Designed for younger people (it can be requested from 12 years old and up), Yap is an Italian mobile bank that provides users with a virtual debit card
The "smart" rechargeable cards have changed the way we approach money. Untied - in most cases - from banks and various credit institutions, they can be requested on the web or through apps, they can be managed from your smartphone and you can always have the state of your finances under control.
More importantly, thanks to prepaid cards, it is possible to bring younger people (even minors) closer to the world of electronic money, giving them a way to learn a new way to manage their finances. Thanks to a rechargeable prepaid card or an account card, for example, it will be possible to "credit" their weekly or monthly allowance directly on the card or "supervise" the expenses made during the week or month and much more. This is the case of Yap, an account card of the Mastercard circuit created by the Italians of Nexi.
What is Yap
Yap is a mobile banking service that allows you to request and obtain a virtual rechargeable prepaid card. This means that Yap can be used for online payments, contactless payments in stores and outlets that accept Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Huawei Pay and more. In fact, Yap also allows you to request a physical card, thanks to which you can pay in all stores that accept Mastercard and withdraw from ATMs.
Compared to other similar products, Yap is an account card designed primarily for a young audience, preferably under 18. Also for this reason, all of its functions will be accessible exclusively through the app, available on both Android and iPhone platforms.
Yap how it works
To understand how Yap works, therefore, it will be necessary to download its app and analyze it thoroughly. It doesn't take long, though: the Yap application is characterized by an extremely intuitive interface, with all the most important commands at your fingertips. All the functions are in fact accessible from the main screen: here, in addition to displaying the balance and the list of recent movements, you can directly access the functions of Yap.
Always in the main screen of the app you can see the "rendering" of your virtual prepaid card. By default, only the last four digits will be visible, but by clicking on the image you will access a second screen where you can see all the data: the entire 16-digit code, the expiration date and the security code CCV2. In this same screen you will also see the Italian IBAN code linked to the Yap card: it cannot be used to debit bills, for example, or to credit your salary, but it will be useful anyway.
Just below the account balance there is a "+" button: pressing it will display Yap commands and functions: Reload (to add money to the Yap card), Send (to transfer money to the Yap card of one of your contacts), Request (to have money sent to you by another Yap profile) and Pay online (to view the complete Yap card data and use it as an online payment method).
The Reload section, in turn, is divided into four other sub-sections: Use a card, Deposit cash, Use a current cone, Ask your parents. The first tool allows you to transfer money from a credit or debit card of the Mastercard, Visa, Vpay, Postepay and Bancomat-Maestro circuit; the second one allows you to recharge Yap card with cash in SISAL Point bars and tobacconists; the third one allows you to receive money from another current account; the last one allows you to get money from your parents (or any other person) in case they don't have a Yap account themselves.
Yap card: differences between virtual and physical
The functioning of Yap is centered, as we have just seen, on the virtual Mastercard that is "issued" once the procedure of account opening is finished. At the same time, however, it is also possible to request a "physical" version of the same card. The differences between the two cards are minimal, practically zero: both can be used for online payments and in physical stores that accept Mastercard payments. The only real difference is in ATM withdrawals: of course, without a physical card it will be impossible to withdraw money from your account.
Both the virtual and the physical version, the Yap card has limitations of use. First of all, the maximum availability is 1,500 euros, while there are several limitations on the front of recharges (maximum 200 euros for cash recharges, no more than two recharges per day; maximum 500 euros for recharges from ATMs enabled; 1,500 euros for recharges by bank transfer).
Yap costs
The Yap card is totally free. The opening of the account does not involve any charges, as well as the management of the account is completely free. There are, however, some transactions that involve fees. Per ricaricare la carta Yap in contanti si dovranno pagare 2,5 euro; per prelevare soldi dal Bancomat si pagherà 1 euro per operazioni in valuta e 4 euro per operazioni in valuta straniera. Chi richiede una carta fisica, come detto più volte, dovrà pagare 9,95 euro per l’emissione (i costi di spedizione sono inclusi).
Come ricaricare Yap
Per trasferire denaro alla propria carta Yap si hanno a disposizione diversi metodi. La ricarica della carta potrà avvenire:
- In contanti, presso uno dei punti SISAL presenti sul territorio italiano;
- Da conto Yap, chiedendo soldi ai propri contatti;
- Da carta di credito o debito, aggiungendola al proprio profilo;
- Da un altro conto corrente, utilizzando l’IBAN della carta Yap;
- Dai bancomat abilitati, utilizzando un’altra carta di debito o credito.
Come creare conto Yap
Per aprire un conto e richiedere la carta Yap sarà necessario scaricare l’app sul proprio dispositivo e seguire la procedura guidata. Si tratta di un processo piuttosto semplice, composto da meno di 10 passaggi: verranno richiesti i propri dati anagrafici, gli estremi di un documento in corso di validità (da fotografare) e di effettuare una brevissima registrazione video. Dopo un veloce controllo da parte del team di Yap, il vostro conto sarà immediatamente attivo. Nel corso della registrazione, potrete aggiungere anche il codice promozionale Yap, che vi dà diritto ad avere 10 euro gratis sulla carta Yap.
Nel caso abbiate problemi nel corso della registrazione, potrete contattare l’assistenza Yap attraverso uno dei canali a disposizione. In particolare:
- Pagina assistenza Yap ufficiale;
- Chiamando il numero verde 800.151.616 (dall’Italia);
- Chiamando il numero +39.02.34.980.020 (dall’estero);
- inviando un messaggio di posta elettronica all’indirizzo [email protected];
- dall’app.