How to get UBA Africard & Activate it Instantly [2024 Ultimate Guide]

In this article, you will learn the fastest way on how to get a UBA Africard here in Nigeria and best of all, you will learn how you can easily activate your UBA Africard Instantly.

I understand that the reason you found our technology blog is because you are currently finding it difficult to accept currency payments and even make payments online.

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Numerous online small business owners, including digital marketers, freelance writers, and bloggers especially, can’t actually accept and make payments easily online.

The painful part is that the techies who found a way out in regards to creating a PayPal account that has the capacity to receive and also send PayPal funds(either via Family and friends FNF or Goods and services GNS), can’t actually withdraw their earnings directly to their bank accounts.

Now, that’s exactly where the UBA Africard comes to play.

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If you are among those, who are finding it difficult to withdraw your earnings directly to your Nigerian bank account, kindly continue reading to the end;

Before the end of this article, I’ll be exposing as much information that will guide you in to understanding everything about the UBA Africard.

You may have found yourself asking this very important question, why can’t I withdraw my earnings to my Normal Nigerian ATM cards???

Here’s why?

The reason why you can’t actually connect your normal ATM card much less, withdraw directly to your bank account is because the standard Nigerian prepaid cards i.e Master card, Visa Card, and Verve Card are not widely accepted by other countries and because of this, they can not be easily integrated into PayPal withdrawal system.

Although they can be used for payment and account verification nevertheless.

Now, permit me to introduce you to a Nigerian-prepared Visa Card called the UBA Africard that can very much be integrated into the PayPal withdrawal system.

The UBA Africard is widely accepted worldwide, the best part is that it can be used for all online transactions (sending, receiving, and withdrawals).

Enough said already, let’s get started on the fastest and easiest way to get a UBA Africard in right here in Nigeria (Africa).

First and foremost,

What is UBA Africard?

UBA Africard is a prepaid Debit Card, issued by UBA (United Bank for Africa).

The UBA Africard is a prepaid visa card that is generally accepted worldwide for all online transactions(POS, sending, receiving, and withdrawal processes).

The UBA Africard is issued by a company known as Global Technology Partners (GTP Limited).

The truth is that Global Technology Partners (GTP Limited) is a foreign-based company, but they have been in Nigeria for a long time now.

Feel free to look them up on their company website via the link https://gtpprepaid.com/

Are you wondering, how did the name UBA Africard come about?

Well, the UBA Africard got its name when the GTP Limited affiliated with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to enable Nigerians to get this card no matter where they are living in Nigeria (or Africa), as long as there is a UBA Bank in your area, you can get this card because GTP Limited has Agents in every UBA Bank in Nigeria(Africa).

Advantages of UBA Africard

UBA Africard does not require opening an Account with UBA
The Africard is Visa verified, therefore it can be used on any payment gateway platform without your card being rejected.
With your UBA Africard, you can withdraw from any ATM in Nigeria (Africa) without many fees while other ATM cards attract more charges.
It comes with two options either the Dollar or the Naira card.
The Dollar Visa Card option, allows users to withdraw in Dollar
The Card can be easily managed online.
It can be used for online payment. Such as Paying for goods and services in popular online shopping platforms like AbrakaMall, Jumia, Konga, ebay, amazon etc.
It can be used for withdrawing your Paypal funds. i.e for receiving international transactions by linking with Paypal or other Payment platforms with the “withdraw to card” option.
The UBA Africard allows users to use the mobile UBA app even without a UBA bank account.
It also serves as a Prepaid card.

Before we jump into our main theme, let’s answer some Frequently asked questions

What is the cost of Obtaining a UBA Visa Africard

The cost of obtaining a UBA Visa Africard is at least N2,000 Naira. The total cost of obtaining the Visa Card is around N1,500 or more.

How long Does it take to get UBA Visa Africard

It takes a day to get the non-personalized UBA Visa Africard while it takes around a week or less to get the personalized UBA Visa Africard.

Where can I get the UBA Visa Africard?

The UBA Visa Africard can be gotten from any UBA bank closest to your location. Simply walk into any UBA bank and ask the customer care representative about getting a UBA Visa Africard.

Types of UBA Africard

Basically, there are two (2) types of UBA Africard, they are

Dollar UBA Visa Africard
Naira UBA Visa Africard

The major difference between the two Africard options is their withdrawal system. While the Dollar Card can withdraw in Dollar from any of the UBA Branches, the Naira card converts any foreign exchange denomination amount into Naira.

There are also two types of Africard, which are the

Personalized Africard and the
Non – Personalized Africard

Personalized UBA Africard

The personalized UBA Africard has your name inscribed on the surface of the card. It can take up to 4 working days from the day you apply to get your UBA Africard.

Non – Personalized UBA Africard

The non-Personalized UBA Prepared Africard does not include your name or any other name on the surface although it will be registered with your identity.

The upside of the non-personalized UBA Africard is the fact that it can be issued to you instantly as soon as you are done with your account application.

Now, let’s go about the documentation required to get a UBA Africard,

Documents required to get a UBA Africard

The documents that you need to acquire a UBA Africard is no different from the documents required to set up a bank account.

Keep in mind that whatever account manager you will find there, will try to convince you into opening a UBA account, that is if you are not already banking with them.

Below are the required documents to GET a UBA Africard

An identity card (it could be your National identity card, driver’s license, voter’s card, or International passport)
A Utility Bill (Nepa bill, water bill, etc)
2 passport photographs
Money to fund and pay for your card (any amount above N5,000, to be on the safe side)

How to get a UBA Africard (Prepaid)

As soon as you are sure you have all the above-listed requirements to get your UBA Africard, it’s time you take the next step.

Which is actually getting the card,

Walk into any UBA bank closest to you, and talk to their customer care representative about getting your UBA Africard. As I mentioned earlier, it is not compulsory you actually have a UBA bank account Although, they will try to convince you to open an account with them for you to get an Africard.
I personally advise you to get one, if you don’t have one. I will be listing out the benefits of having a UBA bank account in combination with your prepaid UBA Africard.

Request for any of your preferred cards (Personalized or Non-Personalized). Keep in mind that both cards work perfectly.
Make sure to Fill out the form given to you with your correct bio information details, alongside other details. Then, submit it appropriately.
In the form, there is an option to select between a Dollar or a Naira UBA Visa Card. If you ask me, I’ll tell you to choose the Naira UBA Visa Card for flexibility purposes. (You can use it at any ATM in Nigeria to withdraw your earnings directly in the equivalent Naira value).

Please Note: The two types of UBA Africard can be used for the same purpose.

When you are done filling up the form with your details and putting in your signature, give it to the Customer care Representative alongside your identity card and Utility bill.
They may tell you the expected time you can come back for the card(That’s if you actually applied for a personalized UBA Africard)
As soon as your UBA Visa Africard is ready, simply go along with at least N2,000 Naira to deposit into your UBA Visa Africard.
After getting your Card, the customer care representative of UBA will then direct you to the section where you will fund your Visa Africard card via the Account Number given at the back of your Africard.
You will receive an alert either by email notification or by mobile text message you inputted while filling your details in the form given to you during your initial application.
Feel free to locate any UBA ATM outlet closest to you to activate your UBA Visa Africard.

How to Fund the UBA Visa Africard

There are two ways to fund your UBA Africard,

Over the counter
UBA Mobile Application

1. Over the Counter

The UBA Africard card can be funded in any UBA Branch in Nigeria. Simply walk into any UBA bank and speak with the customer care representative over counter to fund your Africard.

2. UBA mobile App

The card can also be funded via the UBA mobile app. You simply need to add a new account on your mobile app. Then you can transfer funds between your accounts. This is the reason I advise you to get a UBA bank account as well.

How to Activate UBA Africard

Activating your card simply means making it active to be used on a POS terminal, ATM, Web, etc. During activation, you will be able to enable your personal pin.

Once you get your card, it is time to ACTIVATE YOUR UBA AFRICARD, the easiest way is to simply tell the ATM operator to help you activate it, you will need to peel off the ATM PIN seal.

At the beginning of your UBA Africard application, you were given a sealed envelope that contains your card, simply open it to reveal your card.
You will find two activation pin codes which are given for both ATM and on-the-web transactions, simply insert your UBA Visa Africard into an ATM and use the change pin option.
Type in the ATM pin you will see in the envelope, now change it to any four-digit pin you can easily remember just the way you activate your normal debit card for the first time.
When you are done you can now go to the web and set it up with a pin as well. (the web option of the UBA Visa Card lets you track all transactions, account balance, etc.)

How to Activate UBA Africard for Online Transaction

For online transactions using the UBA Africard, the below guide is sure to set you up for management and tracking transactions.

You already know that your first time using the UBA Africard Visa Card requires a pin to set up for ATM and online functionalities.

To activate your Visa Card for online web, you first have to take note of your default pin that was given to you in the envelope as your web pin.
At the topmost area, you will get the ATM pin for withdrawal, just change it to activate it. (in accordance with the guide given above).
You will also be given an internet access pin, after changing your ATM pin. you will need to create a username and change the pin for the “internet access” option.
Visit the external link https://www.gtpsecurecard.com/GTPCard/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fgtpcard%2fDefault.aspx
You will see a form. Input your card number and the internet access pin.
Click the login button, you will be asked to choose a username and password for logging in to your online card access.
Follow the instructions on the page and change the login details to your preferred details.

Facts About UBA Africard Card You Should Know

1. You do not need to own an account with UBA in order to apply for a UBA Africard.

There’s a lot of misconception going on about owning a UBA Visa Africard, many people think they need to have a UBA bank account before they can get a UBA Visa Africard.

Although while getting your UBA Visa Africard, you will need to present a valid Government-issued ID card, A utility bill, and a passport-sized photograph to be able to get the card. The same way you used in registering for your normal bank account.

2. The UBA Card is a Prepaid VISA Card.

The UBA Visa Africard platform is a virtual electronic wallet issued by UBA bank for online purchases and offline activities which is connected to a plastic VISA Card for offline POS, ATM, and also, your Web transactions.

It’s in fact, a separate entity from your normal bank account and can be funded only through the bank hallway or transfer from your UBA account, that’s if you already have one.

3. You can only fund your Card between 8 am to 4 pm.

The normal banking hours are between the hours of 8 am to 4 pm. hence it’s great to note that you can only fund your UBA Africard in the banking hallways between 8 am to 4 pm.

So, maybe you are in a queue at the bank and time is against you, it will be best if you simply walk to the customer care representative and let them know that you want to fund your UBA Africard.

4. The UBA Africard is VISA Verified.

You already know that VISA is an international web power for online payments and transactions, therefore it lives up to its reputation. The UBA Visa Africard is Visa Verified.

It is great to note that, you can enable this option on the user portal when logged in, and this also adds an extra level of security to your card transactions.

5. You can withdraw from any ATM for Free.

Another great thing to note about the UBA Visa Africard is that there are no charges on it. Yes, unlike other ATM Cards available to us, the UBA Africard Card has a Zero charge on ATM withdrawals. I do not particularly know why this is free, then again, I think its worth having it. any day, anytime?

6. Your Debit Card may not allow international transactions, UBA Africard allows it.

It is very important to note that; the UBA Africard is accepted on numerous numbers of websites worldwide even where a standard credit/debit card fails. the UBA Africard excels. etc.

7. UBA Africard has a Naira Africard and a Dollar Africard.

You can choose to have a Naira Africard or a Dollar Africard, as already mentioned above. The major difference is their withdrawal system.

While you can withdraw in the dollar currency using the Dollar Africard, you can only withdraw in Naira, using the Naira Africard.

The UBA dollar Africard was introduced in the year 2018 as an alternative to its Naira counterpart. While you can fund the Naira card with Naira, you can only fund the dollar card by walking into the banking hallways with dollars and talking to a UBA customer care representative about funding your account. Please take note that, the Naira card works as exactly as the dollar card and can do almost anything the dollar card can do.

8. You can Withdraw from VISA and Mastercard ATMs around the World.

You have no limits when you are making use of the UBA Africard. The card is in fact, your excellent travel companion. You can withdraw in the local currency of any country you may find yourself using your UBA Africard. You can also pay at any POS point in any country you are in.

9. The UBA Africard is issued instantly.

Another great thing to note about the UBA Africard is that you can get it as soon as you request one in any UBA branch closest to you. No complications whatsoever. Just walk into any UBA Branch near you with your ID Card, Utility Bill, and passport photograph, and in an hour or two, you will have your Africard and also activate it.

10. You can Manage your Card Online.

Your UBA Africard comes with an online portal where you can check your account balance, print statement, transfer funds to other cards/UBA accounts, revise/rectify transactions, block card, change pin, etc

Cons of the UBA Africard In Nigeria

The major disadvantage you will find while using your UBA Visa Africard is the transaction limitation which is set to $10,000 a year: this means that if you intend to engage in transactions that would exceed this amount in a year, then this might be a major challenge to you.
The medium of funding is also another limitation of the Africard, but this can be used solved by having a UBA bank account. hence, you can transfer within the mobile app to your bank account and vise versa.

If you’ve found other limitations while using the UBA Visa Africard, feel free to share them with us in the comment section below.