An Post PostFX™ prepaid MasterCard® currency card

The best rate will be gotten via your debit card. The rate has changed massively from the last posts in this thread, now £1 = €1.35 at best.

bmm wrote: »

But credit cards have limits too ? Credit limit of 1,000 wont pay for a car !

They have a real, identified and credit checked person tied to them though. Prepaid don't - which is why they will never be taken for car hire unless the desk operator is about to fall asleep.

Not sure if they even check half the time, but from my own experience in Vegas last year it's all sign for, not once did I see a chip n pin system.

Harcrid wrote: »

Is there a daily ATM withdrawal limit with these cards? Bank of Ireland have a 200 euro daily withdrawal limit in the USA which can be a pain sometimes so I am considering using one of these for the time I am over there rather than my usual BOI Visa debit.

$800
* Some ATM operators or merchants may charge a(n) (additional) fee or set their own limits. Please confirm whether any fees or limits apply, before making a withdrawal or purchase.


according to
http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Personal+Customers/Money+Matters/Foreign+Exchange/Choose+the+PostFX+MasterCard+Currency+Card.htm

Heisenberg1 wrote: »

No you can only top the card up at the counter at any of the An Post offices and don't forget ID. It can't be topped upped abroad or via a bank account.

Bloody thing is useless. I spent more on the thing than i would have spent on fee's if i'd used my normal bank card / credit card.

Very hard to empty it and any unused money is lost after a year or so.

The rates are poor compared to the standard Visa exchange rates that I would get from my Ulster Bank debit card. Coupled with the costs I don't find it value for money and only really useful versus cash from a safety stand point.

Your rates for AIB seem similar to those charged by Ulster Bank, (they have a 1% usage fee and a 1% ERTF fee - both maximum of €6). I've used the Visa website to calculate the cost, (setting the fee at 2% - not 100% sure that's even correct), but over $1,000 you save about €9.

With such a small saving, coupled with the need to go and apply for the card as well as having to jump throw hoops to top it up make we disregard it.

That being said if you want to use it instead of cash I can see some benefits.

And now you can top up the cards online at https://postfx.anpost.ie/ with a visa debit card, maestro card or master debit card.

No more need to go to the post office to top up, all done online from anywhere in the world, now that is a nice new feature.

Are these cards any good for buying goods online ? I buy a few bits from Canada and was thinking of picking up An Post Canadian Dollar card to use.

I just don't want to have my bank card on the site, so thought this might be a little safer.

Delta2113 wrote: »

The Revolut prepaid MasterCard seems a far better option at least for the next 12 months - FREE being the operative word. Check out the Revolut thread.

However the revolut card can't do one thing that the AnPost does very well, it can't use a different address than the registered address for AVS.

With the Anpost card you can define a temporary address (for example parcel motel in the north or your US mailing provider) and hence pass AVS. That is great because it involves no paperwork. You simply go online and add for example Parcel Motel as address.

For online top up, does it go on instantly?

I imagine this will be handy when I'm in Vegas in December being able to top-up on the go or each day without having to guess who much I will spend over the course of a week.

I wouldn't use it, it will eat into your funds for the duration of your stay.

Use a credit card if you have it, that will put a hold of the deposit amount on the credit card and will be released when you check-out.

This PostFX card is effectively a debit card.

Do them a favour:

Ask them to sign up to Revolut.

Hmm_Messiah wrote: »

hi

I HAVE CHINESE FRIENDS TRAVELLIGN TO LONDON AND THEY PLAN ON BRINGING ALL THERE MONEY AS CASH !!

I have a question - I did look and will ask in the post office - but seeing as you need id etc. I it possible to take out 2 of these cards - i.e. one for me to use , one they can give me money to put on for them to use

I mean two separate - not two sharing the same funds

Thanks for any help

You are actually given two cards. It's really supposed to be a backup but I suppose you could probably use the two. I could be wrong though, I got one a few years ago so the system might have changed

Has anybody else lost the ability to update their profile online?

It was possible to change personal data online (like a temporary address) but that function is gone from my £ and $ card.

Hi
Heading to the states in a couple of weeks, we have gotten the currency card and have gotten the additional card as well. The lady in the post office assured us the main card and second card could be used in conjunction with each other but now I am seeing conflicting reports on this.
I will be visiting friends in New Jersey for a few nights while my wife will be staying in NY so we were hoping both cards could be used like we were told ..
Can anyone confirm or deny both cards can be used together...
Thanks

carltonleon wrote: »

Perhaps ring this number 1800 535 564 which is a Post FX helpline. They should be able to clarify. I only used the 1 card when I was in Australia and my wife got her own card so we split the money in case we had any issues with one of the cards.

Tried that number but it's all automated and I can't seem to get speaking to a real person ...emailed on post yesterday but haven't heard back as of yet.

It's been a while since I have used these (ever since they took away the ability to define a temporary address in the US/UK) but both cards are linked to the same funds.

You can register both cards with different user names in their online accounts and they both will work drawing access from the same balance, however as carltonleon states this is so that you can continue access to the funds if you loose your primary card. While it's not mandatory to de-activate the first card when you start using the 2nd card (I did use my 2nd card a couple of times by mistake) it triggered a security alert and my card was blocked until I contacted their "customer service".

Especially if you use the cards at the same time in 2 different states it should trigger something. It might not, but why risk it?

My suggestion is not to chance it giving how horrendous the customer service is and to only use the one card and if you really need 2 to get a second set.

Why you however in light of for example Revolut would use the AnPost variant is a different story.

carltonleon wrote: »

Ok so I was passing the GPO there and nipped in for you. I spoke with one of the most senior clerks who was on the counter and he said that the additional card cannot be used in conjunction with the 1st one, he said that the 2nd card is just in case you lose the 1st card. He also told me that he would always advise someone who needed 2 people to have a card (ie) husband/wife etc to get 2 separate accts. That was the information that he gave me so hope that helps although I know it is not the info that you want to hear but that is what I was told

Thanks so much for that ...will have to get my own card so ..not a big deal , just taught we could use the two from the one account.
Thanks again.