Are Naira Visa Cards really worth it?

A Naira Visa card is a card product offered by most Nigerian banks and supported by Visa international. The card is meant to work as a tool that allows people to carry money without cash around the world, withdraw from ATMs, make payments using POS, online payments and so on.

A naira visa card is meant to make your travel much easier without the need to be sourcing for foreign currency. It allows you to pay in naira anywhere Visa cards are accepted so you could pay for hotels, flights, meals, shopping at malls and so on.

Should you really travel with a Naira Visa card?
Sure since it helps a lot to travel with a card but what about the charges?
Not many Nigerians like card products as one or two people I interviewed said that it breaks down their money a lot due to the many hidden fees which they don't really understand. They prefer travelling with cash or traveller's cheque.
If you were travelling to the USA, should you really use a naira visa card rather than a US Dollar one. If going to the UK, is it really ok to use a Naira card rather than a GBP one? Afterall, the naira has been mostly depreciating for the past ten years.
So the major issue with naira visa cards are the exchange rate which is not mostly in favour of the naira. If you were asked to save your money in naira or in dollars, which would you prefer?

Some fees associated with Naira Visa cards
- Issuing fee
- Usage fee or transaction fee. Around 1% of value
- ATM withdrawal fee
- Exchange rate when naira is not the currency

Benefits of using a naira visa card
- You pay in naira
- No need to source for foreign currency
- It is a much safe means of carrying money

Disadvantages of travelling with a naira visa card
- Exchange rate is not fixed and mostly not favourable to the naira
- Withdrawal fees are high
- Transaction fees are variable

From my own personal view, if you are concerned about exchange rates which may not be favourable to you, the best is to get a visa card in foreign currency such as the USD or GBP so at least you know that the exchange rate for funding your transactions is fixed before travelling.