Best Dollar Cards in Nepal for Facebook Ads: Bank-by-Bank Comparison

What every dollar card in Nepal has in common

A dollar card in Nepal is a prepaid Visa or Mastercard in US dollars, issued by a Nepali bank under a Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) circular from 2021. You load it with rupees, the bank converts them to USD, and you use it for online payments abroad, including Facebook and Instagram ads.

The rules are the same at every bank because they come from NRB, not the bank:

• USD 500 per year for ordinary individuals, counted from the card's issue date.
• Higher loads, up to USD 5,000, if you show foreign currency income (offered by banks such as Laxmi Sunrise and Siddhartha).
• Online use only: no ATM withdrawals and no POS payments in shops.
• One card per person or entity, and since March 2025 NRB limits general customers to one card of each category per account.

Bank-by-bank comparison of published fees

The figures below come from each bank's own pages or launch announcements. Fees change, and some banks don't publish them on the card page at all, so treat this as a starting point and confirm at the branch before you apply.

• Global IME Bank, E-Com Visa Dollar Card: Rs. 500 issuance for a virtual or instant card, Rs. 600 for a physical card; top-up Rs. 100 at a branch or free through mobile banking; renewal Rs. 300 a year. Card number issued within a day.
• NIC ASIA Bank, FCY Freedom Card: Rs. 1,000 issuance; Rs. 500 cash load fee; zero transaction fee; valid 3 years; for NIC ASIA account holders with a PAN.
• Prabhu Bank, 500 Dollar Card: Rs. 1,000 issuance; first load free, then Rs. 250 per top-up; no renewal fee; valid 4 years; open to individuals and registered firms or companies; up to 30 transactions a day.
• NMB Bank, Dollar Card: at launch, a one-time Rs. 500 issuance, valid 5 years with no renewal fee, and Rs. 500 per top-up. These are 2021 figures, so check the current tariff.
• Siddhartha Bank, E-Com Card: Rs. 500 application charge at launch; available to individuals, firms, companies and organizations; reload at any branch; foreign earnings up to USD 5,000 can be deposited. Current fees are in the bank's standard tariff.
• Laxmi Sunrise Bank, OrangE-Card: valid 5 years, 3D Secure enabled, managed in the mobile app; fees are listed in the bank's schedule of service charges rather than on the card page.
• Nabil Bank, iCard: for Nabil savings or current account holders with a PAN, up to USD 500 a year. Nabil does not publish the load fee on its launch notice; ask the branch.
• Himalayan Bank, Dollar Prepaid Card: up to USD 500 a year for e-commerce sites outside India, available at any branch. Fees vary; check with the bank.

Which fees matter most for Facebook ads

Ad buyers top up often, because they load just enough for the next few campaigns rather than USD 500 at once. That makes the top-up fee more important than the issuance fee.

A one-time Rs. 500 difference in issuance fee is small. A Rs. 250 or Rs. 500 fee on every load adds up quickly if you top up weekly.

Virtual, instant or physical card?

For Facebook ads you only need the card number, expiry and CVV, so a virtual or instant card is enough and is often cheaper. Global IME prices its virtual card Rs. 100 below its physical one.

A physical card only helps if you want to keep a printed card for records or a bank requires it. It does not unlock any extra use, since dollar cards cannot be used at ATMs or POS machines anyway.

Can a firm or agency get a dollar card?

Yes, at some banks. Prabhu Bank and Siddhartha Bank both say their cards are open to registered firms, companies or organizations, and the original NRB-era guidance said individuals, firms and companies could all apply. Prabhu asks companies for a PAN or VAT certificate and, for private companies, a share certificate or board resolution.

A firm card keeps business spending off your personal card, which makes bookkeeping and tax time easier. See managing several dollar cards as an agency for how agencies set this up.

Validity and renewal: the cost people forget

Cards expire. Published validity ranges from 3 years (NIC ASIA's FCY Freedom Card) to 4 years (Prabhu) and 5 years (Laxmi Sunrise, and NMB at launch). When a card expires you need a new one, and you have to update the card in every ad account that uses it, or Facebook charges will fail.

Renewal fees differ too. Prabhu lists no renewal or annual charge, Global IME lists Rs. 300 a year, and NMB said at launch there would be no renewal charge for five years. Over a card's life, these small fees can matter more than the issuance fee.

Put the expiry date in your calendar a month ahead. That gives you time to get the replacement and swap it in Ads Manager before the old card stops working.

How to pick: a quick checklist

1. Start with the bank where you already have an account; most banks require one.
2. Ask for the current issuance, top-up and renewal fee in writing or from the tariff sheet.
3. Check whether you can top up free from the mobile app.
4. Ask how long until you get a usable card number.
5. Ask whether a firm card is possible if you run an agency.
6. Ask how the bank handles the higher foreign income limit or the April 2026 IT card, if those might apply to you.

Track the true cost of each card

Whichever card you pick, the fee you actually pay per dollar of ads is hard to see from a bank statement. In AdsLedger you add each card with its bank and fee percentage, record loads with the rupees paid, and the app shows the cost of every load in your money-out report. The add a dollar card tutorial takes two minutes.

Frequently asked questions