The Knowledge

Make sure you only use your card in the correct currency zone.  The euro card is designed to be used in the Eurozone, and the US dollar card should be used where the currency is US dollars.  If you use your card to make a payment in a different currency e.g. you use your euro card in the UK , where the payment needs to be made in GBP, you will be charged the 2.5% cross currency transaction fee.

No. The rate is fixed at the time you load your card. If you top-up your card while you are away, the new rate will be fixed at the time of loading.

We recommend you don't use them to pre-authorise payment or make reservations for hotel rooms, car or bike hire etc. This is because the hotel or hire firm can freeze a significant amount of your money as a deposit  - sometimes for a numebr of weeks and you won't be able to access the money while they're doing that. We suggest using another card to make the reservation but use your Currency Card to pay the bill at the end of the stay or hire period.

You aren't able to check your balance at ATMs. Instead we recommend you check your balance online for free.

Checking your balance online is free! We recommend you log on regularly so you know how much money you have left to spend before you need to load the card.

Your currency card must be loaded with a UK issued debit or credit card registered in the name of the currency card holder. 

This is known as dynamic currency conversion and is offered because your card is a UK issued card. We recommend you pay in the currency of your card at all times eg euros or US dollars, so you know how much things cost. If you chose to pay in sterling, you'll be paying their exchange rate, which is very likely to cost you more. You're much better off paying in the currency of your card.

You can order a secondary card for your partner. Simply log into your card account and click on 'additional cards' in the menu. You can order one here. To load the additional card you must first load your original card and then transfer the amount you wish onto the additional card. 

If you use a credit card, your credit card company may treat this as a cash advance and charge you extra fees in addition to the transaction fees applied by us for using a credit card.  We recommend you use a UK debit card.

When you use a card as a deposit when booking a hotel room, or hiring a car, the hotel or hire firm can freeze a significant amount of your money as a deposit – sometimes for a number of weeks - and you won’t have access to that money while they’re doing it, meaning you won’t have any money available to spend!

We recommend taking another debit or credit card with you for deposits, then paying your final bill using your World First currency card.

Some ATMs will always charge you to withdraw money from their machines, on top of the withdrawal fee that we apply. Unfortunately we have no control over these fees charged by the ATM owner.

The best way to minimize this is to try and use your card to pay in restaurants and shops as much as possible rather than withdrawing cash.

World First currency cards will not work at toll booths or unmanned petrol stations as the card readers at these facilities do not ask for authorisation from the bank prior to making the payment.  

When you buy things overseas, you’ll sometimes be offered the choice of paying in sterling instead of euros or dollars because your card is a UK issued card. This is called dynamic currency conversion.

We recommend you pay in the currency of your card at all times, so you know how much things cost and there are no cross-currency charges. Please see our fees and charges section for more information on cross-currency charges.

You should keep your PIN secret but don’t forget it! You can change your PIN at UK ATMs that offer this service. You will not be able to change your PIN overseas so remember to change it before you go!

You should treat your card like cash and keep it safe. If it gets lost you may lose some or all of the funds on your card. If you lose/damage your card or it is stolen, a replacement card fee of $11 or €8 will apply.

Remember to sign the back when you receive the card in the post.

Remember to activate it and load it up before you go! It’s not like a credit card.

In some countries they may ask you for photo ID when you pay using a card – this applies to any card, not just the currency card.  

Electronic use only – it’s a chip and PIN card, you can’t use it in the old fashioned impression based credit card machine (back in the old days or when the power goes down).

World First is a foreign currency exchange company, but we don’t have experience in prepaid cards, so we are working with knowledgeable people to bring you this product. The cards are issued by Newcastle Building Society, and the card scheme is managed by Payment Card Technologies. When you contact us, you may receive a reply from one of the companies we are working with, as they are the experts in that particular field.