cross icons
cross icons
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
back
cross
Foreign Transactions

Know Your Foreign Transactions with your HBL Card

Overview

Enjoy smooth, safe, and convenient international transactions both online and abroad with your HBL Credit and Debit Cards.

For all transaction(s) outside Pakistan conducted in any currency, the conversion from transaction currency amount to US Dollar amount is billed by Visa/Mastercard/ Union Pay International at the prevalent Visa/Mastercard / Union Pay exchange rate. The conversion from the US Dollar amount to the Pakistani Rupee amount is processed by the Pakistan Card Centre. The conversion rate* charged is the rate at which HBL procures US Dollars to settle the transaction. HBL also charges foreign transaction charges, as per Schedule of Bank Charges. However, please note that all foreign exchange conversions are made as per the agreed Cardmember’s Terms and Conditions governing your HBL Card.

Foreign transactions through your HBL Card can be conducted in one of the following ways:

TRANSACTIONS CONDUCTED IN US DOLLAR TRANSACTIONS CONDUCTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES OTHER THAN US DOLLAR TRANSACTIONS THAT APPEAR IN PAKISTANI RUPEE BUT ARE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS
You visit www.amazon.com and make a purchase for US Dollar 100
You conduct a transaction for UAE Dirham 100 at Ski Dubai
You want to purchase an airline ticket and you go to the website, Emirates for instance, and purchase a ticket for Pakistani Rupee 300,000
The transaction appears in your statement as US Dollar 100, which will then be converted into Pakistani Rupee 28,700 (if the conversion rate* for US Dollar is Pakistani Rupee 287)
The conversion from the foreign currency amount to US Dollar amount is billed by Visa/Mastercard / UPI. The transaction appears in equivalent US Dollar amount, US Dollar 27.23 in this scenario (if the conversion rate for UAE Dirham to US Dollar is 0.27) which will then be converted into Pakistani Rupee 7,815.01 (if the conversion rate* for US Dollar is Pakistani Rupee 287)
Even though the transaction appeared as Pakistani Rupee 300,000 on the website, the transaction will be settled as US Dollar 1,049 by Visa / MasterCard / UPI. as the transaction was conducted at a merchant processing card payments outside Pakistan, which will then be converted into Pakistani Rupee 301,063 (if the conversion rate* for US Dollar is Pakistani Rupee 287)
Foreign currency transaction fee and government taxes / duties is charged to you, as per the current schedule of bank charges and can be viewed in the account/card statement
Foreign currency transaction fee and government taxes / duties is charged to you, as per the current schedule of bank charges and can be viewed in the account/card statement
Foreign currency transaction fee and government taxes / duties charged to you, as per the current schedule of bank charges and can be viewed in the account/card statement


Note: Terms and conditions apply. Figures for illustrative purposes only, based on indicative US Dollar rate and is subject to change

These scenarios explain that for transactions conducted in any foreign currency or Pakistani Rupee at online / international merchants which are settled by the merchant in foreign currency will be subject to conversion rates* as well as foreign transaction charges as per the Schedule of Bank Charges.

In certain cases (like airlines / international merchants), the amount you see on your receipts, e-tickets, sale slips, or e-commerce OTP authentication screens may not match the amount you are ultimately charged for on your statement of account. This is because such transactions are treated as foreign currency transactions and therefore in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, they will be subject to all applicable rules and procedures of HBL for foreign currency conversion into Pakistani Rupees, based on the conversion rate* being used by HBL at the time.

Please note that banks can only settle all foreign currency transactions (including refunds and reversals) on debit / credit cards by procuring dollars as per SBP guidelines. As a result, the conversion rate* for these transactions may be different from the rate in effect on the date of the transaction due to market fluctuation. In addition to this any risk premium associated with US dollar availability and market fluctuations may also be incorporated in the quoted rate at which the cardholder will be billed in the statement.

Additionally, as per State Bank of Pakistan’s directives, an industry-wide annual limit of US Dollar 30,000 or equivalent has been imposed on card-based foreign currency transactions effective from 8th November 2022. Customers are advised to monitor their international spending to keep within the prescribed limit and ensure all transactions through HBL Cards are conducted for personal use only.

*Conversion Rate will be set in compliance with SBP guidelines which may include, but is not limited to the open market or the interbank currency conversion rate, as applicable.