With vaccination programmes rolling out successfully across the UAE and other countries, there’s a surge in travellers wanting to explore the world.
After all, there’s nothing like 12 months of relative confinement to make those airport check-in queues look mighty appealing.
A recent survey by Rehlaty by dnata Travel said that 70 per cent of its bookings in 2021 so far have been for outbound travel. Popular destinations range from Maldives and Tanzania, to Bosnia, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar – the more exotic the better it seems.
As the pandemic transforms consumer attitudes, online shopping is also soaring. With months of physical stores being closed and various levels of lockdown being experienced worldwide, shoppers turned in their millions to e-commerce. And they have no intention of ditching it now.
So, if you are someone making business or leisure travel plans or who loves shopping on international websites, then Citibank’s Global Wallet is for you. It is a new feature linked to your Citigold Debit Mastercard, which allows you to make purchases overseas at point-of-sale or online.
It banishes the tedium of queueing at currency exchanges or the risk of travelling with wads of cash. Put simply, it’s an electronic ticket to a world of financial convenience, security and efficiency like you have never experienced before.
Here are the top reasons why the Citigold Debit Mastercard ticks all the right travel boxes.
Shop like a local (online and overseas)
Indulge in a hassle-free online shopping experience as though you are a local of the country you are buying from, by avoiding currency conversion fees while transacting in up to 8 currencies in addition to dirhams.
If you are travelling abroad life gets much easier too. For example, with the Global Wallet feature turned on, if you are travelling to the UK and have a funded sterling pound currency account with Citibank UAE, any sterling pound transactions or cash withdrawals will be debited directly from your sterling pound currency account – with no additional currency conversion fees.
Transact in up to 9 currencies
By enabling the Global Wallet feature on the Citi Mobile App you can automatically switch your Citigold Debit Mastercard to the currency you are transacting in – up to nine of them: AED, USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, NZD, CHF, and JPY, subject to having an account of the currency you are intending to use. This allows you to shop until you drop without incurring any extra fees. You can add foreign currency accounts and top up your currencies when you find favourable exchange rates through the app, or give instructions for FX OrderWatch to book the exchange rate through Citi Online.
Enjoy free cash withdrawals from Citi ATMs worldwide
Because it is linked to your Citigold Debit Mastercard, the Global Wallet feature allows you to make purchases overseas at point-of-sale or online and withdraw cash from Citi proprietary ATMs without incurring additional foreign currency conversion fees or administration fees.
Transfer funds in more than 60 currencies
Transfer funds in more than 60 currencies 24X7 through the Citi Mobile App. Citigold account holders can transfer a maximum of $250,000 per day through the Citibank Global Transfers platform, as compared to a standard telex transfer.
Setting up is hassle-free
Getting started is super easy. All you need do is turn on the Global Wallet feature on the Citi Mobile App and add your foreign currency accounts, which will then instantly link to your Citigold Debit Mastercard. There’s no paperwork involved, so you can be splashing your cash overseas in no time, and without the extra currency conversion fees.
You don’t even need to turn off Global Wallet after travelling. When you spend or withdraw in UAE dirham, the default UAE dirham account will be debited when the feature is enabled.
Join Citigold today and get up to Dh5,750 cashback, subject to terms and conditions.
Citibank terms and conditions apply.
