The Ultimate Card for Belarusians: A Game Changer for Transfers and Payments

I know Belarusian users can only transfer money earned from writing reviews to Yandex Money. That's convenient, but I wish I could transfer it to a card and use it for more than just online shopping. My Yandex Money app won't download, and my phone doesn't have NFC, so I thought about getting a card just in case. And that's how I stumbled upon the simplest card for this purpose.

I found out that the 'Mir' system is available on the 'Belarusbank' card, although the bank's website doesn't mention it.

The card's validity period is 5 years.

The cost of making it depends on how you'll be ordering it:

if you're a resident of Belarus and order it at the bank's office – 20 BYN *

if you're a non-resident of Belarus and order it at the bank's office – 35 BYN

if you order it through internet banking, M banking, the bank's website, contact center, or info kiosk – 15 BYN

ordering a virtual Belaruscard Premium card – 0 BYN

I chose the internet banking option because I already have a main card from Belarusbank. It's cheaper and faster that way.

I chose to pick it up at the nearest bank branch from my workplace.The card has a standard design and is made of plastic.

Only physical individuals – residents/non-residents of Belarus over 14 years old can order a Belaruscard Premium card.There's no commission for servicing the main card:

if you order it to an account with basic servicing conditions as your only main card;

if you order it to an account opened by a guardian (custodian) for a physical individual;

if you order it to an account opened for an incapacitated individual;

So, when I showed my military ID and didn't have any other active cards like Belkart-Premium or Belkart-Standard (including those issued as part of clubs and bank products, or virtual cards) in my name on all my accounts, the system worked as expected.

And, as you can see on the back of the card, it's a "Mir" system card.

A week after I applied, I got an SMS saying the card was ready. What's annoying is that notifications about all transactions are only available for a fee, even in the app. I decided not to connect this service since it's a secondary card and my main card is tied to the same account, so the balance is essentially shared.Monthly fee for using the "SMS-notification" service for one debit (virtual, credit) card (per phone number):

SMS-notification about expenditure or income transactions (client's choice): 2.50 BYN

Given that this is the cheapest bank card out there, it's not surprising that it comes with a bare minimum of features.After I connected the card to the app, I got an SMS.

The card is in BYN. Contactless payments are available.

So, let's talk about how I use this card most often. I withdraw cash on YuMoney.

Then I transfer it to this card.

The transfer fee is 2.91%.

I've noticed that the 'Yumani' app shows a 3% fee.

I've even used the card to exchange gifts with a friend from Russia - it's super convenient. Before, we'd usually buy each other gifts through WB/Ozon.

It's also useful when you're buying something on cashback through Telegram.

Important note: The Yumani transfer for Belarusians is only available after a paid user identification (wallet) process, which costs 20 Belarusian rubles. What a hassle! I used to be able to do it in two clicks, but now I had to register on the Sberbank website in Belarus, create a virtual card...,

I'm really glad I have this card, especially since I couldn't withdraw money from Yumani before. I don't often write reviews, but it's super convenient to be able to transfer money to myself in a critical situation when I need cash ASAP.