OCBC Bank review

The monthly fee is SGD 0 and the currency conversion fee is 0%, so the holding cost and the conversion cost both sit at the low end. Cashback of 1% is the only reward named, so the value case rests on fees rather than perks.

The card supports 7 currencies, and multi-currency and travel are the features it is built around. That is enough for most trips where you would otherwise hold another card purely for local currency spend.

The free ATM withdrawal allowance is SGD 0, so cash machine use is the part of this card with a cost attached. Travellers who like to hold local notes will feel that more than those who pay by card.

Support runs on phone and help centre, so a phone call is the direct route and a help centre handles written questions. On a visa debit card abroad, a call is usually the faster fix when a merchant declines the payment.

The card is issued by OCBC Bank, a bank based in Singapore, so the balance sits with the bank rather than with a card scheme or a prepaid issuer. As a debit card, spending draws down the account balance directly.

It fits residents of Singapore who pay bills and shop locally and want a monthly fee of SGD 0. Travellers benefit from multi currency and travel use across 7 currencies. It fits less well for people who take out cash often, since the free ATM allowance is SGD 0.

On monthly fee it sits at 1 of 379, and on currency conversion fee at 1 of 237. On free ATM withdrawals the rank is 38 of 104, and that is where the trade off sits.

It is a debit card on the visa, so it is accepted wherever that network is taken and the balance stays in the bank account. For travel, acceptance of the network matters as much as the 0% conversion fee.