The National Bank of Bahrain has announced the launch of its new Taabeya'a (refill) MasterCard aimed at giving customers flexibility, ease of usage and control in their purchasing ability.

The card offering is available to all NBB customers having a saving or current account, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

NBB said that other than a nominal one-time fee of BD2 ($5.17), there are no annual membership or renewal fees. Taabeya'a functions like a prepaid card. It can be used at establishments and ATMs that accept MasterCard worldwide as well as in Bahrain.

The card also features enhanced security since most transactions will be PIN-based and compliant with EMV standards. There is no charge for cash withdrawal from NBB ATMs.

Commenting on the launch, NBB general manager of domestic banking group Abdul Aziz Al Ahmed said: "This new version of the Taabeya'a card gives our customers flexibility, ease of usage and control in their purchasing ability."

"It not only provides the convenience of cash less transactions but also better control on spending without the hassle of constantly trying to monitor expenses," he explained.

"Additionally, it is an ideal card for Internet purchases, because unlike normal credit cards where the full credit limit is exposed and can be potentially misused, in the MasterCard Taabeya card the risk is mostly to the extent of credit available on the card account," Al Ahmed added.

MasterCard Mena president Raghu Malhotra said the launch of the new NBB Taabeya MasterCard Credit Card was a testament to its commitment to offer rewarding solutions for cardholders in Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service