This post
is brought to you by Cash Passport™Prepaid MasterCard®
I remember one Christmas watching the movie ‘Jingle all the Way’ and thinking to myself - I am NEVER going to get myself into that
situation. I WILL NOT BE THAT parent.
Remember how the story goes?
The Dad (Arnie) is asked to handle one job, just
one job only and he screws it up.
He was supposed to get his son an Action man toy
for Christmas… and of course he did what so many of us do - he left it to the last
minute only to find he couldn't buy one… ANYWHERE! And then so the story unfolds as he tries to
get his hands on one in time for Christmas morning … yada yada yada.
Fast forward a few years later to Christmas, and
one of my boys wanted a limited edition WWE wrestling ring. I was all “oh yeah I’ll just pick one up next time I am at the mall” and then two weeks
before Christmas I finally get off my butt and head to the shops to buy one.
Only when I get to the shops I find out that they are sold out… and then after
getting a serious case of RSI googling the sweet baby cheeses out of that damn
wrestling ring, I found out that I could not find a single one for sale
anywhere, in any shop or online anywhere in Australia.
Everywhere I clicked I got the old ‘OUT OF STOCK’ shouty capitals shoved in my face and I cried.
I cried big fat failure Mum tears.
I cried because I WAS Arnie. I was the busy
parent who didn't get the ONE thing my son wanted for Christmas because I was just
too unorganised.
And so I ended up buying it online from the
States and I paid an arm and a leg in exchange rates and shipping fees.
I learnt my lesson.
Yep, I learned it reaaaaal good!
Cash Passport recently got in touch with me
about trying out the new CashPassport Prepaid MasterCard. The email arrived into my inbox with perfect
timing, right as I was busy googling where the hell to find some Airhog
rollercopter thingy one of my boys wants for this Christmas… and you guessed it… turns out I can only find the one he wants in the US.
I read that a prepaid Cash Passport would allow
me to be more in control of my online shopping… especially when I am shopping on overseas websites.
Holy Christmas Nuts! How so?
Well many overseas websites offer you the
ability to pay in AUD… so you naturally assume that means you are saving money right?
Not necessarily.
The merchant who you are buying from could be
choosing the foreign currency (FX) rate which may not be competitive. Then throw in some credit card fees,
international transaction fees, a couple of extra hidden charges and foreign currency conversion fees with
sites that DON’T offer you the
option to pay in AUD and man… you could be being
ripped off BIG time.
That Christmas present you just purchased may
have cost you way more than it should have.
The Cash Passport is a pre-paid MasterCard and
is accepted at 35.9 million locations and sites worldwide.
It gives you the ability to pay online with your money but in a local currency and
there are ten different currencies for you to choose from.
It saves you money, avoids hidden fees and
charges and takes all the guesswork out of trying got figure out how much you
are actually going to pay for that Wrestling Ring, Action toy or
Rollercopterthingymajig.
You choose the currency you want to use, and you
can load your Cash Passport at a time when the exchange rate is most advantageous.
The dollars you load on your card are then locked in at that rate, regardless
of whether the market drops its pants and the Aussie dollar takes a dive.
You can reload your Cash Passport at anytime
with your online account and you can transfer your balance from one currency or
another, as well as check your balance on the mobile apps.
It’s
peace of mind for us dedicated online shoppers. We can set a budget, shop
safely and smartly online with our own cash and not wake up in January with a
burnt out credit card and a whole load of debt.
WE ARE IN CONTROL people… just how it should be.
The only downfall I can see of this card is that
it doesn't actually avoid you having to get off your backside and sourcing
those darn gifts on your kid’s
Christmas wish list.
By the way… if you are considering shopping from an online store in the US,
here’s a tip - consider
taking advantage of the insanely awesome discounts you can get during the Black
Friday and Cyber Monday Sales on US websites in the last week of November /
first week of December because our American friends sure know how to offer one
hellava bargain!
OK, so, the process of getting a Cash Passport, couldn’t be easier. Seriously!
Simply head over to the Cash Passport website, fill out the online application form, and keep your eye on your letterbox or chosen delivery
point for your card which will arrive within 5 business days and BAM you are
cooking with gas!
Kind of…
Actually you are not really doing anything with
gas at all are you… but you are in control of
your online shopping.
Now if you would kindly excuse me… I have a pair Nike Janoskis
to track down for a certain fashion conscious seven year old.
If you
order a Cash Passport with $200 AUD foreign currency equivalent before
the 31st
December 2014, you can get a BONUS $10 AUD on your card.
$10 bucks
for nothing? Thanks for coming!
All you
need to do is enter BLOG10 when prompted in the application form online.
But don’t leave it too long as it is open to the
first 500 customers to order one only!