I recently wanted to get the Chipper Cash virtual dollar card to make a payment, so I did some research on it. In this post, I’ll share 4 essential facts you need to know about the card such as fees, restrictions, exchange rates, and a link to alternatives.
1. Chipper Cash dollar card is powered by Visa
The Chipper Cash dollar card is a Visa card that you can use to make online payments anywhere Visa cards are accepted.
The card is not connected to your Chipper Cash USD balance, so you will need to fund it before you can use it.
To fund the card, simply deposit money into your Chipper Cash USD balance. You can do this by first funding your NGN wallet via bank transfer, and then converting the NGN to USD.
2. The Chipper Cash dollar card costs ₦3,000 to get
You will also be charged a ₦500 fee if you try to use the card and don’t have enough money on it. This fee is not refundable.
If you use your card for subscription services, this fee can add up quickly. To avoid this, make sure you always have enough money on your card before you use it and when your subscriptions end soon.
Chipper Cash does not charge for funding, withdrawals, or card maintenance like other virtual card provider do.
3. Where you can use the card
You can use the card to shop on international websites like AliExpress, Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, Digital Ocean, Netflix, Spotify, Fashion Nova, and Shein.
Where you can’t use the card:
You can’t use the card on Nigerian websites like Jumia, Konga, Bolt Nigeria, Remita, Paystack, and Flutterwave. You also can’t use it on crypto and money transfer platforms like Binance, Trust Wallet, Wise, Skrill, Airtm, Coinbase, and Luno.
Keep in mind:
The card is a 3D secure card, but some merchant websites may not accept it.
4. The exchange rate is too high
Chipper Cash doesn’t charge deposit or withdrawal fees, but it has a very high exchange rate. This means that you will lose money when you convert your naira to dollars on Chipper Cash, and even more money if your payment fails and you have to withdraw your money back to naira.
For example, if you want to buy a $1,000 item on Amazon, and the current NGN to USD rate on Chipper is ₦989, you will pay ₦989,000 to fund your card. But if your payment fails, you will have to withdraw your money back at a lower rate of ₦945 per USD. This means you will lose ₦54,000 in just a few minutes.
So be careful when using the Chipper Cash dollar card. There are other ways to pay for international goods and services that may be cheaper, such as using crypto or a gift card.
Final take
The Chipper Cash dollar card is a good way to make online payments, but there are some things to keep in mind. You will have to pay a fee for the card, and some websites won’t accept it. The exchange rate is also high, so you will lose money when you convert your naira to dollars and your payment didn’t go through.
If you are looking for a cheaper way to make online payments, you may want to consider using a different service or method of payments.
