Initially posted on Quora?What is the best way to shop online in or from Pakistan? Updated July 2022 since the information was out dated.
I have done a lot of online purchases within Pakistan through credit cards, debit cards, internet banking, Easypaisa, Foree etc. I was also a Product Manager for a company that used to route all these transactions on the internet in Pakistan 17 odd years ago. Hence let me explain what works best.
Mistrust & Fear
For most people, there is genuine fear that their credit card data is not secure enough and someone or the website itself will get access to it and might abuse it in future. Mistrust is another factor into their purchases online. The big what if I don’t get the correct item or what if it is damaged is paramount. For this reason Cash on Delivery reigns supreme.
Credit Cards & Security
To?address the first part of the problem, online stores started offering Cash on Delivery and Bank Transfers to solve these issues. 3D security finally arrived on some cards in Dec 2016. Its 10 years late but atleast its here and HBL internet gateway supports it which is great news for everyone. 3D security means that VISA and MasterCard can not only verify your credit card details on the internet but also the person using the card only by means of another verification method. In most cases, online fraud is due to lack of verification of who is using the card online. If 3D security is being used then the VISA/MasterCard network actually directs you to the bank where they ask you to enter a security key sent to the registered card holder via email or SMS/text . Afterwards, everytime you are purchasing online, the 3D security mechanism verifies the information with you. All websites that use 3D security will have Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode logo or seal on it.
UBL and HBL credit cards provide 3D security through Verified By Visa (VBV) which makes it a good credit card to use on any website with VBV. Meezan Debit Cards are also 3D secure making them the only debit cards in the country that can be used online. SCB debit cards work online only if the CVV verification code is sent with each transaction.
The lazy banks have devised a solution whereby they block all cards, unless opened explicitly for internet usage on the request of customers. In this day and age, I am not a fan so i’d say that one should avoid such cards on the internet at all costs and just invest in a credit card that is 3D secure or get a prepaid debit card.
For?all websites, you need to ensure that the security trifecta is in place when you are entering credit card information. This is:
- Browser address bar display HTTPS and the website shows Verisign (or Norton Secured) logo. In this day and age, the bar should be green.
- The website displays the VBV, MasterCard SecuredCode logo or simple card logos.
- There is a box for 3 digit security code. (Note my statement regarding SCB debit cards.)
- If by any chance you are buying online via a card or even via your online bank account (IBFT) and sitting in a public place with open Wifi then please use a VPN to ensure your entire transaction is secure. Do not for a minute think that only your card info needs to stay safe, your own information too needs to be safe and this includes your name, email address, password, address etc.
Pakistani Websites
Thankfully, now we have the likes of Daraz.pk and many other stores where people are now able to shop online as well as setup their own stores. These points below still apply regardless where you’re shopping from.
- Websites that display Verisign Seal (soon to be Norton Secured) do not save your card information in plain text nor do they transmit it in plain text. The information is encrypted via SSL and transmitted over the internet in a secure tunnel linking to gateways which are the same used for physical credit card transactions. If the information is saved within a database then it is in an encrypted format. No one can query the Database and get plain text replies, unless they decrypt the fields first. And mind you there is generally only one or two people in the entire company who know how to do this hence it remains very secure as any theft or illegal use can be traced back to these individuals.
- Similarly, for internet transactions the security code (at the back of your card) is always required which is NEVER SAVED ANYWHERE. Without this no one online accepts a credit card.
- Expiry date is also not saved in most instances unless they happen to be a payment processor (e.g. Amazon) too with a PCI DSS clearance. If it is, that seal is visibly present.
- All the above information is never taken on the website you are shopping unless they are a payment processor as well (e.g. Amazon is both a payment processor now and a shopping site).
Shopping from Pakistan on International Sites
Payment Methods
To shop on international websites such as Amazon.com, BestBuy, etc, you need a card that can be used online. Unfortunately, most Debit Cards issued in Pakistan are blocked from online usage however there are the likes of Prepaid cards such as UBL Wiz and MCB Lite that can be preloaded and used for international transactions. If however you are like me, then you may be interested in a long term solution that gives you security as well as allows you to pay online via multiple currencies. I’m speaking about Virtual Debit and Prepaid cards that can be preloaded easily.
Billing Vs. Shipping Address
The billing address is where your card is registered. With virtual cards, you can edit the billing address with ease which is a huge plus point. The Shipping address is the address where you send your purchased product. Many websites employ verification methods to ensure that the Cardholder’s address is verified. With a virtual card, this is easy.
International Address for Products that cannot be delivered to Pakistan
Many of us have suffered from this. All you need is a great parcel forwarding service to ensure that your packages are received and checked before being sent to you in Pakistan. I have successfully used Stackry, Shopfans, Vykingship, USGoBuy and a few others for this service and there is a great post on package forwarding services over on TechVise. The post is regularly updated so be sure to check it out.
Other Things to Take Care of
You?need to also ensure that the security trifecta is in place when you are entering credit card information. You might have access to VBV / MasterCard SecureCode however, on international websites you will always get charged in USD. If for some reason your transaction is being done in GBP or Euro then you will get a double whammy with the conversion and may end up paying about 5% more by the time your transaction is billed in PKR.
Shopping from Amazon
If shopping from Amazon, use Amazon payment service and pay for your transactions in PKR. It is less costly than getting a surprise on your bank or credit card statement at the end of the month. Luckily, Amazon allows PKR credit cards and will give you the option to pay in PKR currency. Combine this with a parcel forwarding service and start shopping ๐
To be honest though, I have found Bank Alfalah and Meezan bank offering the best USD to PKR rates when it comes to international shopping.
Conclusion
It?is safe as long as you make sure that you are being informed at every step of the way. A website with noble intentions will always inform you before sending you to another website, about security, about its data protection procedures and will have all the relevant logos.
Syed Qasim Ali says
This is a good news for Pakistan, international E-com sites are allowed to shipping in Pakistan and pay in Pakistani rupees.
bash says
thanks for the reply albeit late but its fine. SO now i should check Payoneer card! how many are out there seems like every service gives a card! and how i can use keenu wallet. did u use the keenu wallet to buy from xbox direct or u used it to charge payoneer card?
and yes US unlocked was not giving new cards. a heads up on entropay. they basically have 3 tiers of account types basic standard which are same and then pro which requires documents verifying ur address!
the thing is with basic and standard u can only top up 10 dollars in ur card and although u can have 5 cards with standard account(only email verification needed) the limit is too low and then they ask u to verify ur credit card or debit card through which u topped up to increase the limit and that can take b/w 7-21 even 30 days which is quite pathetic tbh. plus they dont use AVS which is a pity
although there is a service called Revolut which does every thing entropay does not but they are not available to pakistanis atm atleast! so all and all there is plethora of options out there but believe me it takes a lot of time and patience to go through each and u dont want to pick the wrong one unless u are rich and can take liberties with ur money!
bash says
i came here looking for visa virtual cards for payments to xbox live to buy Backwards compatible 360 games and also to add a method of payment at their site.
the thing is that all online merchants check ur information like address name number and even zipcodes which should be the same with ur card but the problem arises here as ENTROPAY does not use this feature called AVS(address verification system) but the other site giftcard.com which accept onl US based cc tells us that they indeed register the virtual card and then online payments can be made easily
i am trying to use entropay bcz i think it is cheaper. Entropay only charges 4.95% of the topped up value mind u i am going for low top up) but i am split here as i dont know whether my xbox payment will go through or fail so what option should i pick? will the MCB lite card work for online payments specially Xbox live? if yes what will i need to put in the address when xbox will ask for it and the zip code? should i fill in a fake us address with address of a state like florida will that work? bcz the mcz lite card would be here in pakistani address so could there be a clash?
Fahd Chhapra says
Hello ,
My Standard Charted Debit card is being declined for international online purchases , have changed their policy ?
Best Regards .
Quratulain Habib says
Hi Fahd,
Sorry for the late reply. SCB has indeed changed a few things since a number of customers are affected. As of right now, the only Debit card that is secure and always working is by Meezan bank. If online shopping is an important part of your life then i suggest you get open an account with them just for the card itself (word of advice get the MasterCard Titanium for cool discounts). One of their biggest benefits is that they mention the FX fees separately for each international transaction. So you always know what you have paid as exchange rate and what you are paying as the bank fees.
If you call their support, they will tell you their exact fees. Good luck!
Fahd says
I have been using Standard Charted debit card for online shopping flawlessly for years , just recently ….. like about a month back there debit card was declined while i was making a purchase from a website from where i regularly purchase my stuff , i called up the bank and they accepted that their old debit cards (non chipped) are being declined , i requested them for a new chipped card which i got very quickly , i did my activation (3 times) cause for their system failure , after everything was done the SC banking officer assured me that your Debit card is now active and can be used for online shopping , i did just that and found out that this card is also being declined , i tried my new Standard Charted Debit card on 7 websites from where i purchase regularly , all of them declined the transaction , i was furious and called up the bank again , they kept on saying that there is no problem from the banks side the merchant is not accepting the payment , i called up and emailed all these 7 merchants and asked them that why are they declining the card on which all 7 merchants said the same thing , that the CVV2 code does not match with records of your bank and hence we cannot accept this transaction , i conveyed their reply to SC bank which was totally useless , they had their same generic reply ” the merchant is declining the transaction” according to SC Pakistan …… 7 international merchants are wrong and SC Pakistan is right .
I would like to ask here that has SC changed their policy for Visa Debit Cards for International purchases?
Best Regards .
M Faisal says
Hello QH,
It’s an excellent article and you’re providing a great help.
My problem is I want to buy genuine Windows/Office from Microsoft Pakistan website. I’ve got Debit cards from Standard Chartered/HBL which are usable on most (local/foreigh) websites. I’ve even got Entropay card, where these debit cards fail Entropay works. I’ve tried all the available options but I’m unable to purchase MS Windows/Office 365 subscription from MS Pakistan site.
Standard Chartered debit Card gets added initially but fails with an error code. Similarly HBL card also gets added, it shows a Rs 100 test transaction when I add it, but for the actual transaction I get PUR-ProcessorDeclined error. Called HBL, they said that I must be adding wrong info, but it’s not the case. I then called MS helpline and they said that they only accept credit cards, no debit cards. The issue seems to be the CVV code. They seemingly use it to test the card but don’t save/send it for the actual transaction.
Is there anyone here got any luck with purchasing anything from Microsoft Pakistan website through Debit/Prepaid card? If yes which bank? Or is there any other solution to purchase genuine Windows from Microsoft here? I live in Islamabad, don’t want OEM edition and I am willing to pay cash. (BTW I was a Linux user, but after my system upgrade, as most of the components were not compatible with Ubuntu had to shift to Windows 10, 90 day trial. I still got around a month before it expires.)
Quratulain Habib says
Hi Faisal,
Thank you for the detailed comment. I can understand the frustration you’re going through. Off the bat, i can safely say that using a Meezan bank debit card will always work due to the fact that A) they dont have credit cards (nor believe in them) so they are invested in making sure online purchases are not done via other bank cards. B) They are 3D secure. I know someone, who bought a Microsoft License last year via Meezan Bank’s debit card.
Apart from this, you can try out Prepaid cards issued by UBL and / or MCB.
As per regulation, CVV is not allowed to be stored anywhere hence transactions get declined automatically when the information is not present and is required for authorization of transaction.
M Faisal says
Hello QH,
Thank you very much for taking time to reply to me in detail. I’ve used UBL WIZ card around 4-5 years ago but my experience was not too good to try it again.
That’s something good you said about Meezan bank. Based upon your advice my next goal is to open a bank account in Meezan bank asap just to get their debit card. But if it also fails I’d give them a reference to your suggestion here, maybe after seeing this they relax their CVV requirements ๐
Haris Shah says
Hi QH can you tell me which visa card to use UBL Wiz or MCB Lite for amazon shopping i want to order some pc parts and wanna deliver it to Dubai which is best way .. and cost me less Thank You.
Quratulain Habib says
I havent used them for Amazon so i cannot say which one will work and which wont. You need to conduct a proper research for this because Amazon may not ship those parts to Dubai. Figure out all the players in your entire process. Sometimes its more than a ‘payment’ problem when it comes to online shopping. Be aware
M Faisal says
Hi QH,
Thanks to you, I now own a fully licensed copy of Windows 10. Your advice lifted a big burden upon me.
As per your suggestion I opened a new account in Meezan Bank, got a Platinum debit card (to be on the safe side) and then tried the transaction. It went through smoothly.
Meezan bank has done a wonderful job to let go the CVV check. I can use the card on all those websites which do not use CVV code. It’s just like Entropay and even better, with just one big drawback. The drawback is that for any transaction in dollars they make 2 transactions; one is the actual amount and the other is their extra charges. When I calculated it amounts to more than PKR 120 per dollar. Whereas other banks charge the normal rate i.e. around PKR 116. Had this not been the issue I would have made Meezan my main bank account.
Keeping aside this CVV issue I think the best debit card in market is HBL. Their dollar transaction charges are a few pennies less than Standard Chartered and I get discount on many shops including 10% on Menu Chicken, which I buy regularly to feed my cats :-).
One of the other drawbacks with Standard Chartered debit card is that it fails on those sites which specifically check zip code. I specially went to their branch to add my zip code to my address, even tried adding it through online banking but to no avail. There’s no such problem with Meezan or HBL.
Once Meezan stops charging extra on foreign transactions it can definitely become the no 1 card.
Thanks again QH, I’m greatly indebted to you for your help.
Ali61 says
Hi M Faisal,
I’m having a similar issue with HBL debit card, where I’ve saved the debit card on a website. For verification it takes 1 dollar, but when I try to run a real transaction, the transaction fails. I tried a lot, just like you did, checked with helpline, checked with the website, but to no use. I guess its because the transaction don’t take cvv.
I’m going to give Meezan bank debit card a try. I’ve a few questions if you can help.
Can you please tell me:
1. Can any customer get a Platinum debit card, regardless of how many funds are in the current account?
2. Any idea if you know the maximum per transaction limit of the platinum debit card?
3. IMPORTANT:
You mentioned Meezan bank took over PKR 120 for per dollar. Is that what is charged TOTAL (Including 3% foreign transaction charges)?
OR do you mean PKR 120 only for the transaction per dollar account & further on 3% foreign transaction amount?
So for example if you did a transaction of $100, did they charged $100 X 120 = 12000 + 3% foreign transaction ($100 X 3%) = $3 (that means $3 X 120 = PKR 360)?
By the way, on my other transactions on HBL, normal transaction is charged around 116 per dollar, “BUT”, with the 3% foreign transaction fee added, the statement sometimes even shows per dollar charged as PKR 124. So I wonder if Meezan charged PKR 120 total, then its still better than HBL.
QHabib if you can share your input on this, it would be great.
Many thanks.
M Faisal says
Hello Ali,
Sorry I missed you message before and only today I got to see it.
1. Yes anyone can get a Titanium card, it just costs more than Platinum card. Sorry in the reply above I mentioned Platinum, I actually got a Titanium Card.
But they did verify my address, company/business etc.
2. You can find out the max transaction limit on their cards by calling their helpline.
3. I’ll give you my exact transaction details:
Meezan:
I made a transaction of $3.45 on 30th June 18.
Rs 421.35 were deducted once as main charges. Rs 12.64 were deducted as bank charges.
It amounts to Rs 125.69/$.
HBL
I made a transaction of $ 4.5 on 22nd June (but was reflected in my account on 28th June)
Rs 547.45 were deducted from my account.
It amounts to Rs 121.65 per dollar.
My last $ transaction on HBL is on 9th July (day before yesterday)
$10.5 for Rs 1278.11 @ 121.72 Rs/$.
Quratulain Habib says
Hmm thats interesting. I looked at my past statements and found transactions in April.
HBL charged me Rs. 122.36 / dollar (April 23/24) whereas MBL charged me Rs. 121.004/dollar (April 25). Rate from XE.com during this time was 115.59.
The most i can say between your experience and mine is that both my transactions were over $20. Since yours was a low amount perhaps a credit card transaction is cheaper when dealing with Foreign Currency.
Haris says
Yes its true, recently i was surprised when my meezan debit card was accepted to make a netflix subscription!
Mustafa Naeem says
I want to import huge sets of same products from Alibaba for my business. Please guide me about the import license, custom charges and how can i minimize them?
Quratulain Habib says
Please get in touch with an accountant or a company that deals in this.
Mustafa Naeem says
Hi quratulain, thats not cool. You should have acted like an Accountant and answered my queries.
Quratulain Habib says
Thanks for the vote of confidence but im not into pretenses. Get Professional help
bash says
i came here looking for visa virtual cards for payments to xbox live to buy Backwards compatible 360 games and also to add a method of payment at their site.
the thing is that all online merchants check ur information like address name number and even zipcodes which should be the same with ur card but the problem arises here as ENTROPAY does not use this feature called AVS(address verification system) but the other site u mentioned giftcard.com which needs a US vpn to open(why?) tells us that they indeed register the virtual card and then online payments can be made easily
i am trying to use entropay bcz i think it is cheaper than giftcard.com. Entropay only charges 4.95% of the topped up value while gift card ask for 5$ straight( mind u i am going for low top up) but i am split here as i dont know whether my xbox payment will go through or fail so what option should i pick? i think the gift card one is better but the whole vpn thing plus it costs more and i have already made an entropay account is causing me headaches! what to do u say?
Quratulain Habib says
My, you seem to be in a hurry and a pickle. For Xbox, i use my Payoneer card and so far i’ve bought a 360 game, a movie and done some rentals with it. All quite successfully. I also use Keenu wallet to load my account when im not in the mood to charge my Payoneer card. If you have the card, i think you should use it.
Yes, Microsoft does Address verification and local issued cards just don’t work on the site. Local bank support is useless since they can’t tell by looking at the error why the transaction was declined which makes it difficult for us to tell what to do.
A US based card that is AVS supported is US Unlocked. I know you have already seen it listed on TechVise Pakistan. Once US Unlocked completes their system migration (they’ve stopped issuing new cards for the time being) you can signup with them and get an address via one of their supported partners for address verification.
Let us know if you have any questions. It is best to reach us on the blog address
Ali khan Sumro says
Hi all,
I have been doing online shopping in PK for many years and I would like to share my experience with you. I have bought many items (around 50) together from one online international store and I have received few parcels at my address. Then I got a letter from customs to attend their office with some documents like import licence etc.. It was my first shopping experience in PK. I was surprised because those items are cheap and in small quantity but number of parcels are more.
After few days I have attended their office and one young guy saw that letter and asked that you have so many parcels coming and you need to pay customs on it. It is 150% of the purchasing amount. He asked me to show online buying receipt/record to confirm the purchasing amount. He told that if you pay in cash it is better otherwise if you get proper amount after all customs procedure then you will have to pay huge amount and I am sure you leave these things.
Main points:
1. If you choose delivery via post office then there is no customs but do not buy large amount or many different items at same time. Otherwise custom will send you letter to attend their office and hold your things.
2. If you choose courier via FEDEX or DHL etc then you get custom letter with mentioned custom duty with your parcel and you have to pay to FEDEX delivery man.
Quratulain Habib says
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. If you get parcels delivered to the same address, you’re bound to raise flags with customs and import. In Pakistan we are fortunate that the govt allows upto $200 of good for personal use to be delivered free of customs. European countries, US and Canada have no such allowances.
Its good if you comply with their request because this means they will continue to provide the ‘green channel’ service they give everyone for mail and packages processed by Pakistan post.
Courier companies dont bother with anything so they just slap duties regardless of whether they are correct or not.
To understand more about this, take a look at a dedicated website for this: https://www.parcelforward.net/customs/
Sarfraz says
I hv error of transaction not complete everytime i purchase something online Any idea to solve this problem
maz3tt says
how can I accept online payment on my client’s site in Pakistan in 2018? what are my options in connection with banking channels.
ammara says
i tried to put international billing address and daraz.pk will only allow to add addresses from pakistan thats why i could not make a successful purchase …any thoughts?
Fayyaz says
Hi. I m trying to use meezan visa debit card for shopping from Aliexpress but when i entered the 14 digits of meezan card and 3 digit security number from other side of card the msg popup that card number is not right. I thought it should be 16 digit number but on my meezan debit visa card it is 14 digit number. Please helpin solving this issue.
[email protected] says
Please contact your bank and arrange for a new card. They will cancel it and reissue a new one for you. Chances are that you are using a very old card of theirs. Their latest cards are 16 digits long and 3D secure.
Fayyaz says
Thanx for a quick reply.
Hur says
I wanted to ask if i want to import things from amazon or Wal-Mart is it better if i use local companies (like qeemat) or international (like myus) keeping in mind charges (import cost and customs) and which is more trusted
[email protected] says
Depends on what you’re calling for. I suggest you go through earlier comments in this article and the linked one.
farhan527 says
Hi
this article is very useful .I’ve been using MCB Lite card for 2 years on many sites successfully but for few months when I’ve tried to use it for some transaction on sites like Payza it was declined . plz can you tell me about how can I load funds to payza and which debit or credit card can be used for this purpose. Thanks
Quratulain Habib says
I havent tried Payza however usually speaking to your bank’s staff will give you some insight into why it works in some places but not in otehrs. For instance, we found out a while ago that SCB declines internet transactions on their debit cards if the merchant doesnt send the CVV code for authorisation. It will only approve internet transactions that have a CVV code with it. After this we know never to try using it on Amazon since Amazon doesnt ask for a CVV no.
So give MCB a call and enquire whats going on . Also ask Payza if they have changed their requirements. ๐
Ahsan says
Well i am an electrical engineer….. i want to get electronics parts from aliexpress…. please share your opinion about aliexpress…. thanks
Fawad Mahmood says
Hello , Which Payment Gateway is best for online store ? like I want to integrate Payment option on : https://www.tvshopee.pk , (VISA/DEBIT).
Quratulain Habib says
Hey, I think your best bet is to look at local options such as Easypay and JazzCash. If you start operating straight from Credit Cards then you will end up in a long process. Many startups and entreprenuars do not qualify with the strict background checks that are done for an electronic merchant account. If you have an established credit history and a history of collecting payments then when the time comes you will have a good record, decent sales and numbers to meet bank requirements.
Syed Anas Hasan says
Very detailed info regarding online shopping in Pakistan. Just went through the comments maybe this is something that will be very useful for customers in Pakistan wanting to pay online: https://www.morenews.pk/easypaisa-virtual-debit-card-easiest-way-online-payments-in-pakistan/
Moreover, my question over here is that is anyone aware if it is legal for an international company to showcase their products in PKR without having a legal entity in Pakistan? I can not seem to find any examples which confirm this hypothesis. For example AliExpress does not show its prices in PKR. If you have any examples in mind, please do share. Thanks!
[email protected] says
Yes a company can show prices in different currencies to give an idea to shoppers how much it would cost. The bill is always Shown in USD or whichever currency the website is charging in.
No legal ramifications
hamza says
Which credit or debit card should i use to purchase Google Developer’s account in Pakistan?
[email protected] says
If your account is local always use a locally issued credit card.
Muhammad Mustafa says
To solve the issues of (1) Payment (2) International Shipping (3) Customs and Taxes, check https://nazdeeq.com/en-pk/ . Nazdeeq provides a real-time quote, and shopping experience is pretty much like Amazon.com as the website is integrated with Amazon.
Jawad Khan says
How can i upload funds to skrill account from pakistan? Any have any idea please help me.
[email protected] says
Skrill has changed its policies on uploads in recent months. One sure way of knowing is to go to uploads in your skrill account and look at options there.
People generally use it as a withdrawal method only though due to high fees