Getting to know Cash Passport

Cash Passport is a chip and PIN protected prepaid Mastercard^® currency card. Before you travel, you can load multiple currencies onto it at the most current foreign currency exchange rates, and then use it in millions of ATMs displaying the Mastercard Acceptance Mark, to access your money quickly and safely. You can also pay for goods and services online and in store, wherever Mastercard is accepted.

Your Cash Passport can be used to withdraw money from millions of ATMs worldwide displaying the Mastercard^® Acceptance Mark. To check their location, visit the ATM locator. You can also use your card to pay online and in stores around the world, wherever Mastercard is accepted.

You can use your Cash Passport in countries or areas with a different currency to those on your card. The system will automatically convert your stored currency (-ies) to the local one. Please note that for any transactions in a currency different from the currencies loaded on your card, the funds available on the card will be used in the following order of priority: CAD, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, and MXN, at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a percentage determined by us (see the Fees and Limits section for more details).

There are a number of countries and geographical regions where the use of Cash Passport is currently prohibited. If you attempt to withdraw cash from an ATM, or use your card at shops, restaurants, hotels and online in any of these countries or geographical regions, your request will be declined and the reason given as ‘Decline, prohibited country’. The countries or geographical regions currently affected are: Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and Crimea.

You can use your Cash Passport to shop online (within the limits and restrictions of your card) from any merchant that accepts Mastercard® cards. By using your Cash Passport in the currency that the online site trades in (if it is one of the currencies on your card), you know exactly what your purchase will cost and the exchange rate used. For your safety, you may be asked to provide the security code that’s printed on the signature strip on the back of the card.

Cash Passport may not be used for money transfers (i.e. the sending of funds to a third party) or for accessing money transfer services, or to access or purchase goods from adult or gambling locations or internet sites and must not be used for any unlawful activity. You must comply with all laws and regulations (including any foreign exchange controls) in respect of the card in the country of purchase and/or use.

No, cash back is not available on Cash Passport.

Cash Passport can be loaded with Canadian Dollars only, which will either be added to your Canadian Dollar Wallet, or converted into up to 6 additional currencies. Including US Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollars, and Mexican Peso, at an exchange rate determined by the branch where you load it. You can move money between the currencies on your card, at your convenience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via Mastercard My Account.

Cash Passport is a convenient way of carrying your travel money overseas, offering all the peace of mind you need from a travel card. Pre-loading your Cash Passport gives you more control of your travel budget than a standard debit or credit card and with fixed ATM fees and no transaction fees on purchases, it’s easier to manage your overseas spending. Unlike credit cards, you’ll pay NO CASH ADVANCE fees for funds withdrawn at an ATM.

Also, unlike credit and debit cards, if you’ve loaded a currency other than Canadian Dollars on your card, you’ve already converted to the local currency and locked your rate before you go. Provided you spend in the currency you’ve loaded (e.g. USD in the United States), you don’t need to worry about foreign exchange fluctuations while you’re abroad. It’s easy to keep track of exactly what you’ve paid in local currency and how much you have remaining on your card.

For peace of mind on your holiday, you can get an additional card at the time of purchase of your initial card and use it as a backup. Please see the terms and conditions for more information. Please note: additional cards must not be given to anyone else to use.

Cash Passport is Mastercard contactless enabled. Mastercard contactless is the faster way to pay for purchases of under $50*. No signature or PIN is required. Just tap your card against the reader and go. For more information, please visit Mastercard contactless. (*Transaction limits are subject to change and different transaction limits will apply in different countries).

Whilst your card is really adaptable, it’s not suitable for everything. You shouldn’t use your card as a deposit with car hire companies, hotels or cruise lines. This is because they will estimate the final bill and will require a sum of money to be reserved on your card to cover this. You will not be able to spend the reserved amount for some time. You can of course use your card to settle your final bill.

You can either move your money to a new card, or cash out the balance (subject to fees) and close your Cash Passport*. To cash out and close, please call Global Assistance.

*Québec sales only: The card will be available for re-issue on the expiry date indicated on the face of the card without reduction of the card balance.

If you would prefer not to keep your card for another trip, you can withdraw your remaining balance (assuming it is within the ATM’s issuing limits) from an ATM displaying the Mastercard® Acceptance Mark.

Alternatively, you can contact Global Assistance and have your balance (less any fees and subject to exchange rates, if applicable) refunded to you by Cheque to your mailing address on file. Please see your terms and conditions for more information. You may be given the option to donate (some or all) left-over funds to charity.

Mastercard My Account is an online card management area where, once you have registered your Cash Passport, you can check your balance, obtain a PIN reminder, move money between currencies and review your transaction history.

If you bought the card in branch, go to your Mastercard My Account select ‘New Registration’ and simply follow the instructions on the screen.

You cannot change your PIN but you can get a PIN reminder by selecting the ‘PIN reveal’ option in Mastercard My Account. Alternatively, you can call Global Assistance and select the PIN option, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can check your balance, view your transaction history and move money between currencies as soon as you've registered your card in Mastercard My Account.

Even with a zero balance, your Cash Passport is still valid for future use (up to the expiry date on the card), and you can reload it for your next trip anytime, until card expiry and subject to reload limits.

See our terms and conditions for all the details on fees and limits.

The great flexibility and added functionality of Multi-currency Cash Passport means that as long as you have more than one currency loaded, the card will automatically select the next available currency, in the following order:
CAD, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, and MXN.

The search will automatically begin from Canadian Dollars. If you have insufficient funds of the currency you need, or you do not have the currency of the country you are visiting on your card at all, you can still use it to make a payment. Cash Passport will automatically convert the amount of the transaction from local currency into the currency (-ies) available on your card, in the order described above, at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard^® on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a percentage determined by us (see the Fees and Limits section for more details).

When abroad, you may be asked if you want to pay in Canadian Dollars (CAD) rather than the local currency, sometimes referred to as Dynamic currency Conversion. By choosing to pay in the local currency, you may avoid an extra foreign exchange conversion at additional cost to you.

Remember that if you do not have enough funds in the local currency on your card, the balance will be taken from another currency on your card, in the following order of priority: CAD, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, and MXN, at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard^® on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a foreign exchange margin determined by us (see the Fees and Limits section for more details).

In some countries, you may be asked for a six digit PIN, when using an ATM. However, Cash Passport uses a standard four digit PIN, which will still be accepted as normal if the ATM has been set up correctly in compliance with Mastercard^® regulations. If you need assistance with any PIN issues, please call Global Assistance.

If you do not have sufficient funds available in your total available card balance to cover both the value of the transaction plus the tolerance amount, the transaction may be declined. For example, you have lunch at a restaurant and the total bill is US$50.00. You only have US$50.00 on your card and there is a 20% tolerance applied to restaurant transactions. If the restaurant tries to charge your card with US$50.00, it will be declined because 20% tolerance is added to the transaction amount and there will be insufficient funds to cover US$60.00 ($50 + 20% tolerance ($10) = $60.00).

Please ensure you remember to take the tolerance amount into account. If you are using your card at one of the merchant types where tolerance is applied, you may be unable to use your card, unless you have enough in your total available card balance to cover the addition of tolerance. If the merchant supports it however, you can use your card to make a partial payment, and cover the balance with some other payment method. Just make sure you tell the cashier before you start the transaction and confirm the amount you want deducted from your card. The cashier should process your card payment first, and then accept the remainder of the balance in whichever way you want to pay it. Please also see the ‘Using the card’ section of your card Terms and Conditions.

As a merchant may not settle the final bill immediately, tolerance is applied to ensure that there are sufficient funds available when the final bill is settled. The amount authorised by the merchant plus the tolerance percentage or fixed amount is reserved from your available card balance until the merchant settles the final amount (i.e. payment is requested), at which time the exact final amount is debited from your card, or for 7 days, whichever is sooner. If the final settlement amount exceeds the relevant available currency balance on the card, the remaining amount will be funded by converting that amount in the order of priority. Please see your Cash Passport Terms and Conditions for further information on the order of priority. The exchange rate used is the rate determined by Mastercard®, to be the wholesale rate in effect on the day the transaction is processed by Mastercard plus the foreign exchange margin (sometimes called foreign exchange fee). Please note that the exchange rate used at the time the transaction is authorised (and the funds are reserved) may be different to the exchange rate used on the day the transaction is settled, however, you will only be charged for the actual and final amount of the transaction you sign for or validate by PIN.

As the merchant may not settle (i.e. ask for payment) the final bill within the 7 days and in some cases may take up to 30 days to settle (at which time the funds are debited from your Cash Passport), we recommend that you check your transaction history regularly via Mastercard My Account and take this into account, including the tolerance, to ensure you have sufficient funds available for your spending. Typically, a merchant will submit the settlement request within 24 hours of you authorising the transaction.

Please see ‘What happens if I do not have sufficient funds available on my card to cover the value of the transaction plus the tolerance amount?’ for further information on this. Please also see the ‘Using the card’ section of your card Terms and Conditions.

When using your card at the merchants listed below a percentage or a fixed amount may be added to the amount of the transaction when it is submitted by the merchant for authorisation. The addition of this percentage or fixed amount to the transaction amount authorised by the merchant is called ‘tolerance’. This means that the value of the transaction plus the tolerance percentage or flat amount is reserved (‘ring-fenced’) from your available card fund. The table below sets out the typical percentage or fixed rate that may be added to the value of the transaction.

For bars and other similar drinking places - 20% tolerance (% of the authorised amount)

For restaurants and other eating places - 20% tolerance
Automated fuel dispensers - CAD $78 or currency equivalent

For example, you have lunch at a restaurant and the total bill is US$50.00. You are required to have an available card fund or currency equivalent of at least US$60.00 for the transaction to be authorised ($50 + 20% tolerance ($10) = $60.00). You will only be charged for the actual and final amount of the transaction you sign for or validate by PIN. Please see ‘When I use my card at a bar, restaurant, petrol station, or for taxi, limousine, and telecommunication services transactions, how long are the funds reserved for and why?’ for further information on this. Please also see the ‘Using the card’ section of your card Terms and Conditions.

Cash Passport is chip and PIN protected. To reduce the threat of fraud, your Cash Passport is not linked to your personal information and is completely separate from your bank account.

When using your card at merchants where tolerance is applied, in some locations your card may be authorised by the merchant prior to you agreeing the final bill, e.g. where you allow your card to be swiped at a bar to open a tab. The amount authorised by the merchant at this time plus the tolerance amount is reserved from your available balance. This is the case whether your card only has a magnetic stripe or is chip and PIN. We do not know at the time how a merchant will process a transaction and whether the merchant will initially authorise the transaction and later ask you to sign for or validate the transaction by PIN, together with an additional charge or tip agreed to by you. Therefore, a tolerance is added automatically where the merchant falls into one of the categories listed below.

For bars and other similar drinking places - 20% tolerance (% of the authorised amount)

For restaurants and other eating places - 20% tolerance
Automated fuel dispensers - CAD $78 or currency equivalent

If you have a problem using your card, here are the things you should check first.
- Check that you have enough money on the card for the purchase you wish to make.
- Check that you are using the correct PIN. The ‘How do I’s?’ section advises you how to get a reminder.
- Check that the merchant you are purchasing from accepts Mastercard^®.
- Your card has maximum limits on how much you can withdraw or spend, for example a maximum daily amount that you can spend in a shop. These limits are shown in the fees and limits table. In addition, some ATMs may have their own limits.

Please note; if an ATM screen prompts you to choose ‘which account?’ it is recommended that you choose the ‘Credit’ option. You can only withdraw cash from an ATM up to the available balance on your Multi-currency Cash Passport (including any applicable fees) and if the amount is within the ATM’s issuing limit.

Call 24/7 Global Assistance who will get you back in control of your money.

- Check you have enough money on your card for the purchase you wish to make. You can always use your card to make a partial payment and settle the balance with another card or cash, if the merchant supports it. Make sure the merchant processes your Cash Passport payment first. Be aware that some bars, restaurants and automated petrol pumps may require the card to have an available balance greater than the purchase amount before they will authorise the payment. Please check ‘How much more than the bill amount do I need to have on my card for transactions at bars, restaurants and petrol stations?’ (insert link to this FAQ) for more details.
- Check you are using the correct PIN. You can get a PIN reminder at any time by selecting the ‘PIN Reveal’ option in Mastercard My Account or by calling Global Assistance and selecting the PIN option.
- Check that the merchant you’re purchasing from accepts Mastercard.
- Your card has maximum limits on how much you can withdraw or spend, which are shown in the Fees and Limits table. Check that you have not exceeded the maximum daily amount that you can spend in a shop.

This is because: (i) a merchant may request more funds than you initially authorised to cover the amount of the transaction (e.g. the meal or bar bill) plus an additional gratuity, tip or service charge agreed by you; or (ii) in the case of an automated fuel pump transaction or when you use your card to pay for telecommunication services, to ensure there are sufficient funds available to cover the final cost of the transaction. The addition of this percentage or fixed amount to the amount of the transaction authorised by the merchant is called ‘tolerance’. Tolerance is only applied to certain merchant categories listed below.

For bars and other similar drinking places - 20% tolerance (% of the authorised amount)

For restaurants and other eating places - 20% tolerance
Automated fuel dispensers - CAD $78 or currency equivalent

Please see ‘How much more than the bill amount do I need to have on my card for transactions at bars, restaurants, petrol stations, for taxi and limousine transactions, and for telecommunication services?’ for further information on the additional amounts required. You may also find that you have less money available on the card than you thought because you have used your card as pre-authorisation of a final payment. Please see ‘What is pre-authorisation?’ for more information on this. Please also see the ‘Using the card’ section of your card Terms and Conditions.

Visit our contact us page to learn the many ways in which we can assist you.