PayPak Card in Pakistan: Where It Works, Its Free Insurance, and Why It Fails Abroad
PayPak debit card in Pakistan: works at 18,500 ATMs but abroad only if co-badged, fraud cover up to Rs 30,000 on Standard, and the 4 variants. Check yours now.
PayPak is Pakistan's own debit card network, run by 1LINK. A plain PayPak card works only inside Pakistan, at more than 18,500 ATMs, 125,000 card machines and 3,000 online shops. To pay abroad or on foreign websites you need a co-badged PayPak card, which also carries UnionPay, JCB or Mastercard. Most PayPak cards include free insurance, and the Standard card covers up to Rs 30,000 of fraud a year.
Millions of Pakistanis carry a PayPak card without choosing one. Banks offer it as a low-cost option, PayPak designs one variant for government programme and minimum wage accounts, and wallets such as NayaPay sell it too. PayPak says 16.8 million of its cards are in use.
The trouble starts when someone tries to buy a subscription, book a foreign hotel or pay on an overseas app, and the card is declined. We read PayPak's own pages on 9 October 2026 to set out what each card does, where it fails, and what cover comes with it.
What a PayPak card is and who runs it
PayPak is Pakistan's domestic payment scheme, the local equivalent of Visa or Mastercard. 1LINK owns and runs it, and it was launched under the State Bank of Pakistan. Payments on it are routed inside Pakistan, so card data does not leave the country. Banks and wallets issue the cards.
PayPak's website lists 36 issuing banks and 7 affiliates or EMIs, plus 34 ATM acquirers and 9 card machine acquirers. An EMI is a licensed wallet company such as NayaPay. 1LINK itself appears on the State Bank's list of authorised payment system operators, with PayPak named among its approved services.
Fees are not set by PayPak. Every variant's FAQ says the fee is on your bank's schedule of charges. As one example, NayaPay's schedule for July to December 2026 prices its PayPak card at Rs 1,808 with delivery, as set out in NayaPay's limits and charges.
The 4 PayPak cards and what each one covers
PayPak sells four variants: Standard for everyday use, Green as a low-cost card for low-income and social assistance customers, Pink for women only, and Edge as a premium card. Each comes with a different insurance package, including cover for fraudulent transactions.
| Card | Meant for | Use abroad | Fraud cover | Life cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPak Green | Low-income, social assistance and minimum wage accounts | No, domestic only | Rs 15,000 | Rs 50,000 |
| PayPak Standard | Everyday customers | Only if co-badged | Rs 30,000 a year | Rs 100,000 |
| PayPak Pink | Women aged 18 and over | Only if co-badged | Rs 30,000 | Rs 100,000 |
| PayPak Edge | Premium customers aged 18 and over | Ask your bank | Up to Rs 100,000 | Rs 1,500,000 term life |
Pink adds Rs 100,000 of female critical illness cover. Edge adds accidental insurance of Rs 3,000,000, airport lounge access at domestic airports in selected cities, and a one-time health check at named partner hospitals. Green cannot be co-badged with any other scheme, so it will never work abroad.
Why a PayPak card fails on foreign websites
A mono-badged PayPak card, meaning one with only the PayPak logo, is for domestic use only. It cannot pay foreign websites, apps or merchants abroad. Only a co-badged card, carrying a second network such as UnionPay, JCB or Mastercard, can make international payments.
Look at the front and back of your card. If PayPak is the only network logo, it will not work for a foreign subscription, however much money is in the account. PayPak's FAQ says its co-badged cards are "usually co-badged with UPI and JCB". UPI here means UnionPay International, the Chinese network, not India's UPI.
Even a co-badged card can be declined. Some foreign merchants do not accept UnionPay or JCB. And every card payment abroad counts toward the State Bank's limit of USD 30,000 a year per person, explained in Pakistan's USD 30,000 card limit.
Check your card and claim what comes with it
Check the logos on your card, then ask your bank which PayPak variant it is and how to claim its insurance. PayPak's pages list the cover but not the claim process, so the issuing bank is your first stop. Discounts work through PayPak's partner app at listed merchants.
- Look at the card. One PayPak logo means domestic only. A second network logo means it can work abroad.
- Call your bank or check its app to confirm which variant you hold: Standard, Green, Pink or Edge.
- If you need foreign payments, ask the bank to replace a mono-badged card with a co-badged one, or with another network's card.
- Ask the bank how to claim the insurance or fraud cover, what documents it needs, and the time limit.
- For a fraudulent transaction, block the card at once and file a written complaint with the bank, keeping the reference number.
Blocking comes first. The steps to block an ATM card in Pakistan work the same for a PayPak card, since your bank issued it. PayPak's Standard page says its fraud cover includes unauthorised use of a lost or stolen card and fraudulent online transfers, bill payments and recharges.
Where PayPak's own pages disagree
PayPak's pages give different numbers for the same card. The Standard card's insurance table lists daily hospital cash of Rs 5,000 and daily ICU cover of Rs 10,000. The PayPak Hope page lists Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 for the Standard card. The Pink and Green pages show the same kind of gap between their tables and their FAQs.
Discount details conflict too. One part of the Standard page says all discounts now run through the Golootlo app. The FAQ on the same page, and the PayPak Hope page, point to the PayPak Hope app with 30,000 merchants. ATM counts also vary, from 18,500 on most pages to 19,000 for Edge.
We cannot tell from the public pages which figure is current. Before you rely on any cover, ask your bank for the policy terms in writing. The lower figures are the safer ones to plan around.
Common questions
Can I use a PayPak card for international payments?
Only if it is co-badged with a second network such as UnionPay, JCB or Mastercard. A card with only the PayPak logo works in Pakistan only.
Does a PayPak card work at all ATMs in Pakistan?
PayPak says its cards work at more than 18,500 ATMs across Pakistan. Your bank's charges for other banks' ATMs still apply.
Does a PayPak card have insurance?
Yes. The Standard card lists life cover of Rs 100,000 and fraud cover of up to Rs 30,000 a year. Ask your bank how to claim.
What is the PayPak Green card?
A low-cost, domestic-only debit card for low-income customers, social assistance recipients and minimum wage employees. It cannot be co-badged.
Can men get a PayPak Pink card?
No. PayPak says the Pink card is offered only to women aged 18 and over.
How much does a PayPak card cost?
It depends on the bank. PayPak says fees are on each bank's schedule of charges. NayaPay, for example, charges Rs 1,808 including delivery.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 9 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read PayPak's about page, its home page figures, the Standard, Green, Pink and Edge variant pages, and its PayPak Hope and issuing partners pages. We also read the State Bank's list of authorised payment system operators, updated 2 September 2026. We did not apply for a PayPak card or test a claim.
About the author
Technology Journalist & Multimedia Producer
Ahmad Ali is a technology journalist and multimedia producer at Pakistan Era, joining the team in October 2026. He covers consumer technology and digital life for Pakistani readers, combining research with hands-on product testing.
