Dollar Virtual Cards In Nigeria is in the lips of a lot of Nigerian startups this is because the need for Dollar virtual cards has been on the raise because of the $20 daily limit placed on naira cards, what this means is transactions beyond $20 can not be done using a Nigerian card regardless of the card type (Visa or Mastercard).
Another reason many individuals and businesses need dollar virtual cards is the rise in digital activities, a lot of people shop online, watch movies and listen to music online, and many businesses advertise online using platforms like Facebook, Google and LinkedIn and all these platforms recognise dollar as their major currency. What this means is, to use these services for business or pleasure, dollar is needed and a lot of it.
Thankfully some fintech businesses saw this need and decided to solve this problem, thus the Virtual Dollar Cards were introduced. Big brands like Flutterwave introduced Barter, while companies like Chipper, Eversend, Mintyn and Wallet Africa position themselves as pioneers of this “evolution in the use of dollars”, they are the big names when you talk about dollar virtual cards in Nigeria.
Everything was fine and going on well not until July 17th 2022, about 6 of these dollar card providers suspended their service indefinitely making all their cards useless in the hands of their customers, it was like doomsday because no one was prepared for this obstruction, everyone who owned and used dollar virtual cards began looking for an immediate solution to this shock.
However, some companies claim to still have dollar cards functioning in Nigeria and promised their customers of continuous ease of service, some of these companies are ALAT by Wema, Chipper, Mintyn and Eyowo.
These companies promise to provide dollar virtual card services but in reality, they put you through a setup process where you will share your personal data, halfway down the line you will notice they’ve either suspended their virtual card service or don’t even have it in the first place.
My Experience
In the search to look for a solution, I went on a virtual card spree, looking for genuine and functional virtual card providers, my first experience was with Chipper
Chipper
I installed Chipper, hoping to finally get a solution to my problem, then I noticed the app wasn’t even opening, I tried several times but the app did not open which was very frustrating had to uninstall it immediately.
ALAT by Wema
My hope and expectations were high with ALAT, and seeing how well the ALAT brand has grown, I felt this was the final stop for me, I felt I had seen the solution, and immediately I downloaded and installed the ALAT by Wema but still no show.
This was what happened; I installed the app, follow their setup process, and provided all the information they asked for, the app just kept loading and eventually timed out, utterly waste of my time.
Mintyn
This was another waste of my time because after downloading, installing and setting Mintyn, I found out they were powered by Flutterwave, I thought to myself if Barter isn’t in service, no way Mintyn would still be issuing virtual dollar cards.
I reached to out to them and they confirmed their dollar virtual cards are not operational, which was a bommer to me because I’d already install and setup an account with them.
At the end of the day, I have several about 3 new apps installed on my phone with the promise of providing me with a virtual card but none were actually work.
In conclusion, it is very difficult to see a dollar virtual card that actually works, I’ve tried a hand full of them and they don’t work, it seems that dooms day will be here a bit longer considering alot of businesses like mine depend on these cards for smooth operations.
However, there is still a little bit of hope, which is opening a domicillary account and a having a debit card connected to that account, this way you be able to pay for any digital service you.
A down side is the funding process, you have to literally go buy dollar and physically walk in the bank to fund the account which can be very stressfull considering how alot of things can be done with just the click of a button.
Another down side to this option is the spending limit. Domicillary debit cards have a limit of $1,000, so what this means you will have to adjust your purschases or transactions for the month to $1,000.
This obviously isn’t the best solution but we can hang on to this and hope the big dollar virtual cards service providers like Barter bring back their service, to take us out of this dooms day.
Dollar Virtual Cards In Nigeria will always be a concern to a lot of Nigerians which means the demand is on the rise, what this means is that the firm that can solve this problem and provide a steady and smooth service will bag a lot of money.