Most people avoid online shopping due to mistrust (in the provider/store) or lack of working debit cards. While, we’ll deal with trust in another post; lets venture into the world of virtual prepaid cards and regular prepaid debit cards.
The concept of online shopping has increased by many folds in the recent years, and it is an integral part of the global economy. Many people, though, still cannot shop online due to restrictions placed on them based on their location. Namely, many people cannot order products from certain websites because Pakistan is not supported by that site’s shipping services, or perhaps their bank still does not support online payments.
We have already covered in detail how one can get a parcel forwarding address in order to get the items anywhere in the world but now its time to focus on a payment solution to go with your new address.
Virtual debit cards and Virtual Prepaid Cards are becoming a necessity in the online marketplace. The internet has many dangers including scam virtual debit card sites such as Cliffscard and Safepay.
Below is a list of the best virtual and prepaid debit card services out there.
How Virtual or Prepaid Debit Cards Work
Virtual debit card providers offer prepaid debit cards that can be accepted globally. Once you sign up with these services, you have to go through a verification process. Getting verified is not very difficult or lengthy especially if you have your smartphone nearby. They ask for certain documents to verify & check you are indeed a registered citizen with a valid residential address, contact number and a bank account or not. Once the documents are verified, you are a free to use your own money via their virtual debit cards.
How? Well you simply have to upload your funds via their allowed methods which can be local bank transfer, wire transfer, Credit/Debit card etc. and then wait for the money to get topped up in your card. After that you can use your virtual prepaid card on any website to purchase anything.
Now for the list of Virtual Prepaid Cards and Prepaid Debit Cards
MCB Lite
A very good card for internet use from MCB. The MCB Lite is a prepaid Visa card, enabled for internet payments for local and international transactions. The card is free to signup and use; meaning there is no loading fee or monthly service fees attached to it. There is an annual fee of PKR 300 on all MCB Lite plans though which is a reasonable amount.
Speaking of plans, every new account/card starts at MCB Lite 0 which has an annual limit of PKR 200,000 (deposit & withdrawal). Once you visit a MCB Lite branch and submit some documents, you can upgrade to Lite 1 and Lite 2 for free. Full charges and limits are clearly defined however, they make no mention of the FX charges on foreign currency transactions. Thankfully, one doesnt need to be an MCB account holder to get this card. Though you can avail all the facilities of holding a bank account. From paying utility bills and mobile top ups to sending money to other account holders within MCB network and outside of it via IBFT.
Recently, MCB has enabled the Lite account to receive remittances directly into the mobile wallet. This makes it one of the best & most powerful prepaid cards in the market today. Some of these remittance providers include: Xpress Money, UAE Exchange, MoneyGram, Transfast, EZRemit, Ria,and ACE etc. Also, did we mention that this is a full fledged mobile wallet with its own app? Its not the best with mediocre reviews however, it beats not having any insight into account balance and relying only on text messages and ATM machines.
UBL Wiz Card
The first prepaid card to launch in Pakistan is the UBL Wiz card. While they have improved their card tremendously, they are surprisingly (or maybe not surprising?) well behind MCB which came in much later and continues to evolve.
The Wiz card is a bit expensive to maintain and use, not to mention that just having a Wiz card does not mean that you can use it online. No, you have to activate it for internet use (free) and then proceed for an internet session on it for PKR 100. Once the session duration expires, you cannot use it for internet. Best to use this card for one/off purchases and not for monthly subscriptions/recurring payments online.
They do offer a Wiz Internet card which is a prepaid virtual card solely for internet use that has its own limits, however it is nowhere as good as the MCB Lite (on paper atleast). Reloading the Wiz card is only allowed from the UBL branch network, UBL ATMs, UBL netbanking or an OMNI Dukaan. Unfortunately, you cannot load this online through your regular bank account outside of the UBL branch network. The UBL Wiz Internet card is a better option for those looking for a prepaid card to use exclusively online. The internet card doesnt require online activation and there are no session charges. However, there is an annual limit of PKR 100,000 for non-biometric verified cards and PKR 500,000 for verified cards.
States Card
Signing up with States Card takes 5 mins with no verification required. Though they may ask you to verify which is straightforward and simple. They give you a tax free address in Delaware for you to use with the card.
There is a monthly limit of $100 for SEPA, PayPal and credit card loading methods. And $500 for bank transfer
You can request a revision of limits by contacting support and I’m guessing the limits mentioned above are for those without ID verification. Typically ID verification is required after $500.
To load a States Card choose the amount from the dropdown and your payment method, fees are displayed separately so you know how much you are being charged for. At the time of signup, there is a $14.95 activation fee and $3.95 monthly fee. Unfortunately, you will continue to incur the monthly fee while your account is active even if there is a zero balance. To avoid this reach out to support for manual deactivation.
Loading methods for States Card are PayPal, Credit Card, Bank transfer methods such as EPS, Giropay, iDEAL, Sofort etc.
States Card is great for US only Subscriptions like HBOMax, Disney+, Paramount+, Xbox GamePass etc.
US Unlocked
US Unlocked is by far the most helpful service out there for international shoppers. They give you a virtual prepaid MasterCard that you can either use once or reload whenever you shop online. How does this work? Well they need some basic info from your end along with a US shipping address from one of their partnered services (names mentioned below). You then need to make a card payment which includes a one-time application fee of $15.
Once your credentials are approved it then takes 2-4 business days for you to get the virtual debit card working. You can load cards through a number of methods; depending on your location. The card allows recurring payments… so your monthly subscriptions for Netflix, Spotify or HuluPlus are all safe. The card can also be linked to PayPal to pay for purchases and here is how you can do it.
Partnered forwarding services are: Opas, Shipito, Shop and Ship and Vyking Ship. Also keep in mind that you can read about these services in our parcel forwarding post which we keep updated.
You can signup with US Unlocked via our special link
So, thats a list of Prepaid Debit cards available for online shopping. There is load fees and the bank’s FX rate when you top up/load your card (international cards only). However, once you top up, you don’t suffer losses due to FX fluctuations.
Is there a card we missed that you love to use online? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll check it out.
hey its mohib from pakistan i need to know which is the best debit card or visa card to buy things on international level like amazon , facebook, upwork , and withdraw from google adsenses can you help me out from this problem i am stuck here i want to work on international level but idk which payment method could be easier to me to buy and sell and do withdraw
You missed to mention Faysal bank virtual card that offer both one time and relaodable cards. I have tested those cards to work with amazon,facebook ads,netflix and more.
No we didn’t. This article is a focused overview. Check the guide review here: https://techvise.pk/debit-cards-in-pakistan-online-shopping/
I need a card which I can use for my international tours is there any options
I want to buy connects for upwork.com can MCB Lite will work for me.
It should since Upwork accepts all types of cards. Used MCB Lite a few years ago and it worked everywhere without problems. Doesn’t hurt to try.
Salaam
Ive just read your blog about the card and the issue I came to know after calling to MCB was that they have certain levels of MCB Lite card and after achieving level 2 only then you can do online payments.
is it true and which card you suggest now to make online international payment i.e to FB , Google ,PS4 , Xbox etc
Thanks
Can we use this card for one time iTune purchases ? Like i needa virtual calling app with international number and it requires Payment via credit card on iPhone
Hi everyone
I want to do some forex trade for which i have set up a skrill account. Currently i have a ubl mastercard but its not working well with skrill. So inshort, i need a visa card. I ld not prefer to go to bank n set up a new account there for a visa card. What options do i have?
And is it even okay to do forex trade like iq options from pakistan? As i have been hearing that sbp doesnt approve it
In Pakistan people shifting from VISA to Master Card , Master Card to VISA . Its strange but people are not satisfying from these services.
Can anybody tell about meezan debit card? Need to pay for fb ads.
You should have no issues with Meezan Cards. Its safe to use for Facebook Ads.
Hi,
I hope you are fine and doing great. I have read this article about payment solutions for international purchase from Pakistan (which is BTW a great guide) and have a question regarding using the right card to purchase Gigs from fiverr. I have tried SC Debit and Credit card as well as Meezan and MCB debit cards but all were declined. I am not sure if MCB lite or UBL Wiz will work. Any thoughts?
Moreover, all the other methods (IntroPay, MoneyPolo, US Unlocked) are not accepting new applicants.
Let me know.
Thanks.
Meezan cards should work because for me it does. And yes, its very sad that these services have all pulled out from either us(Paksitan) or generally stopped accepting applicants outside EU.
can you clarify this please.Are you saying that meezan cards work for buying gigs on fiverr.Also if yes then can you clarify if its debit or credit?
Yes I use Meezan Debit card. Its a silver chip card
thanks for replying zahra.did you buy a gig recently from fiverr in last 2-3 months and also did you buy multiple gigs or just once and did you ever face any trouble like declined payment or does it go through everytime? sorry for lots of questions but i have mcb lite card sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.i would like to open meezan bank account if it works on fiverr.Let me know.Thanks again for your help.
I live in Pakistan and I’d like to get a virtual debit or credit card that I can use on Amazon, Playstation store, Paypal etc. . I had one on Entropay and now I can no longer use it as they now only provide it to European countries. I don’t want one from UBL or MCB as I have to open an account there. So, are there any other options available? Thanks.
Which one is acceptable to Careem for the purchase of their Packages?
I use my Meezan Debit card – And I’m sure any other bank will work as well. I have tried SCB card and that doesn’t work, but Meezan’s does.
hi
i am dying to use any virtual card that can work with xbox live account. see i have made an account on entropay but they say they dont use AVS(address verification system) and i know that microsoft uses verification like address name and zipcode attached with the card number that i will put in. this is the problem as i dont know whether my payment will be accepted or will i waste my money through entropay. Even if i use a shipping US address (i ahve one for florida based parcel company) on the microsoft site will the enropay card work?
now coming to Pakistani solution as i am one myself! The mcb lite card seems like a good option but again i have same doubts that as they will register my address of pakistan but when i will use that card numebr in the Xbox account the cross check wont match bcz i have to give them the US address so again i am absolutely confused what will happen as i dont want to waste my top up money! so plz QH tell me something that can calm me
Maybe I can calm you down.
May I ask what it is that you are planning to purchase? I ask because there are things that you can simply purchase via Xbox Live prepaid card and Xbox prepaid card. And these both cards are available to purchase via Keenu Wallet… this is something we have tested as well.
There is a 50% chance that with entropay you will lose out if the payment is not accepted, and same goes for the MCB Lite account. Though I am in the process of checking everything out (via MCB Lite card) in the coming months… but consider the Keenu Wallet option.
There is also a store by the name of TechStudio – I just confirmed and they keep Xbox cards as well (they deliver nationwide and prepaid cards via email) – techstudio.pk
thanks zahra i tried commenting the same thing on ur original thread on the techvise.com site but the comment system was broken for some reason.
this is the thing why do i need a virtual cc for xbox live bcz i can easily buy the games from any xbox gift card that is fine and well known but most people dont know and it is the worst thing of microsoft that they dont allow users to buy the games of xbox360 which are backwards compatible thrugh the account money or gift cards.
that is why i am looking for a virtual card bcz they need a payment method plus they do a cross check of the address which is even more damning! Entropay people just replied to my same question with the routine answer they have on their site that yes it might or might not work(like i dont know that before!) they dont provide AVS.
coming back again to MCB lite i have applied online but it seems i have to go to the branch and fill out some form it will take a while. can u check mcblite card with xbox live for xbox 360 backwards compatible games? i know it is not ur thing but since u are checking everything u might give taht a try as well plz
i dont know anything about keenu wallet but thx anyway i am not looking for options to buy xbox gift cards i can get them from various sources and differnt price ranges but that is not my concern but if keenu wallet can satisy xbox live purchase system with the check and all i might try it. i will look at techstudio for the prices of cards if they are any good i might use them! hope u reply again and quick plz
Will have the Global site checked asap tomorrow.
Yes Microsoft can be a pain, in fact a lot are like this, but yes they should be lenient. I’ll try to check if I can once my MCB Lite card arrives. Will update you once its tested.
thanks for that
but why does it take an entire 20+ hours for my comment to show up here?
and again check the xbox for xbox360 backwards compatible games purchase not the xbox one games! this is assuming u do own or have a xbox in the first place!