A cashless society has its own advantages. Perhaps, that explains why more and more Indians are inclined to shop, with a plastic card in hand. Nupur Anand and Vishwanath Nair list out more options for your convenience. Happy swiping!

Exit cash, enter plastic

A cashless society has its own advantages. Perhaps, that explains why more and more Indians are inclined to shop, with a plastic card in hand. list out more options for your convenience. Happy swiping!

The need to transform India into a less cash handling society has been talked about time and again. The result is there for all to see: over the years, debit and credit cards have managed to make it to almost everyone’s wallet in urban India. However, the number of non-cash transactions still stands at a dismally low level at just six per year, per person. And though banks have been trying to increase the focus on plastic money via debit and credit cards for many years, this list of pre-paid cards will also go a long way in making electronic payments a more preferred way of doing such transactions. Forex Card: While you are sightseeing abroad, the last thing you would want to focus on is the fad wad of cash in your wallet. The convenience and the safety option that a forex card provides make it every traveller’s delight. These cards work on a pre-paid basis and can be recharged whenever the customer would like to. Customers can avail of a forex card for leisure, business travel, education, medical and other permitted categories under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) provision. “Earlier, customers were not very comfortable with carrying a debit card or credit card out of the country, because it is difficult to map expenses. Also, the cost of using such cards was high. However, a forex card works on a pre-paid principle. So, the customer knows how much money he has while spending overseas,” said Pradeep Sampath, regional sales manager, ElectraCard Services, which provides software and third party processing services for cards and payments management industry across the world. ElectraCard recently launched a forex card in association with IndusInd Bank. With forex cards, you can lock the exchange rate at the time you get the card loaded. This can help you put the worry about depreciating rupee at bay. These cards are available in all major currencies. And if your trip abroad is going to take you to different destinations, involving different currencies then you can even go for a multi-currency option card. Unlike a travellers’ cheque where you need to go to a money changer to get it encashed, a forex card can be used at ATMs or any stores. If you compare forex cards to your credit and debit cards, then they leave them also far behind. “A forex card is safe to carry as automated teller machine (ATM) withdrawals are PIN protected and your cash is accessible easily. Free text alerts on your phone are provided for every transaction, instantly. This prevents misuse of the card. If lost, it can be hot listed and reissued on client request. No charges are levied if the card is used or swiped at a merchant establishment,” says Vikas Mangla, business head - emerging corporates, IndusInd Bank. The beauty is, with this option, you can lock the exchange rate in different currencies and shield yourself from currency fluctuations before you set out to explore the world. Several banks also offer insurance cover on the lost card, baggage delays and flight cancellation on the card. These charges may also differ, depending on the currency being withdrawn. Apart from this, you will have to pay a one-time issuance fee that can range from anywhere between `100-300. You will also be charged slightly extra if you want to reload the card at any point. To get a forex card, you will have to furnish your PAN card, passport and your tickets. If you have set out on a holiday, then you can load your card with a maximum of $10,000 and if it is a business trip that has taken you overseas, you can carry a maximum of $25,000. Co-branded Airline Card: With a spurt in customers travelling internationally, using various credit and debit cards, banks have started taking note of this segment. HDFC Bank recently launched a co-branded credit card in association with Jet Airways, with lifestyle benefits and rewards in the form of JPMiles. The card, which is offered on the MasterCard platform, comes in World, Platinum and Titanium variants, allowing customers access various benefits across the world. This is currently available to JetPrivelege customers only. Money Card: These cards are mainly meant for parents who can use these pre-loaded cards for their children. Though debit cards may be a better option in most cases, at times when you want to limit spending or not hand over the debit card, you may explore this option, too. In order to keep a tab on what your child is spending, you can even get a mobile alert activated. This will ensure that every time a transaction is carried out, you get a message. Just like an ATM card, these cards can be used to withdraw cash, carry out online transactions and also at stores. Axis Bank, which offers this product, calls it a ‘Minory Card’ and has a few lakh clients using it. “We have a found a lot of traction in the major cities, with parents opting for a Minory Card rather than opening accounts and giving debit cards to their children. Ideally, it works for pocket money, or passing money to the child studying in a different city. The transactions are usually in the lower thousands in every card,” said Jairam Sridharan, head - consumer lending and payments, Axis Bank. Gift Card: A gift card works on the same principle as a gift voucher. Such cards are usually issued by a bank or a non-banking institution or even a retailer and are available at their respective outlets. You can purchase a card from such outlets, worth a pre-denominated amount mentioned on the card, after filling up a basic know your customer form before instantly gifting it to the recipient concerned. Some of these gift cards may also need online authentication before usage. Ideally, a gift card gives a wide variety of options for anyone to purchase something they like. A card user can either use a gift card at the point of sale terminal in a retail store — if it is a participating player — or use it to shop online. Most public sector banks such Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Bank of India today offer a gift card.