Your guide to the World Card: Easy payments in over 150 currencies
Last updated: 11 April 2025
Discover how the World Card simplifies global payments with multi-currency support, cashback rewards, and competitive exchange rates.
Key takeaways
- The World Card lets you pay in 150+ currencies with zero foreign exchange fees on 15 supported currencies
- You can instantly create a free virtual debit card if you have a World Account
- Manage team expenses effortlessly by issuing up to 20 cards, setting spending limits, and tracking payments in one place.
- Transactions are protected with 3D Secure authentication
The World Card is a virtual debit card that lets you pay in 150+ currencies. You can use it wherever Mastercard is accepted and you enjoy zero foreign exchange fees when you pay in 15 supported currencies (as long as you have from the existing balances in the same currency).
With your World Card, you can make international transactions at competitive exchange rates, get additional debit cards for your team, and track all your business expenses in one place.
Take a look at everything you should know about using the World Card for your business.
Table of Contents
What is the World Card?
The World Card is a multi-currency card that lets you make business payments easily anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Each card has a unique card number, expiry date and CVV to make direct online payments.
If you already have a World Account, you can apply for a virtual World Card instantly for free through the online service portal.
The World Account is a multi-currency account that gives you access to local account details in over 20 major currencies, including USD, GBP, EUR, CNH, AUD, NZD, SGD and HKD. Use your World Card to pay in these currencies with zero foreign exchange fees, provided your currency account has sufficient balance.
By spending with the World Card, you can also earn cashback and make purchases more rewarding.
Key features of the World Card
Access your World Card instantly
You can create your virtual debit card instantly and for free if you already have a World Account. If you don’t have a World Account yet, signing up for one online takes minutes and there are no account opening fees or ongoing charges.
Make payments in 150+ currencies
Easily handle global payments across the Mastercard network in over 150 currencies. When paying in any of the 15+ local currencies supported by your World Account and using the existing balance, enjoy zero foreign exchange fees. If you don’t have enough balance or the currency isn’t one of these 15+, payments will automatically be processed from your default currency account, ensuring flexibility for global transactions.
Your default currency account depends on your region, so AUD for businesses based in Australia and NZD for businesses in New Zealand.
Manage and track all your global business expenses
From your advertising expenses to online SaaS subscriptions, business travel, supplier payments, and shipping costs, you can manage all of your international and domestic business expenses using a single card.
Your World Card can also integrate with your Alipay wallet, allowing you to make seamless payments when travelling in China. Make in-person payments at restaurants or shops in China, wherever Alipay is accepted.
Get multiple cards for your team
Add multiple virtual debit cards to your global business account and set custom spending limits for each one, ensuring controlled and approved expenses.. This also makes it easy to track and manage all of your outgoing payments in one place.
Direct debits for seamless management
The World Card is a debit card, allowing you to spend only the funds available in your account. This can prevent overspending and reduces the risk of any debt accumulation.
Earn cashback
You can earn cashback for all the payments you make with your World Card. Get 10% cashback on your first $1,500 spent for a limited time. After that, you’ll get 1% cashback on all your international spending, always*.
*Cashback promotions are subject to change at any time. *T&Cs apply
Competitive exchange rates
With the World Card, access competitive foreign exchange rates every time you make an international payment. You can also use the funds collected with your World Account to make debit card purchases without foreign exchange fees when paying in the same currency.
For instance, if you’ve collected funds from your customers in USD, you can hold the funds in your World Account to make USD purchases through your World Card.
Highly secure
Your World Card supports 3D Secure (3DS) authentication, a secure customer verification solution that prevents card fraud in online transactions. Branded as “Mastercard Identity Check”, this may be triggered during checkout on the merchant website.
It requires the cardholder to receive a 6-digit verification code via SMS or email and enter it when paying online.
You can view and edit the cardholder’s mobile number or email address under ‘Card details.’ To make changes, enter the verification code sent to the existing contact information to confirm the changes. Once verified, the changes will apply to all cards linked to that cardholder. For new cards, the mobile number and email of the main account are assigned by default.
- Open 15+ local currency accounts and get paid like a local
- Pay suppliers, partners and staff worldwide in 100+ currencies
- Collect payments for free from 130+ marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, Etsy, PayPal and Shopify
- Save with competitive exchange rates on currency conversions and transfers
- Lock in exchange rates for up to 24 months for cash flow certainty
What can you use the World Card for?
You can use your World Card online anywhere MasterCard is accepted for business expenses, including:
Marketing and advertising fees
Pay your marketing agencies and ad platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) directly.
SaaS and e-commerce subscriptions
Set up recurring payments for different SaaS and e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom and Google Workspace.
Business travel
Pay for all your business travel and accommodation easily with your World Card.
Shipping and logistics
Pay shipping partners and logistics companies worldwide, including UPS, DHL, and FedEx.
Pay suppliers
Make supplier payments online with your World Card to get the added benefit of rewards and payment protection. You can make direct payments to AliExpress and Alibaba suppliers.
Pay online store fees
Set up recurring payments for seller fees on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and manage all your marketplace expenses in one place.
What are the fees for using a World Card?
| Fees | WorldFirst |
|---|---|
| Card issuance fee | Zero |
| Annual fee | Zero |
| Fee for card transactions | For supported currencies If you have available funds in the same currency: Zero If you don't have sufficient funds in the same currency: Funds are debited from your default currency and converted to the payment currency at the WorldFirst foreign exchange rate For unsupported currencies Mastercard exchange rate + WorldFirst margin of up to 1.5% (For Mastercard’s exchange rates, refer to their currency conversion calculator) |
| Monthly account fees for the multi-currency account linked to the card | Zero |
*Fees as checked in March 2025
How to apply for a World Card?
If you already have a World Account, you can apply for a World Card and get access to it almost immediately. There are no charges or eligibility requirements for World Account holders to get a new debit card.
Here are the steps to add your first World Card to your account
- Go to “World Card” in the main navigation in the online servicing portal (only the main account holder will have access)
- Click on “I agree and apply [Terms and Conditions]”, and then click on “Apply now”
- You can enter a nickname for your card, which will help you distinguish other cards in the future. Then click on “Apply”, and your card is ready
- Select yourself or other verified directors as the cardholder of the card. When making an online payment, the director will be able to enter his/her own name as the cardholder
- Once your card is activated, you’ll be able to find its details in your World Account. Go to the World Account online portal, select the card and click ‘View Card Details’. You’ll see the card name, number, expiry date, CVV, billing address, nickname and cardholder mobile number
Note: World Cards can be issued to verified directors or authorised non-directors of your business. The main user of the World Account can select themselves or one of these individuals as the cardholder. If another director is selected, we may ask for verification details (ID, residential address) for a quick check, usually completed within one working day.
You can apply for up to 20 cards, and we may be able to add more on request.
While the first card can be added immediately to any World Account, to add more, you must have deposited $1,000 (or foreign currency equivalent) into your account within the last 90 days.
The steps to add multiple cards are similar:
- On the “My World Card” page, click on “Apply for a new card”
- Enter a card nickname. Then click “Apply”, and your card is ready
How to make international transactions?
You can use your virtual debit card just like you’d use any other card. On the checkout page of the business you wish to purchase from, you can directly enter World Card details to use.
Since the card is supported by 3DS authentication, you’ll need to enter a secure one-time PIN that will be shared with you through SMS or email.
How to set card spending limits on your World Card?
To change card spending limits, go to “My World Card” > “Card details”.
- Click on the edit icon next to “Limit usage”
- Enter the specific amount for“Daily usage limit”, “Monthly usage limit” and “Single transaction limit”, separately, then click on “Confirm”
Default card spending limits are automatically applied for each new World Card as below, which can be reduced as required to help manage over-spending:
Country |
Currency |
Monthly limit |
Daily limit |
Single transaction limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU | AUD | 200,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 |
| SG | USD | 200,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 |
Simplify your global business expenses with a World Card
The appeal of the World Card lies in its simplicity. If you already use a World Account to send, receive and hold funds in multiple currencies, you can use your existing funds to make business payments directly with your World Card at competitive exchange rates.
Opening a World Account and getting a World Card is free – and it only takes a few minutes.
Disclaimer: The information contained is general only and largely our views. Before acting on the information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon multiple sources the author believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions, estimates, mentioned products/services and referenced material constitute the author’s own judgement as of the date of the briefing and are subject to change without notice. WorldFirst shall not be responsible for any losses or damages arising from your reliance of such information.
Your guide to the World Card: Easy payments in over 150 currencies
Simplify your business expenses with the World Card from WorldFirst, a virtual debit card that lets you pay in 150+ currencies with no application fee or ongoing costs.
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