Collected thoughts on card design (Part 1)

Financial Chat Fintech Chat
8356

Got algbra

Tis a nice card and I really like the rear design. Wish it wasn’t upside down as chip placement doesnt fit with rest :sob:

I really want to know what they send your activation code as another plastic card. (This is rich coming from the person ordering random plastic cards off financial institutes without using them) But it seems like a waste of plastic when they could have been like others and just have a sticker on the card or a paper slip or the card activates after putting card number into app.

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8359

Just got my new JaJa card.

Very understated design. The app is still a bit sparse, but at least there’s Apple Pay now.

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8360

Agreed. Even though we rarely use it these days, it makes much more design sense to have the magstrip at the bottom of the back of the card.

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8361

Didn’t they dump all of their customers like a year ago?

8363

I don’t know about that but this is the new Jaja Vanta account.

Jaja have a habit of over promising and under delivering. Maybe this time they mean business.

I was on the original waiting list for Jaja a few years ago but never bothered with it.

The Vanta account is apparently a new thing- it caters for people rejected for prime cards but at the same time are too good for sub prime. They claim the Vanta is a near-prime product!! Apr is 34% so that puts them firmly in sub-prime territory.

Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if they decide to close accounts wholesale, plenty more fish in the sea.

8364

Can anyone recommend a good Spanish bank or British bank off-shoot (such as Santander Gold that lets you hold euros)?

Preferably a bank with a somewhat easy application process.

Thanks in advance!

8365

Not Spanish but you can hold euros in HSBC global money iirc

8367

Starling. Wise isn’t a bank but pay interest on the EUR account so useful for that.

8368

I thought they were not available currently?

8369

Are you saying to open a Euro currency account with HSBC then transfer these funds into the GMA?

I already bank with HSBC in multiple locations so that would be something easy to setup if that is the case.

8370

Yes, if you open a EUR Foreign Currency account with HSBC, you can transfer those directly to the GMA and hold them as EUR.

8371

Good point. I forgot about Starling temporarily pulling up the drawbridge.

8372

That could be the solution I was looking for, as in a few months, I’ll be heading off to France, and (through the international office of my host university) I was informed that for rent, electricity and phone bills I will need a local bank account (which I’m in the final stages of opening).

I pondered moving the money via Revolut, but I run the risk of having my account frozen (or worse) and HSBC is charging a fee of £5 to move my GBP to EUR.

8374

Or as I do with the GMA, transfer from my main account in GBP and convert it within the GMA.

I guess if I regularly needed EUR that might be slightly inconvenient but works for me.

8375

@dgmjr2018 & @harrysj12341234 Use Wise¹ which will operate native IBANs in each EU state.

¹ Cheeky referral link, but I thought I’d be bold as no one else has suggested Wise.

8377

So they offer a Spanish IBAN? Or only a Belgian IBAN?

8378

If you need a Spanish IBAN then Cajamar Wefferent is the only free account I know of, but has to be opened in person if you don’t live there, and also needs a non-residency certificate from the Spanish police.

8379

Thanks for that.

When paying with a Wise card do I need to select pounds or euros on the card machine or does it choose euros automatically?

I’ve been caught by this a few times with people automatically selecting pounds and I end up with a bad exchange rate.

8380

You could try BoursoBank (Owned by Societe generale) or Hello bank (Owned by BNP Paribas), they offer free online banking as long as you make 1 card payment a month and honestly, you probably won’t need a traditional bank nowadays. And btw their free plan are as good as the paid plan from traditional banks and won’t notice the difference in normal/daily use.

8381

Are these both Spanish banks?

SG is French if I’m not mistaken.

I’m looking for Spanish bank euro offerings.