Benefits:

Get MyCard from Standard Bank and enjoy your moments – The freedom to treat yourself wherever you choose. MyCard is tailored with attractive benefits and features such as cash back on any purchase from wherever you choose, comprehensive MyCare benefits and special offers and discounts with Value Choices every month.

Features:

MyCard gives you the freedom to shop online securely and at no additional cost, free basic travel insurance if you are under 76, and up to 55 days of interest free credit provided your account is paid on or before the due date, cash advance transactions are excluded as these attract interest from day 1.

• You get the following transactions free per month:
  • One cash deposit
  • One ATM provisional statement
  • One over-the-counter provisional statement
  • One balance enquiry at an ATM
  • One balance enquiry over-the counter
  • You have control over how you want to use your credit card limit as the revolving and budget limits are combined into a single account limit.

• You get cash back every time you swipe.

How the cash back works:

• With MyCard you get cash back every time you swipe your credit card, which then accumulates over 6 months and is paid into a separate gift card called MyGift (you receive a minimum of R100 cash back on your MyGift card). You can then spend your MyGift card to celebrate your special moment wherever and however you like.  You receive up to 1.5% cash back on point of sale spend (Based on the total value of point of sale transactions for the 6 months excluding reversals and chargebacks.)
  • 0.5% from R1, 000 – R3, 500
  • 1% from R3, 500 – R10, 000
  • 1.5% for spend of R10, 000 and more

• You receive MyCare benefits which include:

• Peace of mind in your time of need.

With MyCard, you get free MyCare benefits that pay up to R10 000 in the case of the primary cardholder being diagnosed with a female cancer.

• Support for accidental disability.

With MyCard, you receive R10 000 cover in the case of the primary cardholder suffering accidental disability.

• Support in case of a roadside emergency.

With MyCard you receive assistance during a roadside emergency in the event that your car has a mechanical or electrical breakdown, flat tyre or battery, or in the instance when your vehicle runs out of fuel or you lock your keys in your car.

• Assistance in your time of need.

MyCard offers you a wide range of support, whether you require an emergency ambulance, medical or household assistance and counseling. From discounts on doctor consultation fees and medication, to telephonic Helpline that offers advice on medical emergencies and emergency household repairs. We also provide members with psychological counseling on such issues as traumatic experiences, bereavement and HIV and Aids.

For more information on what this policy entails, please click here.

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The financial benefits:

Diagnosis of a female cancer

A benefit of R10 000 will be paid to the Cardholder on first diagnosis of one of 7 Female Cancers.

Accidental disability

A benefit of R10 000 in case of accidental disability will be paid to the Cardholder.

In addition to the above financial benefits, customers will have access to a series of value added benefits that help them through some of the day-to-day life challenges, which are as follows:

You have free access to the following services by calling just one number: 0860 296 463

1. 1. Customer Assist provides the following benefits 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

×   Doctor Network provides access to a list of doctors countrywide who give policyholders a 20% discount on doctors’ consultation fees and any medical procedures performed in the doctors’ consultation room. A 20% discount will apply on the consultation fee on a package deal – where basic medicine is dispensed by the doctor as part of the treatment and the cost is covered in the consultation fee.

×   Emergency ambulance in the event of a medical emergency such as heart attack or motor vehicle accident, etc. The insured will be transported to a medical facility anywhere in SA for free. In addition should the insured person be unable to produce a medical aid card or pay for admission, a payment up to R5000 is guaranteed to ensure hospital admission until they are able to reimburse the service provider or claim from their medical aid.

×   Trauma counseling for bereaved families provides psychological counseling on death of next of kin up to R5 000 per insured.

×   Trauma Assist provides counseling for any traumatic experience up to R5 000 for any traumatic experience such as rape; hijack; child abuse; suicide; domestic violence and fire. Where necessary an ambulance will be dispatched.

×   Medical treatment – A maximum of R5 000 for the medical treatment of any bodily injury resulting from assault.

×   Medical Assist – Qualified medical personnel provide emergency advice on the following: Medical conditions; information on poisoning; stress management; advice on prescribed drugs and the assessment on day-to-day medical symptoms.

×   Telephonic counselling on any chronic disease such as HIV, Aids, Cancer, Diabetes, etc.

×   Home Assist – A 24-hour service helpline offering assistance with emergency household repairs such as electricity, hot water or sanitation. Service providers will be dispatched in the event of electrical and plumbing problems. In addition, a service provider will be sent in the case of an essential appliance needing repairs such as a fridge, freezer, washing machine, stove or oven. The cost of the repairs is for the account of the cardholder.

1. 2. Roadside Assistance – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

For any roadside assistance or emergency, just call the helpline and we will get you some assistance. No limits will be applicable pertaining to the number of incidents per annum:

×   Mechanical and Electrical Breakdown Assistance – The vehicle will be towed to the nearest place of repair and/or safekeeping. Towing cost will be the responsibility of the cardholder.

×          Jump-start Service – A service provider is dispatched to jump-start the vehicle. The member will be responsible for the cost. New models that are still under warranty should not by jump started, a tow truck will be dispatched and the towing cost will be         the responsibility of the cardholder.

×          Tyre Change Service – A service provider is dispatched to change a flat tyre, at both roadside and non-roadside locations. The cardholder will be responsible for the cost.

×          Running Out of Fuel Service – 10 Litres of fuel is supplied in the event of the vehicle running out of fuel. The call-out fee and expense of the fuel is covered by you.

×          Keys Locked in the Vehicle – A service provider is dispatched to unlock the car, the cost will be the responsibility of the cardholder.

×          Cost incurred as result of assistance after involvement in an accident, collision, attempted theft, or hi-jacking will be for the cardholder’s account. These costs may be covered by the cardholder’s insurance company.

1. 3. Handyman services – Free access to the help-line during working hours Monday to Friday, 8h00-16h30.

Are you looking for help around the house? We’ll help you find the right “guy” for the job.

Examples of services offered: Fit LCD/Plasma TV bracket; shower/bath screens; shelves; blinds and curtain poles; stair gates; hinges and handles; childproof products. Assemble flat pack furniture and move heavy furniture. Connect music systems or DVD players to TV’s. Fix plain, bent and swollen doors; Hang pictures/ paintings/ mirrors/ curtains or do boxed-in pipe work.  All expenses will need to be covered by you.

For more information contact us on 0860 296 463 or email us mycard@standardbank.co.za)

Rates and Fees:

There is a R180 annual card fee for the MyCard credit card, and a further R120 loyalty fee.

Interest rates applicable for MyCard are aligned with that of the Standard Bank Gold credit card. Usury customers (i.e. customers with accounts opened before 1^st June 2007) with balances greater than R10, 000 pay a 15.5% interest rate, and balances less than R10, 000 pay a 18.5% rate. NCA customers (i.e. customers that opened their accounts after 1^stJune 2007) pay between 18.5% and 19.5%. These rates are based on prime and are subject to change, if and when prime does.

How to apply

Application criteria:

You qualify for a MyCard if you earn a minimum monthly income of R8, 000; are 18 years and older and a South African citizen or permanent resident.

What documents do we need from you?

• Your valid South African identification document.
• Proof of latest income.
• Proof of residence such as your latest electricity or telephone account. Should this not be in your name, please attach a letter of confirmation from the account holder.
• Your last three months bank statements of the account into which your salary is paid. The statements will have to be clear unpaid (bills, cheques, debit order and stop orders dishonoured by the branch) and will need to be stamped by your bank.

Contact us

• Customer call centre 0860 296 463
• MyCard credit card enquiries email mycard@standardbank.co.za

Competition Intro: (Waiting for approved mechanics, criteria and prizes)

Let’s celebrate you for being you.

Give some thought to how you’d use your cash-back to create a special moment for yourself, share it with us and win! Whether you enjoy moments like curling up in bed with a good book or going to a spa with your friends, your moment shared could get you winning. Terms and conditions apply.

This is your MyCard moment to shine!

MyCard moment Categories the user can enter under:

Travel:

Your moment is your moment away. Taking time out to be you.

Lifestyle:

Your moment is all about your unique tastes.

Career/Finance:

Getting that promotion, starting your own business or investing in your future.

Health/Wellness:

Loving yourself inside and out with spa treatments, makeovers and fitness.

Other:

If none of the above categories describe your moment.

Thank you for your Submission page:

Thank you for submitting your MyCard moment.

We will let you know via email once your MyCard moment has been published. You will also receive a personalised URL which will allow you to view your MyCard moment on the website.

In the meantime, take some time out, explore the MyCard website, discover great benefits and features aimed at your individuality and independence, and read others’ MyCard moments.

By sharing your MyCard moment, you could win instant prizes and if you are a MyCard credit card holder you could also stand a chance to win our Grand Prize of R50 000. Terms and Conditions apply.

Let’s celebrate you for being you.

MyCard information on other pages:

MyCard:

MyCard helps you enjoy the freedom to get what you need, when you need it. You get cash back when spending with MyCard so that every swipe contributes to a MyCard moment – the freedom to treat yourself wherever you choose.

Entrants “Moment is live” mailer

Hello (FIRSTNAME),

Your MyCard moment is live and ready to be shared. Send your personalised URL (add in personalized url) to others so that they can read your moment as well as share their own and stand a chance to WIN.By sharing your MyCard moment, you stand in line to win instant prizes and, if you are a MyCard credit card holder, you could also stand in line to win our Grand Prize of (R50 000 TBC). Terms and Conditions apply.

Let’s celebrate you for being you.

Thank you – Call Me Back:

Thank you for your interest; a consultant will be calling you to offer you assistance.

In the meantime, take a look at all the benefits and features that are available to you through MyCard, as well as the MyCard moment competition which could get you winning and smiling!

Let’s show you that we appreciate everything you do.

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Leila Fourie Director, Standard Bank Group’s South African Card Division says: “The role of women in our  society is often underestimated. Since becoming a more inclusive society almost two decades ago, women have woven their influence across multiple social and economic spheres. Their social and financial roles in leadership and decision making have been elevated.

Today, woman influence the majority of financial decisions in households, from decisions on new homes, food, vacations and even bank accounts. Standard Bank has taken account of all these factors and has developed a product that will cater for, and reward women for the role that that play in executing financial decisions.” The MyCard cash back system known as MyGift has completely reformed market standards to allow for maximum choice. While other reward schemes either limit the shops from which you get rewards or the shops in which you can spend your rewards, with the new Standard Bank MyCard you receive cash back on all your purchases as a cash payout on a gift card so you are free to spend the money however, and wherever, you like.

MyCard comes with a host of benefits over and above the ability to make payments worldwide and the cash back rewards offered by other cards. Medical cover is expanded to include a disability benefit, women specific disease cover, 20% discount on regular doctors’ visits and a 24-hour emergency advice line. Roadside assistance is also available 24 hours to assist with breakdown, flat batteries and even running out of fuel. A handyman service is available for all those small household tasks like hanging the plasma and clearing the drains.

“We wanted to ensure that the card had substance as a concept. We had to offer real benefits to women rather than launch a credit card whose only difference was its feminine design. Our decision to offer this first of its kind product in South Africa is based on empirical evidence and an understanding on our part of who women are and what it is that they need from a bank,” says Ms Fourie.

In a 2008 international survey 70% of South African women claimed to be financially independent; 62% surveyed said that they contributed half or more of the household income with 49% contributing more than their partner.  54% stated that they control the family’s money with a further 29% sharing control  with their partner.

Unilever’s Black Diamond 2008 studies found that black middle class women are becoming an economic force in their own right. Black Diamond women then represented a tenth of the country’s entire adult  population and their annual spending power was R120 billion – over 40% of the annual spend of all South African women. Other key facts and trends show that:

• 85% of all purchases are made or influenced by women including,
  • 91% of new homes
  • 92% of vacations
  • 89% of bank accounts
  • 93% food
• Women bring in half or more of the household income in 62% of SA households
• 80% of women said they were the main household decision-maker when it came to the majority of purchases
• 54% of women claim to control the family’s money with a further 29% sharing control with their  partner
• 70% of informal businesses are owned and operated by women
• The percentage of women who have received an undergraduate or graduate degree has increased since 1996 by more than 25%

”Standard Bank is South Africa’s largest credit card provider. We have gained this market share through  an understanding of our customers’ needs and developing products that cater for these. MyCard is another positive step in the ongoing evolution of providing products for an ever changing and more competitive market.

MyCard is not just another credit card, it is a product that reinforces the elevated role that women now play in managing not only their own financial affairs, but managing the financial outcomes of those around them as well,” says Ms Fourie.

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You can even video chat with all your Facebook friends for the first time ever right from the Facebook website. Take screenshots of your adventures, make classy filmstrips, and meet fun new people in this addicting and engaging Facebook game.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

PS: First one to unlock the Digsby Badge gets a FREE iPad!

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——

I’m going to say something today that not many people will agree with or perhaps admit to even if they feel the same way: Working with social media professionally can be about as much fun as a pack of rabid dogs slowly eating you from your toes upward so that you can experience every little nuance of pain.

I’m not really exaggerating either.

Try telling people the aspects of your job and some of that explanation includes, “And then I have to do some work via Twitter and Facebook.” Go ahead, just try it, for fun. If you did, you probably got one of three looks:

1. Cluelessness – Because you told your mom and she still doesn’t know what Twitter is.
2. Jealousy – Because they assume your work is a lot of fun and piss easy and they’d love to be doing it.
3. Disgust – Because they can’t believe someone gets paid for that nonsense. It’s not WORK in their world.

Okay so there’s other possible options too but those are the ones I often see…and the only one that has a right to be there is the cluelessness. Let’s dispel the myths of the other two right now. It’s not fun, it’s not always easy and it’s a lot of hard work. I can see why you’d think that though.

We’ve all been there. We started out blogging and sharing our inner most secrets in an anonymous way. Until we made friends and gained some regular readers and now, oh dear, we actually have to think about what we write but it was still FUN. There were memes to do every week and stories about your life to share with an audience when the audience at home had grown weary of them. There were people to care when you were having a rough time and people to congratulate you when things were going well. Then, along came Twitter and it was like IRC for the 21st century but a hell of a lot slower and bulkier but wtf-ever, we’ll just enjoy it. More connections were made and it grew to become this giant phenomenon that many cannot live without during the day. Some of you can’t live without it when you go to the toilet or are doing the dishes – you might need help with that.

It was the latest great big escape.

But then, you start getting paid for it.

Suddenly you have to start thinking about what you say. You have to censor yourself and make sure none of your own beliefs shine through…unless, of course, they’re in line with the company beliefs. You have to pretend to give a damn about pointless websites and special deals that your company is running whilst being absolutely mortified that you have become one of ‘THOSE’ people. You have to be a constant force of happiness and goodwill, no longer are bad days allowed to exist in your world or will you be able to tell that simpering idiot that they should just stop breathing. It’s all about control and politeness – even in the face of abuse.

Ah, the abuse.

People seem to forget or don’t give a toss about who that person might be behind the corporate identity. They just see that identity and therefore do not give a damn about bad manners, using language that isn’t even suitable for the ears of sailors or, in fact, behaving like an evolved human being. Oh how I would love to react to them in the same way. The problem is, I have to grin and bear it. It’s like being forced to laugh about having a pineapple forcefully inserted into your anal cavity. It’s not just me either. On a daily basis I see some of the nicest people I know get torn about for something that happened in a branch they didn’t know existed by someone who is supposed to be a respectable and mature adult.

Then there’s Facebook. You’ve had to take over the Fan Page or Group or whatever the hell the company does on there and make sure they have another 1 million fans by 5 p.m. tomorrow. So what do you do? You invite all your friends and ask them to do the same and it becomes a never ending circle of rage and clicking the ignore button. Yes. The ignore button. I don’t join any groups or page suggestions people send me anymore. I fucking hate them. If I wanted to join something, I would do it on my own, I don’t need any assistance becoming a brand whore as if I was an imbecile incapable of any thought – I have at least one a day. Therefore, when I’m asked to do the same, I feel so embarrassed about doing that to my friends that I almost end up having anxiety about whether I should do it or not.

And that’s just under the company’s name.

If you’re lucky, you’ve been able to hide your personal social accounts from those you work with and your boss. If you’re not so lucky, you’re probably me and this isn’t an option for you. I can’t complain, I was found for the job through Twitter. I do appreciate that. However, I no longer have the escape that it once provided. I don’t have the luxury of going on Twitter at lunch time to bitch about the cow in accounts stealing my yogurt out of the fridge again because…the cow from accounts will pipe up across the room and we’ll end up in an argument. I can’t escape to my blog to dump all my irritation and bitterness that I happen to be feeling for my job on a particular day because I will get asked to have a private chat the next day to find out what’s going on with me and how it can be fixed. Or perhaps to be fired, whichever. In fact, I even have to write this nerdicle anonymously and I haven’t updated my blog in god knows how long.

What the hell is it with companies and using social media anyway?  Why do we need the infringement on our personal little happy places of escaping the mundanity of the world? Half the companies you see out there on Twitter have no business actually being there. It doesn’t provide any kind of benefit to them but they’ve heard it’s the latest trend so they dragged some poor bastard from his comfy job and threw him to the rabid dogs. How about you all focus less on the trends and more on your customer service and product delivery. If you actually got those right, you wouldn’t need Twitter or Facebook or a daily blog post about some mundane rubbish to remind people that you exist.

At home, I love it all. I always have. Some of my favourite people I have met through blogs and Twitter. Getting paid for it is a different story though and if I really didn’t need the job, I’d move onto something vastly more interesting and safer for my emotional health, like being a lion tamer. I have the hat and everything.

I was greeted personally by the doorman and ushered in to the venue. After some breakfast and general chinwagging with the Nokia people, it was off to the Ovi Maps presentation. The small hall was decked out with LCD screens and fantastic finger food.

The Ovi Maps presentation was very interesting and we even got to meet the GM of Nokia SA, Mathia Nalappan. Very down to earth guy, and what an intelligent one at that.

We were then split into teams of four and sent on an “Amazing Race” sort of adventure. We were given a nice BMW rental car to drive around in, the first clue and a Nokia N97 Mini to navigate with.

It took the four of us some time to find the first clue, and I have to admit that we battled with the search facility on the N97 Mini. It simply just couldn’t find anything within our vicinity, instead returning results from as far away as the Gold Coast in Australia. I also found that the N97 touch screen was quite inaccurate and found myself navigating to menu items I never intended clicking.

We eventually finished the race, stone last. But I don’t think it was a very good way to truly experience the Nokia Ovi Maps and the N97 Mini. We were under too much pressure and one definitely needs some sort of initial instruction on how to operate the ovi maps software.

The ovi maps now include directions with a voice, and something that really got me excited about this product, developed by NavTeq, is that the voice actually mentions road names when giving directions. That is a first for any navigation system.

The boring NavTeq presenation did shed some interesting stats which I wrote down somewhere and now cannot remember where I wrote them down. But if you do a search on Twitter for #NokiaCTIA I am sure you will find a heap of stats.

We were given a tour of how Navteq go about mapping out roads and places. We piled into a Navteq van, fitted with a GPS and a big screen TV so we could see exactly what they do and how they do it. Amazingly, it’s pretty darn simple. The very basic software shows the van moving and the user simply draws, with a light pen, what he says, the name, type of place and the contact details. Once they are complete at the end of their day, they capture the information into their database. Very, very simple, but it works, somehow.

Overall, I think that Nokia are going to do well with their latest interation of Ovi Maps and with some further refinement in the future will more than likely top the charts as the navigation system to behold.

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See those big names up there?  Somehow mine got mixed up in between them.

I do hope some of you will come watch me trip over the podium, or some such other inevitably clumsy act while I speak about Social Media stuffs.

The funniest entry will win a free shirt.  Because we’re awesome.

Here are some of our entries so far:

Don Packett

Rich Mulholland

Rob aka @Antithetical

@Green_guerilla aka Dave's official entry

Warren

Sexy G

@AndreVR

@GregNietsky

Dave

@King_Tyrone

@Terrance_B

@RoyBluMental

Lester

We don’t do things at half mast here at NerdMag.

Send your entries in by emailing them directly to me sheenagates @ gmail or upload them to Twitpic and tag @NerdMag.

You heard right! It’s all true!

I just finished up at the FNB PayPal launch in Newtown and not only was it confirmed, it went live at 11am today!
If you have a verified PayPal account, and an FNB account, you can log in to your online banking at fnb.co.za and link the two accounts right now!

What does this mean?

This agreement will enable customers to make or receive payments for goods and services online, all this without having to share your financial information.

• Top Up to PayPal – Top Up your PayPal account in USD from your FNB account.
• Withdraw from PayPal – Withdraw available funds from your PayPal account into your FNB account.
• FNB PayPal History – View your FNB Top Up to PayPal and Withdraw from PayPal transactions.
• Maintain PayPal Profile – Change your Primary PayPal Email Address on your FNB PayPal Profile.

The Media Launch event this morning was fantastic, brief, to the point and left no questions unanswered (except the question of how long PayPal SA will be exclusive to FNB and it’s users)

The event was MC’d by Bruce Whitfield (from 702) who did a fantastic job of keeping it quick, slick and casual. FNB CEO Michael Jordaan and a PayPal’s regional director for Israel (and now South Africa), Oded Zehavi, were clearly excited and remarkably candid.

We all know that a twitter leak not long ago got the rumour train started, Michael Jordaan claims that it was not a marketing ploy as many of us suspected, and that he was just as surprised as us when the news hit the web.

Quick facts from the event:

1. South Africa is the 190th country to join PayPal.
2. You must bank with FNB to make use of the new connection.
3. PayPal will not be supported on mobile banking just yet.
4. PayPal will work with the PayPal iPhone app for ‘bump’ payments
5. There will be a much lower 1,5% commision fee on transactions.
6. Every transaction will be reported to the SA Reserve Bank.
7. FNB has 6.6 million customers, certain to grow now that PayPal is exclusive to FNB customers.
8. eBucks is not supported yet, FNB CEO Michael Jordaan suggested that, that could change in the near future.

Overall, this is exciting news for South Africa’s eEconomy. Look forward to many new online startups catering to the world.

I’m so glad I’m already and FNB banker! I linked mine this morning, took 5 minutes!

What do you think? I’m having a tricky time seeing the down side of this.

Post by Nick Hunt-Davis

Back in December, we introduced a string of new search innovations on Google.com to bring our results to life with a dynamic stream of real-time content from across the web.  We’re delighted to announce that from today this feature will be available in South Africa.

Now, immediately after conducting a search, you can see live updates from people on popular sites like Twitter, MySpace and FriendFeed, as well as headlines from news reports and blog posts published just seconds before.  When they are relevant, we’ll rank these latest results to show the freshest information on the search results page.

Try searching for a celebrity currently in the news, your favourite sports team or the latest political development.  Whether it’s an eyewitness tweet, a breaking news story or a fresh blog post, you can find it on Google straight after it’s published on the web.

Additionally, by clicking on “Latest results” or selecting “Latest” from the search options menu, users can get view a full page of live tweets, blogs, news and other web content scrolling on Google’s results page. You can also filter your results to see only “Updates” from micro-blogs like Twitter, FriendFeed, Jaiku and others.

Our real-time search features are based on more than a dozen new search technologies that enable us to monitor more than a billion documents and process hundreds of millions of real-time changes each day.  Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our partners including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, FriendFeed, Jaiku and Identi.cah.

Latest results and the new search options are also designed for iPhone and Android devices when you need them on the go, be it a quick glance at changing information like ski conditions or opening night chatter about a new movie — right when you’re in line to buy tickets.

By Dylan Casey, product manager, Google

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