Both St Helena and Ascension Island are majority a cash-based society. At present, personal bank cards such as VISA and Mastercard are only accepted at a small number of establishments, including a cash advance service with us at the Bank to withdraw money from bank cards. There are no ATMs on the island.

Bank of St Helena’s Tourist Card allows visitors to pay for goods and services around the island using a Virtual Pre-paid GBP Cash Card accessed through a Tourist Card App. Using this virtual card, visitors can tap into the island’s local card payment service known as St Helena Pay – a service available at multiple establishments around both islands. This service includes receiving cashback on payments at select locations and at the Bank.

For more information on using International Cards on St Helena, click here.

Tourist Cards are accepted at over 90 establishments around St Helena, just keep a look out for our logo for St Helena Pay (Bank of St Helena’s local Card Payment Acceptance Service).

Please be advised that there are some shops and businesses around St Helena  who will not accept Tourist Cards and will require cash which can be obtained through the ‘Cashback Service’ at select stores around the island. Locations not accepting Tourist Cards includes some restaurants, hotels, taxis and tours.

Tourist Cards allows customers to withdraw cash at all Banking locations including the Main Branch in Jamestown, Wharf Kiosk, St Helena Airport Kiosk and the Ascension Branch (see Terms and Conditions for associated fees). Simply present your card QR code stored on your mobile phone to the cashier, request the amount needed from the cashier, and enter your PIN to authorise.

Additionally, some of our partnering establishments accepting St Helena Pay offer cashback as part of their St Helena Pay service. Once they have entered the amount you will need to pay from your sale, they may ask ‘would you like cashback?’ This means you can withdraw cash right there in the shop and the amount you ask for (multiples of £5) will be deducted with your sale and given to you as cash (St Helena Pound) – this service is completely free! Give us a call if you need any clarification on the cashback service. Please be advised some shops have a maximum amount you can withdraw (e.g. £50). 

There are no ATMs on St Helena to withdraw from your account.

Keep your Phone Safe

It is important to keep phone, security information and login passwords safe. Some safety points:

• Keep it in a safe place
• Choose a PIN number that only you know.  Its is not advisable to use security details that can be easily accessed (e.g. your birthday)
• Guard your PIN number; memorise it and never write it down
• Keep receipts from all your card transactions until you can verify them
• Review your statements regularly and report any unknown transactions to the Bank immediately

Visit our Customer Data Security page for more information on protecting your data.

Lost Phones

Customers will have the ability to block their Tourist Card by using the online banking portal. The loss or theft of the mobile on which the Tourist Card is stored should be reported to the Bank. Customers can telephone the Bank Card Services Helpdesk on telephone number 22829 during normal working hours.