Payments after moving abroad: what to sort out in the first days

How do you pay in the first days abroad without a local bank account?

The simplest route is a card that draws on a crypto wallet balance. Such a card works from day one wherever its payment network is accepted, and it does not depend on a local account. At the point of payment the amount is converted to local currency, so you do not have to buy cash before departure. Nexus Pay is one option of this kind: a wallet in Telegram with a Visa card, which is not a bank. The card spends only the balance you have loaded, with no credit and no overdraft.

What should you do before you leave?

Do the parts that involve waiting while you are still at home. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

• Complete identity verification: a document and a photo are required to issue any card, under anti-money-laundering law.
• Deposit funds and let them be credited. Confirmation takes from a few minutes to about an hour, depending on the blockchain.
• Check the network and the minimum amount in the app before sending. A coin sent through the wrong network will not arrive and cannot be returned.

Once these steps are done, the card is ready when you land.

What does it cost to fund the card and take out cash?

Card purchases carry 0%, the card has no monthly fee, and moving money from the wallet balance to the card costs 0.1%. An ATM withdrawal costs 0.25% per withdrawal. In the fee-page example, 1000 USDT moved to the card becomes $999.00, and withdrawn at an ATM it leaves $996.50 before any fee from the ATM owner. That owner's fee, if any, appears on the ATM screen before you confirm. Because the ATM fee is charged per withdrawal, one larger withdrawal costs less than several small ones for the same total. If you need to change coins first, swapping inside the wallet costs 0%, and the amount you receive is shown before you confirm.

Do you need a physical card or is a virtual one enough?

For online payments and for paying by phone, a virtual card is enough. It is issued right away and works online and contactless through Apple Pay and Google Pay. Some tills and all ATMs need plastic, and that is where the physical card helps while your local banking is still being arranged. The physical card is delivered by mail, so order it while you still have an address where it can arrive.

How do the card options compare?

The three card types differ in what they cover and what they cost to issue. The table below sets them side by side, so you can match them to your first weeks. Cashback rates are current programme terms and may change, so check them in the app.

How do you keep your money safe while everything is new?

The card can be frozen and unfrozen in the app in one tap, which is useful if your phone or wallet goes missing during the move. The app also offers an optional four-digit access code, and it is worth turning on. The main share of crypto funds is kept in wallets without a permanent network connection. Blockchain transfers are irreversible, so check the address and network twice before sending. Nexus Pay opens inside Telegram (@nexuspaymybot), and a Google login can be linked as a second way in.

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