PRE-PAID TRAVEL CARDS |
ISSUER/ | ANZ Travel Card | MasterCard multi-currency cash passport (issued by Heritage Building Society) | Commonwealth Bank Travel Money Card - CHOICE AWARD RUNNER-UP | Travelex Prepaid Mastercard (also called "Travelex Cash Passport") | AMEX Global Travel Card |
CARD>> |
Currencies available | 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) | AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, NZD, SGD, CAD, JPY, THB, HKD; can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted. | AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, NZD, CAD, JPY, SGD, HKD; can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted. | USD, AUD, NZD, EUR, GBP | USD, EUR, GBP (Each currency requires a separate card) |
Card purchase fee/Initial load fee | AUD 11/ load fee is free | 1.1% of initial load value or AUD 15, whichever is greater | AUD 15 / load fee is free | 1.1% of initial load value or AUD 15, whichever is greater | AUD 15, minimum load of USD 200, GBP 100, or EUR 150 |
ATM fee per withdrawal | AUD 3.50, USD 2.50, GBP 2.00, EUR 2.20, NZD 4.50, CAD 3.00, HKD 20.00, SGD 4.00, THB 95.00, JPY 260.00 | No ATM fees charged by MasterCard (though local operator may apply fee); claim is 1.9 million ATMs wordwide with MasterCard logo | AUD 3.50, USD 2.50, GBP 2.00, EUR 2.20, NZD 4.50, CAD 3.00, JPY 2.20, SGD 3.50, HKD 17 | GBP 1.50, USD 2.25, EUR 2.20, AUD 3.75, NZD 4.00 | USD 2.00, GBP 1.25, EUR 2.20 |
Maximum load | AUD 80,000 or equivalent | AUD 100,000 or equivalent | AUD 25,000 or equivalent | GBP 10,000, USD 20,000, EUR 15,000, AUD 25,000, NZD 30,000 | USD 15,000 or equivalent |
Reload fee | 1.1% of reload amount | BPAY fee 1% of reload amount | 1.1% of reload amount | BPAY fee 1%, SMS fee 1.1% | Lesser of 1% of your reload or AUD 10.00 |
Currency conversion fee | 3% (for currencies not loaded on card) plus exchange rate difference. | 5.95% (for currencies not loaded on card) plus exchange rate difference. | 2% (for currencies not loaded on card) plus exchange rate difference. | 8.45% (for currencies not loaded on card) plus exchange rate difference. | 3% (for currencies not loaded on card) plus exchange rate difference. |
Monthly inactivity Fee | Yes, AUD 3.00 per month after 12 months with no transactions; applies to each separate currencyloaded on the card. | Yes, AUD 4.00 per month after 12 months with no transactions | No | Yes, GBP 1.50, EUR 2.00, USD 2.00, AUD 4.00, NZD 4.80 per month after 12 months with no transactions | No |
Closure fee | Free | Yes, AUD 10 | Free | Yes, AUD 10 | Free |
Fee for replacement card? | Yes, AUD 35.00 or equivalent outside Australia (no fee within Australia) | No | Yes, AUD 60.00, USD 40.00, GPB 30.00, EUR 35.00, NZD 75.00, CAD 50.00, JPY 3800, SGD 60.00, HKD 300 | No | No |
Positives | Lowest purchase fee (AUD 11.00) of prepaid travel cards; multiple currencies available and can load 10 at a time. | No ATM fees; Chip and PIN protected; cash emergency assistance; free back-up card; free replacement of lost or stolen cards. | Can load up to six currencies; automatically uses currency of country you are visiting; can transfer funds between currencies while travelling; free backup card. | High load limits; chip and PIN security; emergency money transfers. | Low ATM fees; free backup card; balance does not expire; no inactivity fees; Amex Global Assist Service includes traveller assistance, lost luggage, and lost passport services. |
Negatives | High ATM fees; AUD 35.00 for replacement card; AUD 3.00 per month inactivity fee. | 1.1% load fee can add up; ATM fee of 2.95% of amount withdrawn if used in Australia; negative balance fee of AUD 20.00. | High ATM fees; high replacement card fee. | Single currency card (only one currency at a time); 1.1% load fee can add up, most cards have flat fees; pricey 8.45% fee per transaction for currencies not loaded on card; AUD 10 closure fee; monthly inactivity fee. | Only available in USD, GBP, and EUR; some international merchants may attempt to apply an AMEX surcharge, which is disallowed in the US; need a separate card per currency. |