Blackcatcard Review: Is It Worth It?
In this Blackcatcard review, we will be examining whether or not Blackcatcard is a good fintech banking option.
Background and History
Facilitating convenience and connectivity, this financial offering has garnered attention under the aegis of Papaya Ltd., a duly licensed entity overseen by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in its capacity as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI). Notably recognized through its registration number C55146, Papaya Ltd. undertakes the issuance of the Blackcatcard, reinforcing its legitimacy within the regulatory framework.
The fundamental proposition of Blackcatcard hinges upon its provision of an expeditiously deployable EU bank account, seamlessly dovetailed with the ubiquity of a Mastercard that transcends geographical boundaries. Such convergence addresses the modern need for immediate financial engagement coupled with international spending efficacy. Papaya Ltd., entrusted with the mantle of Blackcatcard's issuance, stands as a testament to responsible financial administration under the vigilant gaze of the Malta Financial Services Authority.
Central to Blackcatcard's credibility is the institutional imprimatur it receives through its association with Papaya Ltd., a duly licensed Electronic Money Institution. The Malta Financial Services Authority's oversight substantiates the bona fides of this arrangement, assuring stakeholders of the adherence to regulatory mandates and the preservation of financial integrity.
Subscription Plans
There are two different Blackcatcard Accounts:
Fees
Navigating the fee structure of Blackcatcard presents a nuanced understanding of the financial implications associated with its services. In the realm of SEPA payments, the initial five transactions each month stand exempt from charges, extending a favorable opening for users. Subsequent to this, a modest fee of EUR 0.20 is levied per SEPA payment, stepping in as a nominal cost for expanded usage.
Account maintenance fees are tiered to accommodate various user needs. The baseline offering, featuring one IBAN account and one card, comes devoid of any monthly charges. This configuration encompasses five complimentary Interbank SEPA payments, accentuating the simplicity and accessibility of the basic account setup. For those seeking enhanced functionality with additional cards, a monthly fee of EUR 2.00 is incurred, securing the same foundation of five complimentary Interbank SEPA payments.
Expanding into card transactions, Blackcatcard's approach to cash withdrawal incurs varying degrees of cost. Within the EU, residents can avail themselves of ATM withdrawals up to EUR 200 per month without any charge. Beyond this threshold, a 1% fee relative to the withdrawal amount is implemented. Non-residents, however, face a 2% fee under similar circumstances. Outside the EU, residents and non-residents contend with a 1% and 2% fee respectively, accompanied by a minimum of EUR 1.50. The delineated daily and monthly withdrawal limits of EUR 5,000 and EUR 10,000 respectively, offer a perspective on transactional flexibility.
In line with industry standards, a 3.5% charge is applied to card top-ups, a cost to be factored into the overall financial strategy. Dormancy, denoting a lack of transactions for over six months, triggers a fee of EUR 15, thereby ensuring the cost remains proportional to usage patterns. Closure of an account within two months of its opening incurs a EUR 2.00 fee, while the standard account closure amounts to EUR 7.00. An extra fee of EUR 5.00 is stipulated for cases where the name on an additional card deviates from the main card, offering transparency on this particular aspect.
Blackcatcard's client-centric approach is further highlighted by the option for expedited card delivery, the pricing of which corresponds to the client's address and is displayed within the app prior to order confirmation. Similarly, the request for a paper-format account statement incurs a fee of EUR 5.00, indicative of the institution's digital focus. Demonstrating flexibility and transparency, Blackcatcard's fee structure positions itself within the framework of contemporary financial offerings.
Bonus
Accrual of bonuses for operation on the account and card operations
- 2.2% per annum under the following conditions:
(The minimum average monthly balance for bonus accrual is 300 EUR, the minimum card turnover per month is 200 EUR. The limit on the accrual of bonuses - on the amount of the average monthly balance over 100,000 EUR bonuses are not accrued. Bonuses are accrued monthly, based on the average monthly balance).
Cashback for card purchases (excluding ATM withdrawals and transfers)
- 0.1% (min payout 0,05 EUR per month)
Blackcatcard Pros & Cons
Blackcatcard: Pros
- No signup fees
- 2.2% per annum interest or 0.1% cashback on card purchases
- 24/7 fast and effective customer support
- In-app crypto trading
- In-app crypto wallet
- €45 Bonus for new customers
Blackcatcard: Cons
- Unable to hold other currencies apart from Euros and crypto
- High fee for card top-up
- Some customers report delays with incoming transfers
- Users have reported issues when using their crypto services
- Many negative online reviews
Blackcatcard Review: Verdict
The Blackcatcard is a very good fintech banking option, it has very helpful and responsive customer support.
It has some outstanding advantages over its competitors, it has no sign up fees, you can choose to either earn a 2.2% annual interest or a 0.1% cashback on your card purchases, on top of that, you can also trade and hold cryptocurrencies in your app, it would be great if the Blackcatcard allowed its users to hold more currencies such as US Dollars.
The sign up process has some AI issues, if you encounter these problems while trying to sign up, just be patient and keep trying, eventually, it will work.
When topping up your card, we suggest you do it by bank transfer, by doing so, you will save on the 3.5% card top-up fee.
If you ever encounter issues or delays with incoming transfers, make sure to get in touch with the Blackcatcard 24/7 customer support, they are extremely responsive and very helpful!
very bad, they stole my money and do not return it, blocked the transfer in Croatia and unsubscribe that they sent the information to the department, wait for the letter, I don’t recommend it, nothing happens for almost a month
Hi Den,
Sorry to hear that. Hope they solve it soon, keep us updated.
I used the balckcatcard Mastercard (Papaya Malta) service back in 2017 till 2020, it was somehow very practical to pay my international expenses and dues during the Lebanese outrageous banks crisis that started in 2019, and I was very happy to have this only mean to connect to the world at that time. Till balckcatcard decided to opt out this service for some nationalities and I was forced to close the account on a very short notice. Consequently, I had no choice other then to spend the balance amount incurring losses for more than 30% of the money value that was in my blackcatcard account. Than I negotiated with PAPAYA over their application and emails and we succeed to close the account and they sent me a confirmation email that the account was cleared and closed back in December 2020.
Later and after more than 3 years BLACKCATCARD came back with a claim a tedious amount (less than 20 Euro) claiming that was to cover some unsettled fees, and urging to pay otherwise they stated to take legal actions against me and transfer my file for collection to an unknown third party. That was annoying because I never had any similar incident with any bank or financial institute (local or international), and my track financial records are always clean. Infact, I could not verify The above claim because my account was closed and no way to check and validate the claim.
Not to mention that with the increased amount of similar emails from SPAMMER/FISHER made this task even more difficult and pushed me to take a vigilant approach.
I still remember the painful memory of the loss of more than 30% of the money, and loosing my only window available to me at that time to use an electronic pay service, and incurring a substantial loss of my money value on short term closure notice of the account, accentuated by the critical time of an outrageous economy collapse in my country and on top of that now I have to pay some extras claims 3 years after this bad experience.
That is really very unfair and frustrating!
I wish BlackCATCARD relook this case, and have better fair settlement.
When did they get the dormancy fee?
Thanks
We’re not sure, I believe they got it shortly after launch.
What is the maximum amount bank transfer
I believe there is no limit for bank transfers, do contact them in order to make sure.
My XRP withdrawal from BlackCatCard was stuck for 3+ days. Support cannot resolve this issue. Has anyone encountered such a problem and what to do?
Hey
I have the same problem for 800 euros
btc from the wallet went to exchange
and disappeared
4 days have passed, no btc or euro
support is just playing for time and promises that money will come soon
Hi Igor,
Have you tried contacting them via the live chat? They are usually very fast? Can you give us some more details about what explanation they gave you? Hope they sort it out.
Best,
RR
Hey
Of course I chat with them
They say they have a problem with a partner.
6 days have passed – no change
Apparently this is 100% scam
They only write:
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We will expedite the processing and let you know via chat when the problem has been resolved.
Let us know when you have some news, from what users have been reporting it seems there’ve been some problems with crypto-related issues, have you tried using Binance and KuCoin for crypto?
Im unable to even open an account. They cant handle hungarian letters in my name lol. I wont trust them, so unprofessional.
Thank you for sharing your experience with them, we’ll keep it in mind for an updated review.
DO NOT use them , they scam company! They working with crypto but big problem starting when you trying to sell crypto, they processing transactions non limited time , when you trying to get answers from support they answering like robots ” as soon as possible ” ” we will try to speed it” but in the end you cant get your money, they frozen them without reason and always trying to find reason why you have to wait , as crypto wallet they have to complete very fast transactions because of rate , but they do not care about all those terms ,also they will try to explain about limits but in one answer you will have answer we have 1btc limit daily but in second answer from other support agent you will receive answer about different limits like 2000k euro , so how company with so not professional people can protect our money?! Answer they cant even if they have malta license it not mean nothing just because they will scam you and you will receive million storys about how papaya working and why your money protected but dont believe it fake answers! Just dont try to use them if you care about your money
Hey Roy!
Keep us updated and let us know if Papaya is able to solve your issue, hopefully, they’ll sort it out.
Best,
RR
I got a blackcat card , topped up 6 euros and was charged 21 cents then 5.79 partial transaction fee leaving 0.00 which left me concerned that if I topped up more would the same thing happen?
Hi Rob,
Topping up with a card has a 3.5% fee, if you want to avoid this fee you should choose to top up via bank transfer.
Best,
RR