How to Order GCash Card: Guide on eligibility, benefits, and more

GCash¹ offers customers in the Philippines an excellent range of services covering ways to send payments, pay bills, spend, get credit and invest. Recently, GCash has launched its GCash Visa card² - a physical debit card linked to your GCash wallet which you can use to spend and make withdrawals from your balance.

This guide covers all there is to know about the GCash Card benefits available, the GCash Card order process, as well as how to use your card to spend and make ATM withdrawals. We’ll also share more about the Wise card, a handy way to spend in 150+ countries.

What is the GCash Visa card?

Until recently, you could order a GCash Mastercard to pay with your GCash wallet, for spending and withdrawals. However, when the orders for this card were disabled a few months ago, the GCash Visa card became your new go to option.

Your GCash Visa card is linked to your GCash wallet and can be used to spend and make cash withdrawals at home and abroad. You can order one GCash Card per GCash account, at a cost of 250 PHP.

Once you have your card you can spend from your balance with no additional fees to pay, at home and abroad.

There are very few fees to worry about with the GCash card, but it’s good to know that ATM withdrawals and balance enquiries can cost up to 18 PHP each depending on the terminal you use³. There are also wallet limits and card limits which you’ll need to know about before you start to transact.

Keep reading to learn how to get a GCash Card, and why you might want to.

GCash Visa card benefits

So - what’s so great about the GCash Card?

GCash Cards are now being issued on the Visa network, which has a very broad global reach, allowing you to spend from your GCash balance with over 35.9 million merchants in 210 countries and in 150 different currencies⁴. Aside from this breadth of coverage, the GCash Visa card also offers the following benefits:

• Link your card to your GCash account to keep on top of your balance in the app and using an ATM
• Spend online at home and abroad using your GCash card
• Make in person payments, including Chip and PIN payments, in the Philippines and anywhere the Visa network is accepted
• Make cash withdrawals at home and when you travel abroad

Where can I withdraw using a GCash Card?

You can use your GCash Card at an ATM here or overseas. If you’re looking to get pesos, you’ll be able to use your card in any BancNet ATM in the Philippines. This can be helpful to make sure you’ve always got some cash on hand for times when your card can’t be accepted, and for small purchases when cash is preferred.

As long as you know your card PIN you can also take out cash in foreign currencies when you travel, using ATMs worldwide. This can save you time as you won’t need to convert your PHP to the currency in your destination before you travel. Just pop your card in your wallet and use it to make ATM withdrawals on arrival to get local cash.

Bear in mind that ATM fees apply, which are set by the terminal operator.

Can I use a GCash Card abroad?

We’ve already discovered that you can use your GCash card in an ATM overseas as long as you find one showing the Visa logo. But can I use a GCash Card abroad for spending in a store?

The good news is that you can take your card with you when you go overseas, to spend from your PHP GCash balance with no additional fees from GCash. When you make a purchase overseas, the amount you spend will be converted back to PHP using the Visa exchange rate, to be deducted from your account.

How to apply for GCash Card

If you want to get a new GCash card - or if your GCash Mastercard is close to its expiry date, you’ll need to know how to order your GCash Card in the app⁵.

Customers with the GCash Mastercard are able to continue using this until the card expires - but you’ll need to get your new Visa card order in before the Mastercard card is out of time to ensure continual coverage. Let’s look at how to apply for a GCash Card so you’ll know what to do when the time comes.

GCash Card eligibility

Before you can order your new GCash card you’ll need to check you meet the eligibility criteria. The key thing here is to make sure you have a fully verified GCash account. Getting verified is pretty easy and can be done in the app. The process can vary a little depending on your age and whether or not you're a Filipino, but the basic steps are the same.

To get verified with GCash you’ll need to take a photo of a government issued ID and upload it. Your account will then be assessed and should be verified in about 3 days⁶.

The documents which are accepted vary depending on your nationality. If you’re a Filipino over 18, including overseas workers, you’ll be able to use any of these government issued documents to complete the process⁷:

• National ID (Card Type)
• National ID (Paper Type) / Digital National ID
• Passport
• HDMF (Pag-Ibig Loyalty Plus)
• Driver's License
• Philippine Postal ID
• PRC ID
• UMID
• SSS ID

If you're a Filipino GCash user with a foreign SIM, the process is a little different, and the documents needed are different again if you’re a foreigner in the Philippines. Check out the GCash Help information online to make sure you have everything you need.

How to order GCash Card: Step-by-Step

Here’s how to get a GCash Card through the GCash app homepage:

1. Log into the app and tap Cards
2. Select Order a GCash Card, then Order a card, and Send me a Card
3. Check your account information, then tap Next
4. Follow the prompts to enter the required information, and select Next
5. Tap Pay to complete the order and you’ll see a message confirming that your GCash Card order was successful

You’ll need to be home to take delivery of the card, or you’ll have to nominate someone else to accept it for you.

How to track my GCash Card order?

GCash delivers their cards through a courier service. Not all locations are eligible for delivery. There’s a comprehensive list of the areas that GCash can deliver to, on the GCash website⁸. If you live outside of this area you’ll need to pick a different delivery address.

GCash cards should arrive in 4 - 10 business days - but if you ever have a concern about your card, you’ll be able to reach out to the service team for support through the app.

How to activate a GCash Card?

To activate your GCash Card, you’ll need to connect it to your GCash account. Until your card is connected it can’t be used - which is good from a security perspective and ensures nobody can use your card aside from you.

To link your GCash Card to your GCash account⁹:

1. Log into the GCash app, and tap Cards, then Link my Card
2. Enter the 6-digit authentication code and tap Submit
3. Enter the last 4 digits of your card and your Virtual Account Number
4. Tap Submit and your GCash Card will be linked

Stretch your pesos when you spend in foreign currency with the Wise card

Looking for a travel or multi-currency card? Get your Wise card to make overseas spending simple, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees whenever you use a foreign currency.

You can order your Wise card for a one time fee, with no ongoing costs to worry about. Then spend in 150+ countries when you travel, or when you shop online and in apps with overseas retailers. You can also make simple ATM withdrawals to get cash when you need it - at home and abroad.

Set up your Wise account in a few steps, and then add money in PHP conveniently from your bank. You can then convert to the currency you need in the app, or just let the card convert for you when you tap to pay, make a withdrawal or get cash from an ATM. Currency conversion follows the rate you see on Google - with low conversion fees and no foreign transaction fee. Plus you can make 2 withdrawals to 12,000 PHP a month before any ATM fees apply.

Make overseas spending seamless, and stretch every peso with a Wise card.

🚀 Get started with Wise

Wise Pilipinas is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. For any questions or concerns, check out our Help Centre, or log into your account to talk to us by phone, email or chat.

Sources:

1. GCash
2. GCash Card
3. GCash Help - Card fees and limits
4. GCash Help - What can I do with my GCash card?
5. GCash Help - How to apply for a GCash Card
6. GCash Help - getting verified
7. GCash Help - documents for verification
8. GCash Help - delivery areas
9. GCash Help - Link GCash card to GCash account