Paying For Your International Subscription With BigPay? Here Are Some Changes Where There May Be Some Fees

Hey BigPay fam, 

You may be wondering how this may (or may not!) affect you.

Here’s a quick summary:

🌎BigPay Traveler Paying in the Local Currency When Abroad: Using your card internationally? Don’t panic! No changes to your usual physical card transactions in your favourite shops when you pay in the currency of the country you are in.

🌎 BigPay Traveler Paying in Ringgit When Abroad: If you choose to pay in Ringgit when you are abroad - some fees may apply, see the examples below for an explanation. 

BigPay Online Shopper: Sometimes, if you pay for an international subscription - some fees may apply, see the examples below for an explanation.  

In our commitment to continuously be transparent, we’re informing you that we’re making a small adjustment to ensure that we can continue to provide you with the BigPay services you love for a long time to come. 

Moving forward, the Cross Border Transaction Fee will be calculated as 0.5% + network charges.  (In most cases, this should total to around 1.5% but may be subject to changes)

🚀 Let’s break it down with some examples:  

Cross Border Transaction Fee is not applied (no fees!)

Local Merchants in Malaysia

Example #1 

John buys breakfast from his favourite kopitiam and pays RM30.00 via his BigPay card.

No changes, no additional fees

Example #2

Jane pays RM20.00 for lunch at her favourite Petaling Street hawker via DuitNow QR

No changes, no additional fees

Example #3 

John uses his BigPay card to pay the toll on the MEX highway.

No changes, no additional fees

🌎 Foreign Merchants When You Pay in the Local Currency

Example #1 

Jane goes to Singapore on holiday and buys a souvenir from a gift shop and pays S$60.00 via her BigPay card, and the merchant makes the charge in Singapore Dollars

No changes.

Example #2 

John buys a t-shirt from his favourite artist’s online shop using their BigPay card and selects Euros as the currency for payment

No changes.

✅ Cross Border Transaction Fee is applied 

Example #1

Jane is shopping at a clothing store in London. When she is paying for her purchase, the cashier asks if she would like to be charged in the local currency (GBP), or her home currency (MYR). Jane chooses to be charged in MYR. 

The new Cross Border Transaction Fees will apply.

🔥 Pro-tip: Always pay in the local currency of the country you are in. This way, you can avoid unfavourable foreign exchange markups and fees charged by the merchant’s acquirer (i.e. the company that provides the card terminal you see at the counter) . 

Example #2

Jane subscribes to her favourite streaming service in the USA via their BigPay card and is charged in Malaysian Ringgit by the streaming service provider.

The new Cross Border Transaction Fees will apply.

For example: the Cross Border Transaction Fee on your RM40 US streaming subscription, charged in MYR, will be RM0.60 (equivalent to 0.5% plus network charges, which will normally be ~1.5% but may be subject to change).

We hope this helps you to understand better the changes we’re making. We’re here to answer any questions you have and make sure you’re all set for these updates! 

Our friendly customer service team is here to support you 24/7 through the in-app chat, or email us at support.my@bigpayme.com 

Love,

Team BigPay 💙