I bought the card at DTB Nation Centre branch. During registration, they take your basic details with your key being your phone number. The card costs 500 Kes and it takes 72 hours to activate, The process for activation is to dial *348# using the phone number you registered with. Then you are prompted for some card details. Once the *348# process is complete, you get a bonus of Kes 500. So its like you are getting the card for free. I am not sure if this is a permanent offer. After this, I went ahead and added the card to my paypal. Smooth. At a cost of 1 Kes. One shilling. And you get an sms notification for that instantly. To access the account go to http://www.nationhela.com and click on "Access my account" There are 3 fields: Login ID, Mobile Number and Password. I do not recall getting a Login ID anywhere. The internet password is sent to you via sms upon successful activation. Anyway, I am told that you can use either Login ID or Mobile number. I somehow manage to go into the books as one of the first to get the account locked. My mistake: I didnt read the activation message in full. Coz I'd have probably not used the PIN that comes with the card to attempt to login. After a few attempts and some expected threats (maximum no of retries, account locked - the more reason to contact customer care), I choose to try something we all do. I select "forgot password". Directed to a password recovery link. There am required to enter phone number and card number. Easy stuff. I supply the details and hit "Submit" Please contact System Administrator or Customer care for assistance. I get bored and try something else: I want to load money to my card and since I dont have off-shore relatives, I decide to send via Mpesa. The currency is only USD. I select 25 usd, which it calculates as 2040 Kes (meaning a rate of 81.6) This was Friday, I dont know how it compares to the rates of the day. To send money, you only need to enter recipient phone number and name. I could not complete this transaction since my account is locked, I presume. I have attached the error just FYI I had tried the Mpesa before and it looked ok. Basically you are given a mpesa merchant no to send money to and a field to input the generated Mpesa ID. That time, I did not go past this stage since I was just exploring. Fees:
From Nationhela FAQ: The different rates for sending money through the NationHela website are indicated on the ‘How much does it cost’ section on the website. After doing a google search, it seems this is the section the FAQ is talking about:
http://www.nationhela.com/?pg=tarrifs I think the tarrif guide should be made a bit more visible. I couldnt find a direct link on their website to the tarrifs page. I'd have shared more but am stuck until the account is unlocked. On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 12:31 PM, Mickey Mickey <michaelakunga@gmail.com>wrote:
Gitagia how good is good as per the reply I received from their customer care I don't think it is anywhere near the Good you may call Good here is my Query:
I wish to inquire about NationHela card about
1. how much you charge per transaction or is it monthly rate and is it in Dollars or KES
2. What is the exchange Rate of Buying and Selling
3. Which online money transactions are supported Moneybookers, Paypal etc
Please let me know ASAP.
Response after 24 hours
Thank you for your below query and welcome to NationHela.
When paying for the goods and services , you will be billed in Kenya Shillings. The conversion rates, are based on the daily foreign exchange rates of the day.
On the same yes, it is possible to send funds from your Debit Card, Credit Card or Paypal account. Moneybookers not inclusive at the moment.
To send money kindly follow the below steps.
Log in to www.nationhela.com; click send money tab and fill in the details such as amount to send, your full names and mobile number. (Please note that this is the mobile number mapped to your Helacard).
Also, kindly note that the system will give you the transaction fee and the amount to be credited to the card minus the charges at this stage.
Proceed to click on where to send from; your Visa debit /credit card account, MoneyGram or Paypal and enter your chosen account details and confirm.
You will get an online confirmation on the completion of your transaction
Once the money is in your Hela card you can swipe the same at any merchant outlet, withdraw at any visa ATM machine or transfer to your Mpesa account.
For further information please log in to www.nationhela.com
You will notice my question one was ignored and it is more crucial. I have been a victim to a bank that was saying "*The conversion rates, are based on the daily foreign exchange rates of the day*" this rate can be even 68KES:1USD and when you complain as in this is not the rate on your website they say sorry the website is due to be updated that is when you bottom gets wet SO AM YET HEAR SOMEONE WHO HAS USED THIS SERVICE AND TESTIFY THE GOOOD GOOOD we have always waited.
My OPINION IS MINE and I have Copyright to it hehehehh