Top Card Tips

1. Order in plenty of time before travelling

A new FairFX Card and PIN can take up to 10 working days to arrive. Although many cards arrive sooner, please remember to err on the side of caution and leave enough time before you travel when placing your order.

2. Loading a FairFX Card using Debit/Credit Cards

When using an existing UK debit/credit card to buy Euros or Dollars to load on to your FairFX Currency Card balance, ensure that you're using a card which is registered at the same address as you provided when registering with FairFX - otherwise your payment will fail.

3. Loading a FairFX Card using Bank Transfer

When topping up your FairFX Currency Card via bank transfer you will be given a unique payment reference number which begins "FXP". This number is different for every transaction and must be placed in the reference field when transferring money to us so we can identify your funds.

4. Sign up for more than one card

Consider taking more than one FairFX Currency Card with you on your travels to act as a backup. If one card gets lost, stolen or damaged then you'll be able to get access to your reserve cash straight away and we will be able to transfer funds from one card to the other.

5. Manage your FairFX Card from your Mobile Phone or PDA

Remember to sign up for our Text/SMS service which means that wherever you are in the world you can find out how much cash you have left to spend, check our exchange rates, and top-up your FairFX Currency Card by text message.

6. Use the FairFX Card on check-out, not check-in

Please be aware that if you use any debit or credit card when checking in to a hotel or hiring a car, that they typically process what is known as a pre-authorisation. No money is actually taken off your card at this point but funds are effectively ring-fenced on your card to cover them against non-payment and are therefore not available to spend. These pre-authorisations can be large and remain in force for some time, sometimes even after you've settled your account. Therefore, we recommend using a regular credit or debit card to "guarantee" transactions and only use the FairFX card when you actually settle an account.

7. ATM withdrawal Limits

You can make up to 3 ATM withdrawals per day and 10 over a 4 day period. If you exceed these limits the card gets locked for ATM usage. Therefore, we recommend paying where possible using your FairFX Currency Card rather than cash and to try to estimate your cash needs each day and make one ATM withdrawal. This will also lessen the effect of the ATM withdrawal fees.

8. Communication if there is a problem

The best method of communicating with us is to e-mail to enquiries@fairfx.com and let us know both the problem you are having and the last 4 digits of your FairFX Card number. If you are unlucky enough to lose your FairFX card or have it stolen, please call us immediately on 01159 577420, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so we can have the card suspended and protect your funds.

9. When you get home

You can either withdraw any excess funds in £ from a UK ATM which accepts MasterCard or we can buy-back any excess currency and wire the £ to your UK Bank account. It only costs $2.00 or 1.50 Euros (depending which card you are using) to withdraw your cash from any UK ATM which accepts MasterCard.

10. Keep the FairFX card!

Don't destroy your card after your trip! Remember that your FairFX Currency Card is valid for 3 years and you can top it up again before your next trip. Keep your card safe for future use!

11. Order at least 2 FairFX Cards

Having more than one card (obviously kept in different places!) is a good security measure. If one of your FairFX Currency Cards is lost, stolen or damaged, you then have a back up card. We can then transfer funds from the lost, stolen or damaged card to your other 'back up' card.

One reason that we recommend this is that we currently don't deliver replacement cards overseas, they are sent to your UK residential address registered with us, so having a back up card allows you to keep spending without any inconvenience!

Be aware that every FairFX account holder is allowed to apply for up to 5 cards (in any combination of Euros or USD). We don't currently offer joint accounts. However, we are constantly trying to improve our product offering and will be looking at this in the near future.

12. PIN and Replacement Card Requests

You can request a new PIN, PIN reminder or replacement card to be sent to you by using our card services website. Please go to www.fairfxcard.com, login, and go to the homepage, then click on the Card services tab at the top and request a new PIN.

13. Euro Card for Euros and Dollar Card for Dollars!

Remember that you can only load a Euro card with Euros and a Dollar card with Dollars - although you can use any FairFX card throughout the world, you'll need to order a currency-specific card to lock-in our best exchange rates.

14. Dynamic Currency Conversion - If you have a € card, make sure you pay in €!

Some merchants may give you the option to select a different currency other than the denominated card currency to make your payment. Make sure that you always select the currency of your card. For example, if you have a Euro FairFX Card, and you are given the option to pay in euros or pounds sterling, make sure you select euros. If you permit the merchant to convert the amount back into pounds they will choose their own exchange rate, generally a poor one, and you will be paying for two unnecessary exchanges.