Making payments online for any kind of transaction is becoming increasingly popular.
Payments for goods purchased either from eBay, Amazon, Aliexpress etc or for services rendered like paying for your web hosting usually require e-payments (Paypal or using debit cards: Visa, mastercards etc)
The restrictions of Paypal in Nigeria is well documented, opening and funding a domiciliary account is super inconvenient and expensive, Western Union is another story, what then is the alternative for those intending to start a small business, those that simply want to buy a $200 item on aliexpress or pay for an international service rendered on the internet?
Our banks have put so much restrictions on using the naira debit card internationally, whether it is their fault or not is a discussion for another day. Some do not allow spending internationally at all, some have killer rates that you wouldn't even dare....
Two banks, GT bank and Access bank, to some extent, have provided an escape route for light spenders.
*GT Bank charges N320/dollar presently using their naira mastercard with a monthly limit of $100
*Access Bank N325/dollar presently using their naira Visa card with $200 monthly limit.
Wether these conditions will change positively or negatively soon, only time will tell. What do you think, do you know a better way of making international e-payments, how much does your bank charge you for these transactions? Let us know in your comments below.