How to get the most out of your salary card

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The salary benefit can be increased by receiving it on a good debit card. Lifehacker tells how to do it.

Usually the employer issues a salary card. Why change it?

The employer issues a salary card of the bank where he is served. He cannot pick up a card for each employee, taking into account his needs, therefore he issues all ordinary debit cards: free, without additional options and bonuses.

It also happens that a salary card is not just useless, but causes a lot of trouble: it is difficult to withdraw money, because there are few ATMs, a commission is charged for withdrawing cash and for transfers from card to card. In addition, the bank provides poor and long service, and there is still no mobile application or Internet bank.

Previously, all this was called "wage slavery": the services of a certain bank were imposed on us, so we had to use them. In 2015, the law was changed, and now we have the right to choose a salary card ourselves.

Therefore, you can change the card and forget about the problems. A salary card can be convenient, with a mobile application and an Internet bank. You can benefit from it in the form of cashbacks from purchases or miles, interest on the balance and preferential crediting.

Wait a minute. Is it possible to choose a salary card yourself?

Yes, you can choose a salary card yourself, unless otherwise stated in the employment contract. To confirm your right, you can refer to article 136 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, where everything is clearly spelled out: “The employee has the right to replace the credit organization to which the wages should be transferred, informing the employer in writing about the change in the details for the transfer of wages no later than five working days until the day of payment of wages.

So go for it.

A good option is to get an Alfa-Bank salary Mastercard.

And what is good about Alfa-Bank's Mastercard salary card?

Free service at the bank

A package of services is connected to any Alfa-Bank card. It is a collection of services and benefits - from a free mobile app to a personal travel assistant. Cost - from 2 189 rubles per year. But if you have issued an Alfa-Bank salary card, the service becomes free. In return, you get cool service and a lot of benefits.

Concessional lending

The Mastercard salary card is an opportunity to get a loan on preferential terms: in cash up to 1,000,000 rubles and at a rate of 11.99% per annum, without guarantors and commissions.

Interest-free cash withdrawal

Withdraw money without commission at Alfa-Bank branches or ATMs of partner banks: Gazprombank, Moscow Credit Bank, Promsvyazbank, Rosbank, Rosselkhozbank, Ural Bank for Reconstruction and B&N Bank. There are more than 17,000 of them throughout Russia. The nearest ATM can be found in the Alfa-Mobile app, which will create a short route and show if there is a queue at the ATM.

Contactless payment

Pay with your smartphone. The card can be added to Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay. In addition, you can withdraw cash from an ATM without a card, using your smartphone instead. It works like this: bring your phone to the ATM, enter the security code and follow the instructions on the screen.

Account in rubles, dollars or euros

With Alfa-Bank's Mastercard, you can change the card account from ruble to foreign currency at any time, which is especially convenient when traveling. Pay with your card abroad without losing money due to currency conversion. To do this, you do not need to go to the bank branch in advance: you can change the account from ruble to currency on your own in the mobile application.

Ability to withdraw cash abroad without commission

Another advantage of the card is the ability to withdraw cash several times abroad without commission. The option is available in the "Comfort" and "Maximum +" service packages.

Free SMS notifications

Many banks charge a fee for SMS informing about card transactions. As a rule, this service costs from 50 rubles per month. With Alfa-Bank's Mastercard salary card, information about any card transactions will be sent to your phone without any debiting from your account.

Salary card with additional bonuses

You can apply for a salary card with additional bonuses. For example, Alfa-Bank's Mastercard Cash Back with a good cashback.

Pay with a card, and part of the money will be returned back. You will receive 10% from gas stations at gas stations, 5% from invoices in cafes and restaurants, 1% from all other purchases. Cashback “falls” on the account every month (in rubles, not in “gifts”, “bonuses” or anything else). You can spend it like regular money.

For example, if you spend 7,500 rubles a month on gas stations, 10,000 rubles on cafes and restaurants, and 20,000 rubles are spent on other purchases, then your cashback will be 17,400 rubles a year.

Calculate how much you can get back thanks to cashback using the calculator on the Alfa-Bank website.

I want to keep track of my expenses. Does this card do that?

With the help of the mobile bank "Alfa-Mobile". This is a cool account management application available on any smartphone or tablet.

All your expenses are recorded by category. You can clearly see how much you spent on food, car, entertainment and other categories, to whom the money was transferred, when the cash was withdrawn.

In the application, you can transfer money (by card number, phone number or details), top up your mobile account, pay for the Internet, housing and communal services and traffic police fines without commission. Use templates so as not to drive in the details every time anew.

There is also an online chat with the bank. There is no need to call anywhere, much less go. Just ask your question and you will be answered promptly.

I need to open a savings account. Can you do this with an Alfa-Bank card?

Yes, to do this, just call the bank and activate the Moneybox for Change service. With it, you will receive 7% per annum on the minimum balance on the savings account.

It works like this: you set a percentage of the purchase amount (from 1% to 30%), which will be transferred to your savings account. Any minimum balance on the savings account will be charged with 7% per annum.

Let's say you spend 20,000 rubles every month. You decided to transfer 10% of the purchase price to a savings account. Thus, 2,000 rubles will be in the savings account. This is 24,000 rubles a year, plus 7% per annum.

You can calculate how much you will save in a year using the calculator on the Alfa-Bank website.

Probably this card has expensive service?

No, the annual service for the Mastercard Standard salary card is free. Servicing the Cash Back Mastercard costs 1,990 rubles per year. Its cost will pay off in the first month of use thanks to cashback and interest on the savings account, after which you will receive a net profit and a salary increase. Just.

Okay, how to get an Alfa-Bank card?

On the website or at a branch of Alfa-Bank. You will need your passport details, registration address and place of temporary residence. The card will be delivered by a courier, you can pick it up yourself at a bank branch.

To receive a salary on a new card, indicate the employer's TIN upon receipt. You can enter the data in the Internet bank or by calling the hotline. After that, write a statement addressed to the manager and give it to the accounting department at the place of work. In the application, you must indicate your full name and account with Alfa-Bank.

Ready. Now you will be getting the most out of your payroll card.