OTP Bank Debit Card Review: A Mixed Bag

Hello!

I did my research before signing up for the OTP Bank debit card, reading plenty of reviews to get a feel for what to expect. Most people loved the idea of paying their utility bills and getting a 5% cashback on top of it. I didn't hesitate to order the card, especially since there were other categories to choose from each month, and the service was completely free.

After submitting my application, I got a call from the bank the very next day, and a representative brought me the card. The whole process took about 10 minutes, and I was officially a bank customer.First things first, I downloaded the app and got familiar with it. The interface is super simple, with sections for choosing cashback categories, bank products, deposits, transfers, and even a chat with customer support.

One of the first things I did through the chat was turn off the paid notifications. It's only 99 rubles a month, but I don't see the point in paying for something I can check myself in the app.

The cashback categories in OTP Bank are really where it's at, in my opinion. Of course, I initially chose 5% for utility bills, 3% for supermarkets, 5% for clothing and shoes, and 5% for cafes and restaurants. So, what made me choose these categories? Well, I pay my utility bills every month, so getting 150-200 rubles back is a nice bonus. Cashback for supermarket purchases is a no-brainer – I do most of my shopping there. And with clothing and shoes prices going up, a 5% cashback isn't going to hurt.

As for paying utility bills, I had to do it through the website, not the app, or I wouldn't get the cashback. But, unfortunately, that's not an option in my region, so that category fell by the wayside pretty quickly. Later on, the bank reduced the cashback percentage for utility bills from 5% to 3%. I ended up choosing another important category – pharmacies and medical services. It's not something I use often, but sometimes it's necessary. I've been using these main categories for a few months now, and I'm really happy with how they're working out: 5% for "Clothing and Shoes", 3% for "Supermarkets", 5% for "Cafes and Restaurants", and 3% for "Pharmacies and Medical Services".

The cashback rewards are really easy to track in the transaction history. They're always accurate, just a few days late. The bank doesn't round down the purchase amounts, either - they give you the cashback based on the exact amount you spent. And there's no minimum threshold, either - even if you spend just 25 rubles, you'll get 75 kopeks back.

You can check your balance of bonus points in the "Bonuses and Offers" section. Each point is worth 1 ruble, and you can convert them to rubles when you've got 500 points saved up. Although the app says it takes 24 hours, I've found it actually happens within an hour or so.

I can definitely recommend these cards to my friends, and I get a reward for doing so.

You can also open savings accounts and transfer money to yourself or others.

I really like my OTP Bank debit card:

Getting cashback on purchases Free maintenance A convenient app The only downside is that the cashback limit is a bit low - you can only earn 3000 rubles per month, which is a shame. But I guess that's not unique to OTP Bank - other banks have similar limits, too.

Overall, though, I'm really happy with my debit card, and I'll keep using it to pay for my purchases.