatically be added to cover tips, service charges or other variable costs.
When you use your Cash Passport to purchase fuel at an automated fuel pump, there must be a minimum balance of GBP 50 (or currency equivalent), on your Card. To make a telephone call, there must be a minimum balance of 10% of the cost of the call. If you spend less than these minimum amounts, it may take several days from the date of your purchase before the unused balance is available again. In all instances, only the final amount authorised by you will be debited from your Cash Passport.
This is in line with standard card processing procedures.
It is not recommended to use your Cash Passport as guarantee of payment (for example at hotels or vehicle rental companies). These companies may estimate the amount of your bill and then ‘hold’ the amount for up to seven days, during which you can’t access or spend those funds. For this reason, and because of the potential amounts involved, we advise against using your Cash Passport to pre-authorise expenditure. You can of course use your Cash Passport to settle your final bill.
Cruise lines will not accept your Cash Passport for establishing an onboard spending account, when checking in, however your Card can be used in most instances to settle your final bill.
This is in line with standard card processing procedures.
No, cashback is not available on Cash Passport.
If you are planning to travel again but your Cash Passport has expired, just take your Card, a valid ID, your valid passport, proof of travel and proof of residence to the branch where you first purchased it and they can cashout any remaining funds on your old Cash Passport and load a new Card.
Alternatively, if you’re not planning to travel but your Card has expired, you can ask for your funds to be cashed out and refunded to you. Please enquire at your initial Purchase Location for more information.
Please note that the VAT Refund Card is only valid for 12 months from the date of issue, regardless of the expiry date showing on the Card. It is NOT reloadable and should be destroyed by cutting it in half, once the available funds have been utilised.
If you would prefer not to keep your Card at the end of your trip, you can withdraw your remaining balance (assuming it is within the ATM’s issuing limits) from an ATM, displaying the MasterCard® Acceptance Mark or Visa or Plus logo (depending on which type of Cash Passport you have).
Alternatively, you can cashout the balance at the location where you bought the Cash Passport from.
For full details of cashouts or closing your Cash Passport, please click here.
We don’t normally provide paper statements, but you may check your Card balance and recent transaction history by registering the Card on ‘My Account’.
Please visit the Purchase Location, who can advise on any additional formats for obtaining the transaction history of your Card, that may be available.