MariBank review

The listed currency conversion fee is 0%, and cashback of 0.5% goes back on spending. That sits well under the site median of 1% and below Wise at 0.1%, bunq at 0.5% to 3% and VaultLeap at 0.5%.

Cashback of 0.5% is what the card pays back on spending, and the features listed for it are travel and a virtual card. Between them, that covers trips abroad and spending from a phone.

It is a debit card, so spending draws on the balance in the account rather than on money loaded in advance. The feature list adds a virtual card, which gives a card number for online payments without needing the physical one.

The card is issued by MariBank Singapore Private Limited, and the regulator is the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Deals with the account therefore sit with a Singapore company rather than an overseas branch, which is worth weighing for anyone banking outside the country.

Support runs on email, chat and phone, so a cardholder can reach the team by phone, chat or email, or search the help centre first. The list is wider than a phone line alone, which matters for anyone chasing a payment question across time zones.

MariBank sits at the top of the currency conversion fee ranking among 237 cards compared, with a fee of 0%. The median conversion fee across the site is 1% and the upper quartile reaches 2.2%, so the gap to the typical card is wide.

The card suits people in Singapore who pay in more than one currency, since the conversion fee is 0% and cashback is 0.5% on top. It also fits readers who want a virtual card in the same account and support on email, chat and phone.

The licence listed for MariBank sits with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, so the regulated side of the product is the Singapore market. Cards licensed elsewhere may suit a reader whose spending and banking sit in another country.