Using the BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card overseas. The lowdown

If you hold a Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) Flexi Debit Visa card and you’re planning an overseas trip, you may be wondering what your options are to access funds while travelling.

While using your everyday debit card internationally can seem like the easiest choice, it can also come with some added conditions and costs.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at whether BNZ allows their flexi debit cards to be used overseas, how this works and what to expect in terms of fees, charges and exchange rates so you can set off fully prepared. Let’s get right to it.

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 Can you use your BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card overseas?

Yes, BNZ allows both their credit and debit cards to be used overseas. You can use your debit card at most ATM facilities globally, however, charges apply.¹ We’ll outline these further on.

As BNZ uses Visa to process these transactions, your chosen ATM or retailer will need to accept Visa to facilitate this.

What to do before you travel abroad with your BNZ debit card

If you are planning to use your debit card abroad it is always recommended to notify your bank of your overseas travel plans. This advice applies no matter who you bank with.

Why? Doing this ensures your bank is aware that some atypical spending is likely to occur during this period and that they do not block access to your funds as a result.

With BNZ, you can create a travel alert easily by²:

1. Logging in to their Internet Banking platform online
2. Selecting ‘menu’ followed by ‘cards’ and then navigating to the tab titled ‘Let Us Know’ beside the heading ‘Travelling soon?’
3. Completing the relevant sections regarding your travel dates and destinations
4. Clicking submit to finalise

What are the fees to use your BNZ debit card abroad?

Just as with all banks, fees and charges will apply to use your debit card overseas.

For BNZ, the below table outlines what to expect with regard to these.

As seen on 15 December 2023

While BNZ does not currently levy a fee for making an ATM withdrawal overseas, it is worth noting that most ATMs may charge a fee on each transaction.

This may apply for balance enquiries or withdrawals and is in addition to the foreign currency fee percentage charged by BNZ.

What is the exchange rate BNZ uses for your overseas or foreign currency payments?

As per BNZ’s website, any transactions made overseas, whether at an ATM or via an EFTPOS facility will converted to New Zealand dollars using Visa’s exchange rate.¹

They also advise that in some cases – your transaction will be converted into US dollars first and then into New Zealand Dollars – before the 2.5% transaction fee is applied.¹

This double handling during currency conversion may see you more affected by exchange rates than anticipated. However, this will depend on where you are overseas when using your debit card card.

What are the card spending limits with the BNZ debit card

The BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card has a daily ATM limit of NZD $2000 and a daily transaction limit of NZD $10,000.⁴

These daily limits are set by BNZ and can be adjusted through discussion with them and at their discretion.

How these limits apply when travelling and using the card is unclear on BNZ’s website.

As such, we recommend clarifying these limits and how they work overseas with BNZ directly before travelling.

Dedicated foreign currency travel cards from BNZ

While BNZ previously offered a dedicated foreign currency travel card in the form of a Mastercard Cash Passport, this is no longer available.⁵

At the time of writing, BNZ does not have an alternative travel money card on offer, though they do still facilitate the purchase of foreign currency (cash) as needed.

Things to keep in mind before you travel

• Be sure to advise BNZ of your travel plans to avoid mishaps with accessing your money while overseas
• Daily limits set by banks typically include any applicable fees so be sure to factor this in when making a withdrawal or purchase as well as the exchange rate to avoid having your transaction declined
• Blocking your debit card does not stop your digital wallet from working. While this is helpful in some cases, if your phone or watch linked to this service is also stolen, you must still call the bank and report it.
• Where direct debits or automatic payments are linked to the same debit account, be mindful of your balance as fees, charges and exchange rates could see your account with less funds than anticipated to service these while travelling

Blocking your BNZ debit card if your card gets lost or stolen abroad

If while travelling you misplace your card or lose it to theft, you can quickly and easily block your card to protect it from misuse.

This is done via the BNZ app which also allows you to unblock your card should you locate it.⁶

There are three steps to follow:

1. Log into the BNZ app, navigate to the main menu and then select ‘Cards’
2. Choose which of your listed cards you need to block
3. Click on ‘block card’

BNZ advises that this does not prohibit Apple Pay or Google Pay from working, nor does it interfere with any debits or automatic payments linked to the account – it only stops the physical card from being used.

Where the card is confirmed as lost or stolen, once blocked, BNZ requests that you also call them to report this.

Contacting BNZ from overseas

Should you need to contact BNZ while travelling, you can do so by calling:

• +64 4473 5901

This number is dedicated to assisting with lost or stolen cards or suspected fraud and is staffed 24/7 365 days of the year including public holidays.

Travel with Wise

With a Wise Account you can hold money in 40+ currencies and spend it in 150+ countries. You can also order local account details in popular world currencies like AUD, NZD, USD, EUR, GBP to receive local and/or international payments like a local.

Whenever you exchange currencies it’s done using the mid-market rate with a transparent conversion fee shown upfront.

To make everyday spending easier you can order a Wise Debit card for your Wise Account and generate virtual cards as needed. If you have the local currency in your Wise Account the Wise card will use it. If you don’t have local currency converted, it uses smart technology to auto-convert your money at the mid-market rate, for a conversion fee.

The Wise card may suit you better if you’re to spend money that you’ve stored in different currencies within an existing Wise Account, and benefit from 2 or less free cash withdrawals under $350 NZD, or foreign equivalent, per month (keep in mind that ATM providers may charge their own fees). You can see our full fee breakdown for ATM withdrawals here.

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