Latitude 28 Degrees Global Platinum Mastercard Questions & Answers (page 4 of 5)

If you use the 28 degrees credit card just to make purchases, it will be zero interest if you stick within their interest free days - which from memory is 55 days.
If you withdraw against your credit card, I think you will not have an interest free period. To withdraw funds without incurring interest, you should put money on to the card via BPAY (or other) so your credit card is in credit and then you can use it more of a debit card.

The last I saw the interest rate was 21%. You would be better paying interest on the cash advance if you avoid money changer commissions (around 30% coming into Brisbane last week), but Elle has the better answer above..

So if i have a limit of $2000 on the 28d mastercard

Can i bpay $2000 on the card so its $2000 in credit and use it in phillipines to make purchases and cash withdrawals without paying interest and how much are the atm fees usually is it $2-5

You just put AUD on the card. When you withdraw cash overseas, the local currency is converted into AUD and that amount is debited to the card.

This is the same as any other credit card except that the 28 degrees card has no cash withdrawal charges or surcharge on the currency conversion. However, 28 degrees charges a higher interest rate for cash withdrawals and interest on cash withdrawals starts from the date of withdrawal. Hence it is better to have money in the card when you make a withdrawal so that you pay no interest.

When you are overseas and make a transaction or withdraw cash, the currency at the destination is converted to AUD which is then billed to your card just as with any other credit card. You don't load the card with different currencies.

All credit cards start charging interest on cash withdrawals from the day of the withdrawal. With most cards there is a withdrawal fee as well as a surcharge of around 3%. The advantage of the 28 degree card is that there is no withdrawal fee or surcharge. However, 28 degrees charge a higher interest rate on cash withdrawals than many other cards. To avoid interest charges for withdrawing cash keep the 28 degree card card in credit.

i've done this numerous time's to actually debt money out of an ATM overseas and havent had any troubles, my limit is $3k then i'll keep toping it up with $1k to take money out or using as a credit card, its like using my own savings card without the fee's! (its only the atm fee that you'll get charged, $2 or so, not a fee from 28D)

This might be a silly question. But how do you top up your credit card with money from your bank account? And if you have a credit limit of $3k does that mean you can only top up the credit card with $3k? So if your account is always in a positive credit by topping it up, does that mean that you don't get any bills at the end of the month and don't have to pay anything?

Hi teeko, not a silly question. You top up or deposit $ into your card account via normal BPay transfer. I do not know if you are limited in how much you can pay into your account but whatever you do put into the account is what you acces like a debit card and do not incurr interest or currency exchange fees. There are fees though, Shopper Protection Fees, Owner ATM charges and 21% interest from day of withdrawal of cash from the credit amount, not any debit amount. Hope that makes sense.

I used the card in several countries in Europe for cash withdrawal and was never charged a fee by the ATM owner. I believe that some ATMs do charge but I used the ATMs of the major banks.

28 degrees do not charge a fee for cash withdrawal, but unless the account is in credit they charge interest from the day of the transaction. The 28 degree card conversion rate seems to be among the best of the banks.

Beware, many overseas ATMs and eftpos terminals ask you whether you want the transaction charged back in AUD or in the local currency. Always select local currency otherwise you will be charged at the conversion rates used by the local bank plus the local bank's fees.

Yes

I haven`t used it in Russia, but I did use it in several old Eastern Block countries - Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic without any problems. I used it at any ATM in hotels, railway stations, and town squares etc with no problems. No fees were ever charged. The exchange rate seemed to pretty well be what was the current rate. I thought it was excellent. Hubby and I had one each - two different accounts. Used one as a credit card and the other for cash withdrawals. I hope this answer is not too late for your needs.

I have used this card in Russia for months and it is accepted everywhere. I have not have a problem with one single ATM and not been charged an ATM fee once. Best travel credit card ever!

Just make sure you do your research about where you can use this card and what banks do not attract the fees.

Hi Anne, I have an old android phone and it worked fine although I had to scroll around to see everything. Their website isn't specifically designed for tablets/phones so if you're having problems using the standard Safari then maybe try downloading the Google Chrome or Opera browsers, but make sure you test it before leaving home!
Andrew

Hi Chien,
You do not need to find a Westpac ATM to be able to withdrawl cash for free overseas. Any ATM that allows use of Mastercard will work for you. However, be careful that some foreign banks charge a cash withdrawl fee themselves. For examle in Thailand, Thai banks charge an ATM withdrawl fee of 150 baht for overseas cards - the only exception in Thailand that I know about is AEON bank.
cheers
Peter

You will not find an Australian ATM such as Westpac when overseas. You use any ATM that uses Mastercard.

I used any ATM while travelling and have never been charged a fee. The Westpac restriction only applies for use in Australia.

There is no cost to obtain the card and no annual fee. Just credit interest like other cards if there is a debt after 55 days or you make a cash advance. You complete the on-line application form and then see if you are accepted. Similar to obtaining a credit card from other sources.

Yes you can load your card with cash. We loaded cash on before we left and also while we were away.
You still use it like a credit card but it uses your funds first before using the credit available on your account. We have travelled extensively overseas in the previous 6 years & using the 28 Degrees Mastercard has by far been the easiest & most cost effective.

Yes, absolutely, I did the same thing on a recent trip to Indonesia, I withdrew my own money to a point where I left about $5 of my own money on it so there were no fees and no interest.

I agree. I guess it is a matter of softly, softly, adding a 'reasonable' amount. 28degrees doesn't 'market' this feature as they make their money from credit and cash advances. But it works. I B-Paid extra in to make sure I had my full credit limit before departure and preloaded spending money before leaving Oz. I added some more overseas through B-Pay as I had a future hotel bill needing to be 'quarantined' on my card. Takes a little time to show up on the on-line transactions page but it is there as you can see from the credit gauge. I used ATMs then to make cash withdrawals of my credit. Even if you used cash advances I calculated that after a month of interest (pay the balance immediately on return to Oz or B-Pay from o/s) you come out far better than using a Travel Card and its fees. The Mastercard forex rate used by GE is the best around even converting from another currency to USD and back to AUD. This card is the best around.

No problems just use the major local banks. Don't use commonwealth bank ATMs, they will charge.

Feedback from Indonesia use just above... looks good.

If you have your balance in credit when you arrive home, you cannot get that balance transferred into your usual operating account as 28D make you use up your balance money first just like when you are overseas, before you are able again to use their credit facility, That happened to me last year.

Hi nan_alice. Product Review asked me to respond to your query. I can't comment on acceptability of the 28 Degrees card in the Philippines, but expect it would be excellent since the card is part of the Mastercard franchise, which is widely accepted internationally. Regarding ATM charges, ATM owners charge a transaction fee in most places (but not all, France for example), though not as much as $5 or $7 in my experience. If you are concerned about ATM fees, then a good option is to withdraw cash in reasonably large amounts and then pay for purchases with cash. The important thing to remember with 28 Degrees card, as with any other card, is if you wish to withdraw cash, always keep the card balance in the black. If you don't, the card company will charge usurious interest rates. Enjoy your trip. PJ

Not too sure about Phillipines cash machines but I found the 28 degrees card fantastic in nearby Indonesia, I topped up the card with my own cash before I left Australia and withdrew it last week from an Indonesian bank cash machine (BNI) and again at an ATM at a 24 hour cash conversion/convienence store with no problems. I checked my statement yesterday online and they charged NO fees for currency conversion, and NO ATM fees. I am very impressed.

This is a credit card so the trick is to top it up with your own money a week or two before you go, and don't go into debit on it as the interest is very high about 22 percent.

I'm not sure about the Phillipines but I'm sure the exprience be similar there. I'm going to try the card again when I visit Mauritius in a few weeks time.

Another card you could try is the Citibank Plus card, it's a visa debit card, you top it up with your own cash, and has no overseas ATM or conversion fees.

Hope this helps!

They probably don't recommend this because they won't repay any additional $ in the event of fraud. That is, if you lose your card and someone makes purchases with it, I doubt they will cover the topped up amount. By law, they must cover any money stolen that comes from your credit so long as you report it immediately. I added $10 000 before I went overseas and again during our trip. When I told them I was using it in Europe, they saw the $10 000 of my money in the account and simply reminded me that purchases and cash advances would come from my money first. They didn't seem to worry about the extra dollars in the card. If I went again, I would only put $5000 on at a time to limit my risk in the event of fraud on my card.

From all the posts I'm reading, the BESTway to use this card is to top it up. It is worrying there isn't fraud insurance on it, though. I'd get a limit of $2000 then top it up with just $2000.

The answer is to keep the account in the black in order to avoid heavy interest charges. Using BPay, you can keep transferring relatively small amounts periodically, with the amount transferred calculated to keep your balance in positive territory for, say, the next week or so. Using the card this way, it works well.

It is to my understanding that there are no fees for overseas transactions. In fact when you google 28 Degrees the heading is "travel card with no international fees". The website mentions it over and over, "australian credit card that offers no annual fee, no currency conversion fees and no international fees"It is obviously a charge by the merchant. I have just paid for a bunch of accommodation in Hawaii and there are no fees.

Thanks very much Rachael,but the Hotel in the UK is still going to charge me an extra 3% on the bill because they say that 28 D is still a credit card and they get charged a fee by their

thanks rachael, i've now found out that you are right except that I checked my last years statements for a Europe trip and paid ginormous ATM owner fees in Poland, Czech republic and nearby countries and that if in a foreign country, one should check with the bank what their ATM fees are. Also,hotels might charge a credit card fee if their credit card company charges them to handle your transaction. UK does this. However, no charges whatsoever for withdrawing cash from ATM's in the UK as long as you top up your 28D card with cash beforehand and ensure that the ATM is FOC that you propose to use, otherwise you pay cash advances interest at over 20%. I'm now a bloody 28D expert and even know how to transfer cash from my Aussie account by bPay into my 28D card, WOW !

I was primarily travelling in russia so wasn't choosy there or anywhere else about what ATM I used, I just used the first one i came to. From memory i wasn't charged many fees at all, if any - and if charged, then the fee was maybe AUD2 which is nothing. i think they are warning users "just in case" but in reality its not an issue.

Have never had an ATM fee for transaction fee charged in 7 years (even back when it was called the Wizard card) and no transaction
fees either plus a very good exchange rate.

Probably a good thing to do. Having said that I have never bothered to let them know - just rocked up and started using it.

Always advise any CC provider when you're going overseas otherwise you risk having it locked! I forgot once on a trip to Thailand and within seconds of making my first purchase had a phone call from them to verify I was in possession of the card.

Use the Bpay facillity

Just do a funds transfer online.