Online Money Cards and Transfer Apps Now Available in Africa

While the rest of the world was enjoying money cards that could be used on sites like Amazon and Netflix, Africa was literally left in the dark. It wasn’t until quite recently that money cards for shopping online have become widely available on the African continent and the same goes for money transfer apps as well. It’s exciting for literally millions of African online shoppers and movie viewers to finally be able to transfer money to and from Africa while using their app cards by phone or PC. Let’s look at why there is so much excitement.

Money Transfer Apps

While it was always possible to wire money to the African continent through platforms like PayPal, accounts needed to be tied to a bank account. The way to send and receive money was through PayPal but in order to deposit or withdraw funds, the user needed their account tied to a bank. Now, there is a Ria International money transfer app that can be wired to a user who has the same app that the money was deposited through and then they can locate the nearest payout location in their country. It's faster than locating a Western Union and it’s hassle free. While the depositor usually has a bank account, those receiving the money don’t necessarily need one.

Shopping Online with Money Cards

According to the PYMNTS website , Africa is going to have the benefit of cards they can use to shop online for the first time. They are easily accessible, and money can be sent to and from them with mobile apps. These are prepaid money cards that were previously unavailable to many African nations. They can be used for subscription services like Spotify or for a Netflix subscription or even for shopping on Amazon. While credit cards were fairly standard, these money cards were rarely available and usually purchased through a bank or money order service.

Heightened Security for the First Time

Over the years, there have been many fraudulent attempts to get consumers to transfer money to banks around the world. Now with secure apps and prepaid money cards, there is heightened security that will help to verify both the sender and the receiver. These are not scams that promise funds for simply signing up and once you open a user profile, money transfers are safer than ever before. Whether using a money card for online subscriptions or sending money via an international money transfer app, there are several several layers of security that reassure users their financial data will be safe.
The one thing to keep in mind is your ultimate intent on loading money. With a card it is most often used for online transactions the receiver will use it for and with international money transfer apps the intended receiver is typically a person or organization. The money from a transfer can be immediately withdrawn at the nearest location in over 165 countries around the world. Africa is no longer excluded from these types of services and there is optimism that we are in the beginning stages of growth for these newer technologies.