All domestic cards being issued by the banks are now expected to have the gh-link logo, as part of efforts to inform the public about the wide access that gh-link provides bank customers.

Domestic cards are those issued locally and do not carry the brand-name of any foreign payment card.

They only carry the name of the bank that issued the card. However, all new domestic cards will now have the gh-link logo indicating that such cards can be used in every Automated Teller Machine (ATM) bearing the gh-link logo.

gh-link is one of the initiatives of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), set up by the Bank of Ghana to promote electronic payments. gh-link enables interoperability among financial institutions, which has made it possible for bank customers to use their cards in the ATMs of other banks.

Currently, with the gh-link all domestic cards can work in every ATM outlet in Ghana; providing more access than any of the foreign-branded cards. Although gh-link has been around for a couple of years, some bank customers do not know that with their domestic card they can access every ATM in Ghana.

GhIPSS, together with the banks have therefore decided to print the gh-link logo on all domestic cards for easy identification, so that the public can easily know that they are no longer restricted to the ATM of their banks but can use the card on any ATM with the logo.

Speaking in an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of GhIPSS Mr. Archie Hesse said as a result of the wide network of gh-link, holders of domestic cards, can use the ATMs of every bank as well as those of savings and loans and rural banks.

Mr. Hesse explained that while the old domestic cards do not have the gh-link logo, all the new ones being issued are supposed to bear the logo.

These domestic cards, the GhIPSS boss explained, can also be used to make payment on the hybrid Point of Sales terminals that can be found in major shopping outlets. He said charges on the domestic cards are cheaper, and urged the public to demand domestic cards from their bankers so as to reduce their ATM transaction cost.

“There is no point in keeping a foreign-branded card and be paying huge costs when you are not a frequent traveler; you are better-off with a domestic card, which is cheaper and gives you more access,” he stressed.