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Citi Global Currency Account $0 Per Month Local or International Plus 10 Currencies in 1 Account

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Hold up to 10 currencies in this account with one linked debit card, and receive foreign currencies for free.
Hold up to 10 currencies in the one account
Avoid international transaction fees and international ATM fees
Receive money in up to 10 currencies for free using local account details

Features

Hold up to 10 currencies

You can hold up to 10 different currencies in the one account, including AUD, USD, EUR, SGD, NZD, JPY GBP, CAD, HKD and CHF. You can load your account with these currencies when the exchange rate is in your favour.

Receive international bank account details

You’ll receive individual bank account details for up to 10 currencies held in the account, so you can receive money in those currencies. It’s like having a local bank account in those countries.

Linked Citibank debit card

This account comes with a linked debit card which you can use in-store or online all around the world. Although you can have up to 10 different bank account details, it’s all linked to the one debit card.

Use for everyday spending in Australia

This account isn’t just for international business and travel. You can also use it as your regular everyday transaction account in Australia. Use the linked debit card to make daily purchases in store or online, or pay your bills as you would with a standard bank account.

Use your debit card to pay like a local overseas

Simply set your default transaction currency to the local currency in the country you’re in, and use your debit card like a local with no foreign exchange fees. Make sure you remember to set your correct default currency via the Citi mobile app.

No international ATM fees

Because you already have the foreign currency in your account, when you’re in a country that uses that currency you can withdraw money at ATMs with no fees. However, make sure your debit card is linked to the correct currency before using the ATM, otherwise a 2.5% foreign exchange fee applies.

No international transaction fees when shopping online

If you’re shopping online on a US site, you can set your debit card transaction currency to USD to pay no international transaction fees.

Access competitive exchange rates

You can load different currencies into the account when the exchange rates are favourable, or convert foreign currency back into AUD when the Australian dollar is strong.

If a foreign currency is deposited into your AUD account, Citi will apply the current Citi exchange rate to the conversion.

Earn up to 2.25% interest on your AUD balance

If your AUD balance is between $100,000 and $249,999.99 you’ll receive 1.50% p.a interest on your funds. Balances in AUD that are higher than $250,000 will earn 2.25% p.a.

$0 monthly account keeping fee

There’s an $0 monthly account service fee for this account.

Citi mobile app available

Manage your money on the go and keep track of your transactions using the Citi mobile app. Use the app to instantly switch between transaction currencies when you’re hopping between countries.
Earn up to 2.25% p.a. interest on your AUD balance

plus Apple Pay :) Note: Apple Pay is currently only available for Credit cards.
BEAT THIS! :)

Related Stores

Citibank Australia
Citibank Australia

closed Comments

  • I need to transfer money (INR) from India. Transferwise doesn't support these transfers. It's western union or banks or some other options that I haven't discovered yet. Will this account help?

    • No dont think it help, unless you convert your INR to one of the listed Citi currency in India and then transfer.

      However conversion out from INR by India bank may not be a good rate.

  • +2

    Ok so some of the comments above are confusing and not sure we all understand this Citi product.

    In this example below can someone tell me what the fees are as my understanding is there are $0 fees.

    Example

    Step1) Direct transfer $1000USD from a USD term deposit that I hold currently in 'Random Country X', send those USD to this Citibank Australia USD account.
    Citi Fee = $0

    Step2) Ask Citi for a debit card over the USD account (somthing the overseas term deposit was not giving).
    Citi Fee = $0

    Step3) Use Citi debit card online at Amazon USA to pay in USD and/or travel to USA to take out USD at a local USA ATM.
    Citi Fee = $0

    Therefore this Australian Citibank account allows me to easily spend my USD which I couldnt do when I had it locked in a term deposit with no debit card option.

    Most importantly there are NO Citi fees in holding or spending my USD held with Citi Australia as long as I dont convert them to AUD.

    Is this correct?

    And besides USD, I can do the same with only EUR, SGD, NZD, JPY GBP, CAD, HKD and CHF.

    • +1

      I think you're correct on all 3 assuming you've set the card correctly/transferred to the USD account and you haven't converted currency at any stage.

      Only downside for this is using bank rates over spot rates when converting currency. Bank rates are slightly better than the HSBC Global Account but you'd still be paying a 1.5-2% premium over spot rate.

      • Also negative, foreign currency balances don't earn interest. So the USD you have sitting there doesn't earn 2%pa or whatever the going rate is.

        Sending money to citibank may also incur fees a sending bank fee and/or intermediary bank fees.
        Citibank should NOT charge a receive fee.

  • My understanding is that Citi only profit when you convert currency using their exchange rate.

    Is there anything stopping me from withdrawing the local currency using either the Citibank Plus, Macquarie / ING where I get VISA / MC spot rates, and then depositing this cash to this Citibank Global Currency account, thus avoiding the sub-par currency conversion rate?

    This global currency account would be more useful for transferring between other local bank accounts, for example, paying for dinners when going out with friends and instead of giving cash, they can transfer you or you can transfer them.

    • Is there anything stopping me from withdrawing the local currency using either the Citibank Plus, Macquarie / ING where I get VISA / MC spot rates, and then depositing this cash to this Citibank Global Currency account, thus avoiding the sub-par currency conversion rate?

      You would have to carry the cash all the way back to an Australian Citibank branch.

      • Could you not deposit at a local Citibank branch of the country you're visiting? Eg. Travelling to HK, you would withdraw some HKD through Citibank Plus / Macquarie / ING, find a Citibank branch and ask to deposit the cash to your Citibank Global Currency account, and from then on, you can use that to send money to others.

        For day to day transactions, I would still probably use Citibank Plus / Macquarie / ING as the rate you're getting is probably good enough, but this account can be useful if you need to send / receive money locally - which has always been a pain for me because I could only use cash.

        • Could you not deposit at a local Citibank branch of the country you're visiting?

          Unlikely.

        • I can tell you for HSBC Global Account, the answer would be no because say HSBC Singapore would have a different account structure and jurisdiction.

          Based on that, it is unlikely you could deposit HK Dollars into your Australian-issued HK Accounts.

          However, Citibank has not confirmed that cannot be done as yet and that's exactly what I want to find out tomorrow.

          If however you swapped the HKD cash into HKD Bank Cheque and bring it to Australia and have it deposited into your Australian-issued HK Account, then according to T&C, you can… apparently under page 8 of the Terms and Conditions reprinted below

          Depositing money
          Depositing money means moving money into a currency account.
          Money can be deposited in the following ways:
          transfer from another Citi account
          transfer from another Australian bank or financial institution
          making a telegraphic transfer from another international bank
          using an Australian bank cheque
          any other method of deposit that we may accept.
          Note: when paying of receiving money from an international bank, they may apply
          additional fees and charges to the transaction.
          When the money will be available
          Money that is deposited only becomes available when we have confirmed that the
          movement of money has completed.
          Deposits from… are typically available…
          Another Citi Australia account immediately
          Any bank operating in Australia the next business day
          An international bank 3-5 business days
          An international bank cheque (draft) up to 15 business days
          Deposits in another currency
          If the currency of the deposit is not the same as the currency of the account,
          we will perform a foreign exchange using the Citi exchange rate at the time
          we receive the deposit.

  • How do transfers work in practice, do you get ten different account numbers?

    • Yes. (Well, you could — you get as many account numbers as currencies that you apply for).

  • +1

    Tend to agree this is an inferior product.

    1. If you spend overseas then just use the 28deg, or Citibank plus (or other similar cards that haven decent fx currency rates). You get the mastercard rate, which is a good rate, and from memory is only about 0.5% off spot.

    2. Trying to buy/sell forex when AUD is high/low is a difficult game. If you are really any good at it, go trade forex through a forex brokerage account instead of through this vastly inferior Citibank account.

    3. Another negative point to note is that the balance in the foreign currency does not earn interest. As an example USD benchmark rate is somewhere around 2%pa so you should really earning something around that rate for any USD balance.

    • +4

      I don't think this is designed to compete with 28 deg nor is it designed for forex trading arbitrage kind of game.

      I've looked into this account vs HSBC and checked with my sis-in-law. The main attraction of this account is simply the ownership of multiple currency bank accounts than can be utilized wherever you are as long as you are in the country this product's currency serves.

      More or less like HSBC Global Account but with one big exception, no inward nor outward TT fees. That itself makes this product superior.

      In your example scenarios, I would bring in:

      1. Citibank Issued Diners and use it wherever it can be used - 2 points per 1 AUD and no international transaction fee nor any foreign currency conversion fee.
      2. Where Diners is not served, use 28 degree mastercard
      3. To access cash, use HSBC Global Account - Zero Overseas ATM Fee and Zero transaction account. Why not Citibank? Because HSBC is a retail bank with branches and that spares me from having to deal with Citibank people if things go pear shaped.
      • Hi burningrage,

        Just wondering, do you or your sis-in-law know whether someone can open both Citi Plus and this Global Currency Account?

        And as such get 2 debit cards, 1 Mastercard debit for the Citi Plus that you can use overseas for their great exchange rate, and the other link to the Global Currency Account for when you have actual bank balance in foreign currency that does not need to be exchanged?

        Thanks

        • Allow me to answer that, although burningrage may do also.
          If you have Citibank + account and you open the Global currency acct, they will all be linked to the one debit card. The trick to using it correctly is to make sure that you select which account you will use as you travel. This means relying on the somewhat ordinary Citibank app I’m afraid.
          If you open the Global account you will see your Plus acct and the currency accounts all linked.

  • I just applied this account and got bsb and account number on each currencies. i thought they give me bank details on each currency on each country.

    Let said if I m receiving usd from overseas to this bank account, surely i will get charge intermediary cost to get the money into this citi bank usd account. i will clarify with them tomorrow

    • From experience, this is how it may work.

      Now that you have the bsb and account number, together they make your bank account. You tell your payer this number plus your swiftcode CITIAU2X (see here https://www1.citibank.com.au/banking/bank-accounts/global-cu…)

      Now this is where things can get tricky. The payer has an option to apply TT fees either covered by the payer or by the beneficiaries (you). If the payer pays the fees, they will ASK the intermediaries and/or the receiving or beneficiary bank to charge the payers bank.

      So if the payer pays you USD1000, the payer may instead be charged USD1050. However, the payer bank will NOT guarantee you, as beneficiary, won't be charged extra. The payer bank can only ASK. HSBC explained that if the beneficiary bank does this, it has no control over the conduct of other bank. In reality, my recipients always get the agreed money without any deduction.

      If however, the payer opts to pass the cost to you, then unless the payer has Citibank Account or any other account that doesnt charge outward TT fees (and its rare), then be prepared to get deductions BUT that would be because the payer's outward TT is being passed to you OR if it passes an intermediary, the intermediary would then charge you. But not Citibank as inward TT would be nil.

    • Intermediary bank fees should be outside Citibank's controls, so likely yes you will pay them.

    • Ah right, so you don't actually get a local bank account in those countries. You just get 10 bank accounts in Australia with a specific currency attached to them?

      • No. It is an Australian bank account and is denominated in different currency, like USD EUR etc.

  • I have a feeling a whole bunch of ppl are going to apply simply because they can.

  • does anyone have a list of ALL available currencies? the marketing says 10, but the webpage had graphics for only 8?

    • the web page shows 9, plus AUD = 10

  • Does anyone know if it is viable to deposit and convert into a foreign currency first with Transferwise (to take advantage of their competitive conversion rates) and then transfer into my Citi Global Currency Account (to take advantage of the Citibank Plus debit card to pay for expenses / withdraw funds while overseas)? Based on above comments, Citibank does not charge for receiving foreign currency funds. I know Transferwise have their own Mastercard but that's still not available for customers outside of Europe.

    • is Citi's conversion rates really competitive?

      • citi's fx rates here

        Rates are not great. You lose 1.5-2% each time you do a currency transfer on the majors for example.

      • Nope. I meant that Transferwise had competitive conversion rates - not Citibank.

      • -1

        Yes they are very competitive compared with the other banks!
        You can do better with specialist exchanges though

    • +2

      Yes. This is exactly what I do with TransferWise and the HSBC Everyday Global Account.

      • Turns out it works differently with Citi Global Currency Accounts, which are technically Australian bank accounts denominated in a foreign currency. With Transferwise, JPY can only be sent to a Japanese bank account. Can you confirm if you HSBC account shows up as a local Japanese bank account in Transferwise?

        • +1

          HSBC Everyday Global is also an Australian account in a foreign currency. Both Citi and HSBC require foreign currencies to be sent in as SWIFT wire transfers, which TransferWise supports.
          Just went to "Add bank account" in TransferWise for JPY and all it wants is a name, SWIFT code, and account number, so there's no reason this shouldn't work for Australian JPY accounts. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/uiY4kwC

          • +1

            @KingThrifty: Awesome! Thanks for making the effort to check and confirm.

      • Just realised that Transferwise requires you to send a minimum of 1M JPY for it to go via Swift payment. I guess you were sending sums in excess of this amount?

    • I was thinking the same as I need a workaround to allow me to get cash out of my Transferwise borderless when in Europe. Transferwise do not yet offer a debit card to Aussies and when I rang them they could not give me a date and appear to have hit regulatory issues. As I already have GBP and Euro's I am thinking of transferring them to a Citi Global Currency Account and then withdrawing cash from an ATM when travelling.

  • Can somebody splain…

    1.- Can I have money sent to me from USA in US$ in to this account?
    2.- Can I have money sent to me from UK in GBP in to this account?
    3.- Will I be given a UK/US bank account number with SWIFT/Sort code?
    4.- Will my balances in their respective currencies be separate, like AUD = X, GBP = X & US$ = Z?
    5.- Can I withdraw in the respective currencies?
    6.- Can I deposit US$ in Australia and keep it in US$?

    • 1.- Can I have money sent to me from USA in US$ in to this account?
      2.- Can I have money sent to me from UK in GBP in to this account?
      4.- Will my balances in their respective currencies be separate, like AUD = X, GBP = X & US$ = Z?

      Yes, being able to hold foreign currency is one of the main features of these accounts.
      You have 1 account number for each currency type, so ensure you send the foreign funds to the right currency denominated account and then it will not be converted to AUD.

      3.- Will I be given a UK/US bank account number with SWIFT/Sort code?

      No, it isn't a overseas bank account located in UK/US. You get an Australian Citibank bank account which can hold foreign currency. To send to it you use the Citibank Australia swift code and your account number (and bsb if necessary).

      5.- Can I withdraw in the respective currencies?

      You can withdraw in the respective currency once you are within the respective country. Ie when in USA you can withdraw USD from an ATM.
      You can spend the foreign currency using the card Citibank provide. ie spend USD at amazon US.
      You can alternatively withdraw in AUD in Australia after you convert it to AUD using citibanks bad rate.
      Not sure if you can withdraw foreign currency physical notes within Australia. Am guessing no, because it doesn't appear to be the point of this account.

      6.- Can I deposit US$ in Australia and keep it in US$?

      Part 2, "keep it in US$", refer to first part of the post.
      Part 1, "Can i deposit" … it depends on the method of deposit.
      Wire to/from australia ok. Fee free on citibank side.
      Cheque deposit: Not sure but should be possible. Perhaps has fees.
      Physical cash deposit. Usually possible at banks, but Citibank may refuse the service and/or charge fees.

      My take on this account is that it is all about electronic forms of foreign currency, not about depositing and withdrawing physical foreign currency notes while within Australia.
      Happy to be proven wrong and updated with better info.

      • Thanks, I appreciate your help.

    • -1

      Yes to all of the above including 3 as each currency is a separate account (held in Australia)

  • +3

    If you just want to convert money to AUD at a good rate, use TransferWise.
    If you are trying to participate in arbitrage and eventually back to AUD, just use TransferWise Borderless to maintain balances in many more currencies.
    If you actually have USD, EUR, etc. (from overseas, or if you get some at a good rate via TransferWise) and want to spend it overseas directly with a debit card, get this account.

  • So basically, if you already have HSBC Global Everyday account, there is no point to getting this?

  • I have some US shares which pay dividends in USD. Can I now transfer that to a Citi USD account and use that to buy online without incurring exchange fees?

    • In short yes you can.

      Deposit USD to the USD account you can spend them with the Citibank debit card.
      Or you can send it elsewhere for free with a Citi wire.
      Or you can transfer it to AUD via Citi's forex rates (and pay about 2%).
      Or you can withdraw it as physical cash at an international ATM once in the corresponding country.

  • +1

    For those that want to look at the T&C it is here - T&C

    For rates and fee it is here - Rates and Fee

    (Yes everywhere I look on Citibank website is join here, join here - but I need to know what the hell am I'm joining)

  • I already have this account and I can assure everyone that an $8 per month account keeping fee applies.
    This fee is waivers if you are a Citi Priority or Citi Gold Customer.
    The Ts & Cs are not clear about this as the $0 fee only applies to the AUD account.

    • thx for info.

      The pdf of fees to me reads as if the fee is $0, and that citibank waives the $0 fee if you are for 90 days or citigold/priority.
      No mention of monthly fees for the foreign currency denominated accounts.

      CITIBANK pdf says:
      Monthly service fee Amount AUD $0
      A monthly service fee will apply to your Australian Dollar currency account.
      We will waive the monthly fee in the following circumstances:
      • For the first 90 days from when the account is opened.
      • When you are a Citigold or Citi Priority customer throughout the entire month.
      To learn more about Citigold and Citi Priority, visit www.citibank.com.au.

    • +1

      There appears to be a revision to T&C being made recently.

      From what I learned, the product was released about 2-3 months ago and a revision to change the account keeping fee to zero happened around Sept.

      But yes, do check with them first as I read the same as well. The Account Keeping fee is zero for AUD Account but no mention of other accounts.

  • +2

    Just called their customer service about the account keeping fees. They mentioned that there is no monthly account keeping fees for any currency. I asked them to put it in my notes as well

  • if you open a euro or nzd account do you earn any interest on these or is it just on AUD? can you use a nzd account to do local NZ transfers pay local bills in new zealand ?

    • Interest is only on the AUD account. You can only do international transfers using SWIFT - no local transfers in other countries.

      Transferwise does payments to local bank details in NZ.

  • Does a physical card get issued and can it be used in conjunction with the Citi dining program that offers a free of wine when dining at selected restaurants?

    • Direct from the FAQ

      Physical card only issued if you don't already have one:

      Do I get a separate Debit Card?
      If you already have a Debit Card, you will not receive a new card. You can link the new accounts to your existing Debit Card via Citibank Online and Citi Mobile® App.

      Cheque deposits are possible:

      Can I deposit cheques, traveller's cheques and money orders into this account?
      Yes, you can deposit cheques, traveller's cheques and money orders into this account.
      You can make deposits into this account at:
      Australia Post (with Bank@Post facilities, for the Australian currency account)
      Send it to us –
      Citibank
      GPO 40
      Sydney NSW 2001
      (Ensure your account details are included on the cheque)

  • Any info on whether physical currency notes can be deposited into the account, and if there are fees.

    • found answer in earlier post, answer = no

      constipated on 22/10/2018 - 15:07
      @Krumby: I'm getting runaround asking Citibank. Phoned them re physically depositing USD notes into this account and keeping as USD.
      They said should be possible but they are cashless bank. Get deposits done via NAB branch. Ask them.
      Phoned NAB. Customer service person didn't have a clue. Said they'd get a local person from a branch that handles foreign currency conversion to give me a call.
      Finally got the call. NAB says they can't accept anything but AUD on Citibank's behalf. :(

      • I also confirmed with a 2nd Citibank person, who basically said with more certainty, no deposit of foreign currency notes possible. Only electronic transfer.

        Anyone with any ideas how to deposit USD notes to keep as US dollars.

  • +1

    The application process keeps kicking me out, what a pile.

    • Yes, me too. Had to use the save button to go through.

  • so no point of opening this account If one has a large amount of foreign currency overseas and wants to convert it to aud? is it best just to do tt transfer it directly into your Citibank plus account? would Citibank Australia charge inward fees? is it best to send it in AUD or EUR and let them take their cut?

  • I thought this will give a bank account in country of the currency but it's not. For example, US citi bank account with routing number and account number that can receive transfer from another US bank account. It does not seem that useful. Don't know the use case when it's not easy to put foreign currency money to these bank accounts (beside converting from AUD balance).

  • Had an online chat with HSBC everyday global account as I wanted to see the difference.

    He mentioned the below:

    There is AUD10.00 (inward Telegraphic Transfer fee) charged for receiving a TT in an AUD account at HSBC Australia. If the TT is received in a foreign currency and credited to a foreign currency savings account that holds the same currency at HSBC Australia, there is an additional 1% fee charged (minimum AUD10.00 and maximum AUD200.00).

    The fees for making overseas Telegraphic Transfer (TT) from an HSBC AUD savings account varies depending on the options you will be choosing. There is a standard AUD30.00 overseas bank charges which you may choose to bare or opt for the receipient to bare this. If the transfer is made from your foreign currency account and the amount is sent in the same foreign currency, there will be an additional 0.25% fee charged (minimum AUD10.00 & maximum AUD200.00 equivalent). An AUD20.00 fee is applicable for each transfers made via Internet Banking and AUD25.00 per transfer if it is made via written request or by visiting the branch.

  • RTGS deposit from foreign account would be free with this account?

    I wonder if PayPal account (registered in Au) could transfer USD balance into this bank account without coverting to AUD first.

  • Citi bank's website and app is outdated, horrible to use.
    I'd pass

  • I will be living in the UK for 6 months and need a bank account that I can deposit GBP into, or AUD and convert it to GBP. Would the Citibank plus account be better than this one?

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