Today, a debit card that you can use online and when you travel outside Zimbabwe is reasonably within anyone’s reach. It wasn’t always so. Back some 4 years ago, bank cards with with MasterCard or visa logo were for the elite. Actually, just banking itself was for the working minority. When FBC launched a prepaid MasterCard in 2011 therefore, it was quite a big deal. Big in that the card required no bank account – and therefore no ridiculous KYC.
Eventually though, after getting this basic access need, the flaws in that FBC card were obvious. You could only make deposits at FBC itself, and if I’m not mistaken, at one point, only at a certain branch! So funding the card meant being in time for banking hours. It’s this, mainly, that Econet heavily disrupted with the introduction of the mobile wallet based MasterCard.
It was such a pleasure therefore when I learnt yesterday that FBC has made it possible for the post office and TelOne to take deposits into the card. Some 18 branches I counted. Strangely though, only two of those are not in Harare, and the two are at the border towns of Kariba and Chirundu. Is it no one in Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and the other cities uses this card?
With this finally fixed, FBC should now make it possible to transfer funds from a bank account to this card. Or via mobile, so I don’t have to leave my home altogether.
You can download the full list of outlets here.
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14 comments
The important thing here is for them to allow people to get these cards from said outlets. not just top up at weird hours. I mean. What happens if i “suddenly” need to purchase something online on saturday at 1703?
Firstly I will be cautious! FBC needs to work on its systems. I will not forget the day I heard someone deposited money into the card for someone who was out of the country who desperately needed the money but the money never got through. The result was someone stranded in foreign land courtesy of FBC Mastercard. For now not me. I am not convinced.
Secondly its a good initiative but not good enough. Its got to allow me to do transactions midnight. There should be a mobile money interface built somewhere to allow the deposits. Humble yourselves and run to Ecocash, Telecash, OneWallet, Nettcash etc.
My thoughts
The FBC Mastercard has always worked fairly well for me actually. I agree on the mobile deposits but as someone here has pointed out, it is possible if you’re a Mobile Moola subscriber.
Wat people dnt understand is its actually ecocash and other facilities which refuse and the PREPAID MASTERCARD is a competitor to their Debit card and we all know how Econet does not like competition, So your point about being humble is INVALID
Given the writer’s concluding paragraph, clearly he/she is not adequately inform. As of around two months ago FBC made it possible to load a Prepaid MasterCard via their Internet Banking platform accessible on their website http://www.fbc.co.zw. Secondly and lately one can also now load their Prepaid MasterCard using Mobile Moola, FBC’s mobile banking service. You can do this under the Bill Payments option among DSTv Bancassurance(FBC’s insurance products), Econet, Edgars, GoTV, Hospital Cash Plan, Netone, Telecel, Telone, various city & town councils, Zesa, Truworths!
Given the writer’s concluding paragraph, clearly he/she is not adequately informed. As of around two months ago FBC made it possible to load a Prepaid MasterCard via their Internet Banking platform accessible on their website http://www.fbc.co.zw. Secondly and lately one can also now load their Prepaid MasterCard using Mobile Moola, FBC’s mobile banking service. You can do this under the Bill Payments option among DSTv Bancassurance(FBC’s insurance products), Econet, Edgars, GoTV, Hospital Cash Plan, Netone, Telecel, Telone, various city & town councils, Zesa, Truworths!
Thanks for the update. I have actually always thought it was possible to transfer money from other FBC accounts to this card. What I’d love is to make a transfer from any bank account which would mean I can fund it (and maybe other people can fund it for me) from a non-FBC source electronically. Opening an FBC account just means I have to go through another account opening and account maintenance process just so i can fund my Mastercard.
As recently as last week, I deposited into my FBC Mastercard at the Samora Branch and I asked the teller if this was possible yet. Her response was that she it wasn’t and that she’d pass on the suggestion to management.
i receive money in my card through RTGS from another bank so yes it is possible. you can also receive from any country too through Telegraphic transfer, just ask them to quote your card number in place of account number 🙂
Pleasantly surprised. Ofcourse it’d be a security problem to disclose my card number to someone else so they can transfer. But yeah, good if this is already there. How come your tellers don’t know this?
Sort code is 019 for those wondering about RTGS!
Ah I will never forget how this card would consistently give error messages when I was in the US and would call the help desk, email and text with absolutely no response.Nxaa
Nice development.I have had this card for the past 4 months..Honetsly i have never heard problems
Have they removed the $3 fee when loading the card? Thats what drove me to ecocash. Once a month I justed needed to make a $6 payment to godaddy. So I wld need to load around 11 dollars. If they have scrapped it I will come back
I live in Chisipite and have to be in Johannesburg for a couple of days next month for a medical appointment. How do i apply for a card with FBC, and how does it work. Thank you.