No 30% fee for transactions via credit cards

The 30% transaction fee for online foreign transactions via debit cards that has been put into place will not apply for credit card transactions, BML says.

The 30% transaction fee has been imposed on debit card transactions on six e-commerce websites: Temu, Shein, Alibaba, AliExpress, Lazada and eBay. These websites are among the most used by Maldivians for purchases.

BML stated that MVR credit cards and USD credit cards will not have the fee imposed on them.

The fee will also not be in place for certain transactional purposes such as airline tickets, hotel bookings and subscription services. Transactions made via debit cards and credit cards that are linked to a Dollar account will also be spared from this fee.

BML has raised the Dollar limit on debit cards to USD 500 from USD 250 effective today.

The Dollar limit on debit cards was set to USD 250 right after the Covid-19 pandemic, with credit card limits being set to USD 750. In February 2025, it was announced that Maldivian students who are studying abroad can now withdraw a total sum of USD 1,200 from their BML credit and debit cards.