The new Virgin Global Wallet allows you to combine your Velocity membership card with a convenient prepaid Visa card. This lets you earn points every time you use your card to pay for purchases.
You’re able to load multiple foreign currencies onto your card, which makes it much easier to access cash while you’re travelling overseas. Your card can be used to withdraw cash from local ATMs in the local currency or to pay for purchases using that currency. This can save you plenty of money in foreign transaction fees, making it easier to keep your holiday spending under control.
As the Virgin Global Wallet is a prepaid Visa card, the money you spend comes from your own funds. You simply deposit cash into your account and then use your card the same way you normally would. The benefit here is that you’re not using credit or accumulating any debt when you pay for purchases.
You don’t have to worry about paying any monthly account fees or annual card fees with the Global Wallet prepaid Visa card, so you’re keeping your costs to a minimum already. And you have the advantage of converting Australian dollars into a variety of foreign currencies when it suits you. This lets you benefit by locking in the exchange rate and avoid getting caught if rates change during your travels.
Keep Your Money Secure
When you use a Virgin Global Wallet prepaid Visa card to pay for purchases while you’re travelling, you have the ideal way to keep your money secure. Your account is not linked to your regular bank account, so there’s no way to risk your own cash in your bank accounts if your card is stolen or lost.
Virgin Global Wallet also gives you the option of applying for a Virtual Global Wallet. This gives you an added level of security for your money, as you can pay for purchases online with the funds from your Global Wallet account, but you don’t need to enter an actual card number into the online payment processing page. This helps to protect your account from fraudulent usage when you’re shopping online.
Activating Your New Card
Your Virgin Global Wallet card won’t work until after you’ve activated it. You will need to log into the Global Wallet Account Centre online to do this. Your username will be exactly the same as your regular Velocity membership number, so keep this handy before you begin the activation process.
Once you’ve entered your Velocity membership number, you’ll be asked to verify your identity and choose a password and a PIN.
Navigating Your Global Wallet Account Centre
Once you’ve logged into your secure online Global Wallet account, you will be able to view your account balances. Your transaction history is also visible from your account centre, so you can see any payments you’ve made previously in various currencies or any amounts you’ve loaded onto your card.
If you haven’t loaded any funds onto your account yet, you’ll find the relevant BPAY or POLi payment information inside your Global Wallet Account Centre. You can use those details to log into your regular transaction account and transfer money into your card.
Did you know
POLi is an online payment facility where you can pay anyone through an internet banking payment from a customer’s bank account to a merchant. It’s a good alternative for people who don’t have credit cards, or for those who do already own one but are uncomfortable sharing their credit card details online.
You'll also be able to exchange any Australian dollars you've deposited into your account into other currencies, or change any other currencies you have back into any other foreign currency you think you may need during your travels.
If you need to change your password or your PIN, you can do this by logging into the Global Wallet account as well.
Using Your Virgin Global Wallet Card
When you’re making a purchase at a retail outlet or withdrawing cash from an ATM, select the ‘Credit’ option to complete your purchase. The money you spend comes out of the cash you pre-loaded into your account.
If you’re spending an amount that is smaller than $100 you can choose to use the Visa payWave function for convenience. You simply tap your card to the point-of-sale outlet and your payment is verified automatically.
Managing Your Money via Mobile
If you prefer to manage your account on your mobile phone or smartphone while you travel, you can download the Virgin Global Wallet app onto your phone. This is available from iTunes for Apple phones or from Google Play for those with Android-based phones.
The App is a convenient way to view your transaction history and keep track of your account balances in each currency on the go. You can even use the app to transfer money between different currency wallets if you need more while you’re out shopping.
How to Load Money Onto Your Card
Once you’ve activated your card, you’re able to load your own money into the Global Wallet account.
This can be done by:
BPAY from your regular bank account
or via POLi.
The money you transfer in from your normal transaction account will already be in Australian dollars. After you’ve transferred the amount of money you want, you need to log into your Global Wallet account and nominate which other currencies you want to convert your cash over to - As long as you leave at least some of your funds in Aussie dollars, you’re able to nominate to exchange your Australian dollars over to another four currencies.
Remember, a load fee applies every time you load cash into your account. This is a flat fee of $1 per load transaction, so add up how much you think you’ll need during your trip before you make your transaction. This will minimise the amount you pay in fees overall.
You can then use your Virgin Global Wallet card to pay for purchases at any retail outlet or ATM or merchant where the Visa symbol is displayed. This gives you millions of different places you can use your card and know your payments are covered.This is practical way to lock in your conversion rates before you leave home. You also have the benefit of avoiding any fluctuations in the foreign currency exchange pricing while you’re travelling.
Available Currencies
Your Virgin Global Wallet account can support ten different currencies. However, your account is limited to only five at a time and one of those must remain Australian dollars.
At this time the foreign currency wallet types you can use are as follows:
Australian Dollars (AUD)
US Dollars (USD)
Canadian Dollars (CAD)
New Zealand Dollars (NZD)
Euros (EUR)
British Pounds (GBP)
Hong Kong Dollars (HKD)
Japanese Yen (JPY)
Singapore Dollars (SGD)
Thai Baht (THB)
Spending Money in Foreign Currencies
The account will automatically deduct funds in whatever currency you’re spending first. So if you make a purchase in US dollars and you have Australian dollars, US dollars and Euros in your account, the US dollar balance will be debited first.
If you don’t have sufficient funds in US dollars to complete that purchase, the account will automatically debit another currency from another wallet to cover the shortfall. Keep in mind that you will incur foreign currency exchange fees for these transactions, so it pays to ensure you have enough money in the right currency before you complete your purchase.
If you happen to be travelling in a location that accepts dual currency payments, your Global Wallet will deduct whichever currency you have available in your account. So, if you don’t have Cambodian Riel available, your account will automatically debit the equivalent amount in Australian dollars, plus a foreign currency exchange fee on top.
This can happen in such locations as Cambodia where you’re able to use US dollars or Cambodian Riel to pay for purchases. As the Cambodian Riel isn’t one of the supported currencies on your card, you could find that your transaction is processed in any other currency you have available and converted to the foreign currency being charged. This will attract a 3% foreign exchange fee and you’ll be paying whatever exchange rate is current at that time through that provider, which may not be as attractive as you could receive elsewhere. To avoid these types of additional costs, always check what currency is being charged by the merchant before you proceed.
compare multi currency bank accounts
Earn Velocity Points
Your Velocity points membership number is linked to your Virgin Global Wallet account. Every time you use your card to pay for valid purchases, you’ll be earning more points. This is a great way to boost your points balance quickly.
You’re able to earn points at the rate of 1 point per $1 spent when you pay for purchases overseas in any currency. You’ll also earn 1 point for every $2 spent on your card while in Australia.
Travelling with Pets for More Points
If you’re travelling with pets on domestic flights with Virgin Australia, your pets could help to boost your points balance for you. It’s possible to earn up to 300 points per pet carrier you book onto your domestic flight.
Redeeming Your Velocity Points
Accumulating more Velocity Points by using your Virgin Global Wallet card to pay for purchases while you’re travelling is a great way to boost your balance fast. You can redeem your points for a broad range of rewards. These include plenty of domestic and international flights, as well as accommodation and car hire.
There are also plenty of other items you can redeem your points on. These include lifestyle and entertainment packages that are exclusively offered to Velocity members. You can even choose to redeem your points for shopping vouchers with more than 150 online stores.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VELOCITY REWARDS PROGRAM
Fees and Charges
While applying for your Virgin Global Wallet card is absolutely free, there are some fees and charges that may apply to your account. These include the following:
Load Fee $1 - This fee is charged every time you load money into your card account. You can minimize the amount you pay in fees by adding up how much you think you’ll need in the Australian dollar equivalent before you make your transaction. This lets you pay a single fee only. You can then log into your Global Wallet Account Centre and transfer those Aussie dollars into various other foreign currencies to suit your needs.
Supplementary Card $10.00 - If you request a supplementary card for your spouse to use while you’re both travelling, you will be charged a supplementary card fee of $10.
Inactivity Fee $1.95 - If your Global Wallet account remains inactive with no new funds loaded or purchases paid for from the account for 12 months, you will be charged a $1.95 inactivity fee. This fee will be charged monthly until you load money onto the account or you withdraw all funds and close the account.
Foreign Exchange Fee - 3% of transaction amount - If you pay for a purchase in a foreign currency and you have insufficient funds to complete that purchase, your account will automatically deduct funds available in any other currency you have on your card to pay for what you’ve spent. This will result in a foreign exchange fee being charged. This amount is calculated at 3% of the Australian dollar equivalent transaction amount,.
International ATM Fees - $2.95AUD
If you withdraw cash from an ATM while you’re overseas, you may be charged international ATM fees. These are charged at the following currency rates per transaction:
Country
Currency
Withdrawal Fee
Australia
AUD
$2.95 AUD
Canada
CAD
$2.95 CAD
Europe
EUR
€2.00 EUR
Britain
GBP
£2.00 GBP
Hong Kong
HKD
20.00 HKD
Japan
JPY
¥200 JPY
New Zealand
NZD
$2.95 NZD
Singapore
SGD
$2.95 SGD
Thailand
THB
75 THB
United States
USD
$2.95 USD
Keep in mind that the local ATM provider may also charge an additional service fee at the time of your transaction.
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Applying for your Virgin Global Wallet Card
It only takes a few minutes to apply for your Virgin Global Wallet card via the secure online form. If you’re already a Velocity member, you can simply request a Global Wallet card by logging into your account using your membership number.
If you’re not already a member, you will need to join the Velocity program first. You can request your Global Wallet card as part of joining the program.
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