I just got to Nigeria and decided this is the best place to use my card.
My first purchase was online which went in a flash with no problems.
My second purchase was on an ATM machine, This did not go well.
Atm machine bug number 1: Every time I enter my password it was wrong, even after getting a new password.
Atm bug number 2: after three password attempts, my monzo card gets blocked, then I get error message on the atm saying ācanāt complete transactionā.
is your mag stripe enabled ? on I phone you can do it from your card screen silhouette in top right hand corner , Android contact customer support and ask for magstrip to be enabled
I have used my Monzo card online countless times to make purchases and pay for services here in Nigeria successfully. However, I have never tried withdrawing via an ATM until today. The experience has been terrible. All I get is āUnable to Completeā
If not, you can do this from Magstripe withdrawals from Card > Profile > Security. If youāre an Android user, youāll need to ask support to enable them for now.
You should also check that youāre a verified user, as foreign ATM withdrawals are disabled for unverified users. On iOS you can compare your limits from your Profile in the app with the limits for verified users listed here or if youāre an Android user, message the support team to check - again, this wonāt be necessary
Yes this restriction only applies to foreign withdrawals.
Magstripe ATM withdrawal support
In the UK, almost all ATMs use chip and PIN to validate your identity when you try to withdraw money. However, thatās not always the case elsewhere around the globe and in many countries, ATMs use the magnetic stripe on the back of your card to dispense cash. Up to now, weāve disabled magstripe ATM withdrawals to protect against the increased fraud risk that these ATMs bring but from today, it is now possible to temporarily turn on magstripe ATM withdrawals for 24 hours. You can access the setting from your Profile or from a transaction thatās been declined by a magstripe ATM.
Also, is there a maximum number (Not amount) of top-ups in a single day?
Because of the foreign exchange restrictions in Nigeria now, I can only top up a maximum of £70 per month!
I need way more than that so I have been using my other debit cards to top up.
After five (5) top up attempts, I am getting an error after inputting the card details to confirm payment.
Since your Monzo accountās held in the UK, then assuming that youāre funding it from a UK account, you can top up a lot more.
Monzoās limits are listed here -
I havenāt heard about any issues relating to topping up from debit cards though so Iād recommend asking customer support about that. If youāre using Monzo.me to top up, there are additional limits but that oneās not listed. Topping up from the card(s) youāve got set up in the app / Apple Pay is probably your best bet or by bank transfer.
5 per day seems like a lot though..why not top up more? You can always freeze your card from the app if you lose it..
When you try withdrawing, you should take note of the error you get, open the error message on the app and then choose to chat with the monzo help team and they will sort you out in no time. NOTE: most times I had issues was because of wrong password.
Thatās happens, request for your password again, withdrawing from Gtb u get charged N500, withdrawing from sky bank u wonāt get charged, those are the two banks I have used and observed.
Used my card several times in Lagos in October, never had any luck getting it to work with POS machines in-stores/restaurants so I ended up using ATMs with no problem (once magstripe was activated) but I did find it annoying that I had to activate the magstripe daily.
Used mostly AccessBank and First Bank ATMs, each with a N500 charge. My friend had better luck using his Monzo card with POS machines at a number of restaurants (mostly upscale places that accepted foreign cards)
Using Monzo in Nigeria now with no issues at all, awesome when things work as they should.
Sad to search Nigeria on these forums and see reference to 419 scams