Ecobank Visa Gold Cedi Credit Card. First in Ghana.

Ecobank Ghana Limited, the local subsidiary of the pan-African Ecobank has chalked another first, by being the first bank in Ghana to offer a credit card. The card is not only denominated in cedis, but is also acceptable at any VISA ATM or Point-of -Sale, in Ghana and around the globe.

The new credit card offering allows Ecobank customers and non-customers alike, to make purchases online/offline now and then pay later within their credit line. This credit limit according to Ecobank, is determined by the verifiable monthly income of the credit card holder. The service at this time is targeted at entrepreneurs and salary-earners.

Another interesting feature is that, purchases made using the card are interest-free, for 45 days. Thus if a credit card holder pays back for the purchases made within 45 days, there would be no additional interest on the money. This however does not apply to ATM withdrawals which are charged from the day of withdrawal.

At the end of each month, card holders can pay-off all the credit, or at least 25% of it, by paying cash or cheque at any Ecobank branch in Ghana.

It is time for Paypal to re-consider including Ghana in the countries it covers.

Another interesting development I am predicting is that, other banks will soon follow suit with similar products. It won’t be long before innovative banks like UBA, GTB, SG-SSB would follow suit, while the “old” banks like Barclays, Standard Chartered might take longer.

Hitherto, what were being offered by some banks in Ghana were Visa Electron Debit cards. These could be used at ATMs and POS in Ghana, and activated for use abroad but could not be used for payment on the Internet. Banks currently offering Visa Electron include: Standard Chartered, SG-SSB, Ecobank, Barclays, Cal Bank, Stanbic and GTB Ghana.

Out of the about 300 ATMs in Ghana, 200 are VISA certified, and major shops accept VISA cards, as well as other international brands of credit/debit cards.

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Oluniyi D. Ajao
Oluniyi D. Ajao is an Internet Entrepreneur and Tech Enthusiast based in South Africa. Follow him on twitter @niyyie for more tech updates.

62 Comments

  1. Please how do i get one of your credit cards. I am applying for an on line job and the company will like to be me through a credit card. I am a customer of ECOBANK Thank you.

    • hey, prince, am also facing the same probelm, am also applying for an online job, and i need visa, card to pay, but i think i went thire office and they assured me that if i open the curent account they will give me.

  2. I checked the Ecobank site and this is not mentioned. I really need to buy stuff online. my inability to buy online is killing me and i think this is very unfair to some of us who love to live online. Great opportunities out on the internet but i can’t get into it because i dont have any purchasing power. I get soo sad most of times i bump into great ebooks and software that i would really really love to have and i can afford it but i cant buy it because i don’t have online purchasing power. I use to order virtual credit cards with egold i buy from web4africa.com but when egold went down my little hope also went down. so what is wrong with Ghana banking market. Please i would love to hear more from you if there are any ways i can obtain a pre-paid or a credit card that i can use to buy stuff online. Please let me know if any. I am about to follow you on twitter as well.

  3. I am ofering an online course in the US and face so many challenges in payinng my school fees. can this Credit card help me pay my school fees? If yes, what do I do to acquire one and how soon can I get it.
    Thank you.

  4. I will be working there in Ghana. Can I apply for credit card when I am there and can I use same card in Ghana to make purchases in person or on line.

    • hi, well i know that the visa cards that ecobank gives out is also the debit cart and u can go to the nearest ecobank branch to apply for it that is if you have an account there already. if not, kindly walk in and you would get the right assistance. thank you

  5. HiIm Australian, my husband is stranded in Ghana because the banks in Ghana dont accept his credit card, his visa has expired and he has nomoney to renew it and i dont have money either, is there anywhere in Ghanahe can gethelp. thankyou. Sharon

  6. I want to open an account in ecobank and set up a pay pal connected to it so my father can transfer or send money into it for me to be paying my school fees…I want to know if it can be possible to do that…

  7. how do i get the visa card am in tema and i do not have an account whith whith ecobank.is it posible to register on line too?i need the hot line of ecobank ghana tema

  8. My account expired in may 2010 and i want to operate it. What do i do. Pls. Help me. Am in kumasi n the branch was takoradi.

  9. The Visa Electron are not permitted to perform internet transactions. However, Ecobank has Visa Classic (debit card) in addition to the Visa Gold (credit card). These can be used to purchase or make payments on any website.

  10. Please advise me Sir, I got an internet online business to do very urgently and it requires a credit card registration. I m a customer of ECOBANK but with limited balance credited to my account before I fled Cote D’Ivoire as a result of the recent conflect.

  11. thank oluniyi ajao. I still dont know why some people are still asking daft questions when most of the answers are in the article and others that you can figure by common sense. The man is not ecobank!

  12. I save at ghana comercial bank and i want a visa card that i can use to receive online payment and purchasesh. How can i obtain it free?

  13. I recently applied for a debit card with the Ecobank e-products form and recieved an ecobank regional card instead of visa classic card.With lots of opportunities on the internet like internet jobs,banner advertising,etc I need this badly. PLS HOW DO I GET THIS?

  14. I am in nigeria i can get zenith bank websurfer credit card for you to use for your online transaction. It is accepted in all websites beside paypal.

  15. i want to pay for something online,but the credit card they request does not accept Nigeria credit card but Ghana credit card.
    My question is this,can I as a Nigeria apply for Ghana credit card when I am not there.
    Thanks,
    Christian

    • What merchant are you dealing with? Most merchants would simply ask you to send a valid ID, verifying our ownership of the credit/debit card. You might want to ask them if they accept another payment method aside cards. If they insist, they don’t deserve your business.

  16. Hi I want to make purchases online but don’t have a credit card.
    I want to know if Ecobank can get me a credit card. Thank you!

  17. Hi i live in the United states and i have a nice friend she lives in Ghana.
    I was wondering how i can sent her money can i get a debit card that works here and Ghana.
    Hope you can help me she’s a great lady.

  18. I am happy with thia development. We will inform others about paypal and Ecobank’s Gold card in order to improve business transactions in Ghana.

  19. please sir i am a costumer in ecobank in Nigeria, i am feeling some online admission forms in USA but i think they require a credit card for payment of school fees and i also need it for buying things i need online. please how do i get a credit card?

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