Tried 3 different banks in Pakistan and my Revolut card kept getting declined. Is this a Revolut issue or a Pakistan thing? Worked fine in Thailand last week.
Just came back from Islamabad and faced the same Revolut nightmare. Tried ATMs from UBL, HabibMetro, and Askari Bank all rejected the transaction. What’s weird is that I used my Revolut successfully in Bangkok a week before. From talking to a local expat, I learned that some international fintech cards like Revolut and N26 don’t play nice with Pakistan’s ATM networks. I had a Monzo card too, which surprisingly worked at Standard Chartered Pakistan. So, it’s more of a Pakistan-side compatibility issue than a Revolut fault.
I was in Karachi recently and had my Revolut Mastercard declined at both Allied Bank and Bank Alfalah ATMs. I assumed it was just a network glitch, but after trying five machines, I gave up. When I reached out to Revolut, they said their card is often blocked in countries with strict currency controls or regulatory hurdles and Pakistan is one of them. I didn’t have trouble using it for online purchases, oddly enough, but for cash, I had to switch to my Capital One debit. Always carry a backup card if you're heading to Pakistan.
I had a similar experience when I visited Lahore in May. My Revolut Visa worked without any problems in Thailand and even parts of the UAE, but in Pakistan, every ATM I tried MCB, HBL, and Meezan either showed a generic error or simply didn’t respond. I called Revolut support and they confirmed that some countries have limited ATM network support for their cards. They suggested enabling magstripe withdrawals in the app settings, but even after that, no luck. Eventually, I used my HSBC card, which worked fine.
My US Mastercard debit card didnt work at Meezan Bank in Pakistan, but worked fine at Bank Alfalah next door.