What is the Remitly Global Card? Essential Guide

Quick Answer: The Remitly Global Card includes a debit card, powered by Visa®, designed for people who live and send money across borders. It combines everyday spending, international money transfers, and getting paid directly into one account with no monthly fees, our best exchange rate on transfers, and no foreign transaction fees.

Maybe you’re sending money home to your family every few weeks, keeping a U.S. bank account for rent and groceries, and leaning on a credit line to bridge the gap in between. Or maybe home isn’t one fixed place at all, and you need money that works wherever you land next.

Either way, living a cross-border life means running your money through a small stack of separate tools. A bank account for everyday spending. A remittance app to send money home. Maybe a credit product to cover you between paychecks. Maybe an eSIM to stay connected wherever you land. Each one works fine on its own, but none of them were built knowing the others exist. So you’re the one holding it all together: switching apps, re-entering information, tracking balances across accounts that don’t talk to each other. And, paying extra for the privilege. Foreign transaction fees, ATM charges, fees just for moving your own money.

The Remitly Global Card was built to change that: one account that spends, sends, and gets paid, so you’re not the glue holding all the tools together. This guide covers everything you need to know: what the Remitly Global Card is, how it works, how to get the card today, and what the invitation-only membership plan adds.

What Is the Remitly Global Card?

Most financial products are built to do one job well. A bank account for spending, an app for sending money home. The Remitly Global Card is something different: a single account built for people whose lives don’t fit inside one country. Instead of juggling three or four separate tools, you get one account that spends, sends, and gets paid.

It’s designed for people in the U.S. with financial ties abroad: the worker sending money home every payday, the professional splitting bills and income between two countries, the traveler living without a fixed address at all. People who’ve never had a card built around how they actually live.

The Remitly debit card is issued by Lead Bank pursuant to licensing by Visa® U.S.A. Inc. The financial account is powered by Stripe Payments Company, with funds held at Fifth Third Bank, Member FDIC. Fees may apply. Neither Remitly nor Stripe are banks. Terms and conditions apply.

Here’s what the Remitly Global Card includes:

No monthly fees
No minimum balance
Our best exchange rates*
No foreign transaction fees — many banks charge around 3%, which adds $15 to every $500 purchase made abroad. With the Remitly Global Card, that fee is $0.
Accepted anywhere Visa® is accepted, in the U.S. and internationally

It’s one account doing the work of several, so you’re never the one holding it all together.

*Remitly Card best rates are not available in all corridors. Includes exchange rates only, not fees. Savings not guaranteed

Applying is 100% digital and simple—you can apply entirely online, using a government-issued ID you already have. Options include a driver’s license, ITIN, passport, matricula consular, SSN, or other accepted documents.

There’s no branch visit, no paperwork, no lengthy application process, and no need to meet a minimum balance requirement to get started.

The Remitly Global Card is available now. Visit the Remitly Global Card page to apply and get started, right from your phone or computer.

Account approval is subject to eligibility, and features, terms, and benefits are subject to change.

What Is the Remitly Global Card Membership Plan, and Is It Worth It?

Beyond the Global Card, Remitly offers an optional membership plan for $9.99/month (flat fee, cancel anytime), currently available by invitation only. This plan unlocks more freedom across global life: send on your own schedule, earn rewards for staying on track with Smart Rate, and the ability to stay connected with Global eSIM.

Here’s what the membership plan adds:

Send Now and Pay Later

Maybe payday’s still a few days out, but your family back home needs the money now. Pay Later lets you send up to $250 abroad even when your balance is low, then repay within 4 weeks at 0% interest. No credit history is required, and you’ll get a response in minutes—right from your phone.

New customers start with a $50 offer. Existing Remitly customers start with $50-$250. Your offer can grow over time up to $400 with positive payment history and continued use of Remitly.

Pay Later is issued by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC, and serviced by Remitly. Remitly is a financial technology company, not a lender. Not available in all states. Eligibility, terms, and pricing may vary and are subject to change. See the Remitly Pay Later Agreement for full details.

Earn 1% Back With AutoPay

When you enroll in AutoPay and repay your Pay Later balance on time, you earn 1% back in monthly rewards—up to $5 per month. Those rewards are automatically applied as a discount on your transfers—no codes to redeem, no rewards portal to check. You don’t have to think about it; it just happens.

Rewards are available to use after your next Remitly Card monthly payment. Terms subject to change.

Spending With No Foreign Transaction Fees

The membership plan includes the same zero-foreign-transaction-fee spending as the base card, anywhere Visa is accepted—both in the U.S. and abroad. Add your digital Visa card to Apple Pay or Google Wallet and tap to pay from day one, at home or abroad.

These aren’t membership perks. They’re already part of your free Remitly Global Card.

Stay Connected with Global eSIM

Landing in a new country used to mean hunting for a local SIM or paying steep roaming fees just to get online. Membership includes a Global eSIM with 3GB of data across 160+ countries, refreshed every 12 months at no extra cost. Activate it right from the Remitly app before you travel, and top up anytime — included in your Remitly Global Card monthly plan. Requires an eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked device; not all devices will be eligible. Travel eSIM Data provided by Gigs Wireless, LLC. Terms apply.

Smart Rate: A Better Deal, When There Is One

Exchange rates move, and nobody wants to keep refreshing an app hoping they timed a transfer right. With Smart Rate, if the exchange rate improves within 24 hours of a transfer funded by your Remitly Global Card — even after the money’s delivered — Remitly credits the difference toward your next send. If the rate doesn’t improve, you keep the rate you locked in. Initial availability is the U.S.

How Does the Remitly Global Card Compare to What You’re Using Now?

Most people managing money across borders aren’t just comparing one bank account to another. They’re running a bank account, a remittance app, and sometimes a credit product all at once, each with its own fees, logins, and limitations. The Remitly Global Card replaces that whole stack with one mobile app:

What you need	The old way	Remitly Global Card
Everyday spending	A bank account that may have a foreign transaction fees (~3%), or ATM fees ($2.50–$3)	Included with $0 foreign transaction fees
Sending money abroad	Separate remittance app or service	Same Remitly app
Cash flow between paychecks	Credit check required	Pay Later (with membership plan), no credit check
Staying connected abroad	Local SIM card or roaming fees	Global eSIM included with membership (3GB, 160+ countries)
Monthly cost	Often multiple subscriptions/fees across tools	$0 base card or added benefits card for $9.99/month

Get the Remitly Global Card

The Remitly Global Card brings together everything you need to manage money across borders—spending, sending, and getting paid—in one place. No foreign transaction fees, no minimum balance, and ID options that reflect the real documents people carry.

Want Pay Later, AutoPay rewards, eSIM, SmartRate, and more?

The membership plan is currently invitation-only and only available in the U.S.

Approval is subject to eligibility. Features, terms, and benefits are subject to change. Terms and conditions apply.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Remitly Global Card?

The Remitly Global Card is a Visa® debit card that lets you spend, send money abroad, and receive direct deposits—all from one account. It has no monthly fees, no minimum balance, and no foreign transaction fees.

How do I apply for the Remitly Global Card?

The Remitly Global Card is available now—you can apply directly at the Remitly Global Card page. Applying is 100% digital; you’ll just need a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, ITIN, passport, matricula consular, SSN, or other accepted document.

Is the Remitly Global Card free?

The base Remitly Global Card has no monthly fee, no minimum balance requirement, and no foreign transaction fees. An optional membership plan is available for $9.99/month and unlocks Pay Later, AutoPay rewards, Smart Rate, Global eSIM, and more to come. Membership is currently available by invitation only.

What is Remitly Pay Later?

Pay Later lets eligible Remitly Global Card members with a membership plan send up to $250 abroad and repay within 4 weeks at 0% interest. No credit history is required. New customers start with a $50 offer; existing customers may access between $50 and $250. Pay Later is issued by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC. Not available in all states.

Does the Remitly Global Card charge foreign transaction fees?

No. The Remitly Global Card charges $0 in foreign transaction fees. Many traditional banks charge around 3%, which adds up to $15 on a $500 purchase made abroad.

Where can I use the Remitly Global Card?

The card is accepted anywhere Visa® is accepted, both in the U.S. and internationally.

How does the 1% AutoPay rewards program work?

When you enroll in AutoPay and repay your Pay Later balance on time, you earn 1% back in rewards—up to $5 per month. Rewards are automatically applied as a discount on your transfers—no codes to redeem, no rewards portal to check. Terms subject to change.

What is Smart Rate?

Smart Rate is a Remitly Global Card Membership benefit that protects you from missing a better exchange rate. If the rate improves within 24 hours of a transfer funded by your Global Card — even after the money’s been delivered — Remitly automatically credits the difference toward your next send. Initial availability is the U.S., with rollout expanding through 2026.

Does the Remitly Global Card membership plan include an eSIM?

Yes. Remitly Global Card Membership includes a Global eSIM with 3GB of data across 160+ countries, refreshed every 12 months at no extra cost. Activate it from the Remitly app before you travel, and top up anytime with your Remitly Global Card.*

*Requires an eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked device; not all devices will be eligible. Travel eSIM Data provided by Gigs Wireless, LLC, a telecommunications provider.

Yes. The Remitly Global Card accepts multiple forms of ID, including ITIN, passport, matricula consular, and other accepted government-issued documents—not just an SSN.

Is Remitly a bank?

No. Remitly is a financial technology company. The Remitly debit card is issued by Lead Bank pursuant to licensing by Visa® U.S.A. Inc. The financial account is powered by Stripe Payments Company, with funds held at Fifth Third Bank, Member FDIC. Fees may apply. Neither Remitly nor Stripe are banks.