HELB Smart Card is a pre-loaded card that allows a university/college student easy access to his/her money. The card is issued to the student and is linked centrally to a sponsoring university/college. In addition, the card is used to access HELB disbursements. Sponsors and students can also load funds into the card at bank branches, agents, ATMs or using mobile phones. The card is also used to make purchases and/or withdraw cash from any VISA Branded ATMs countrywide.
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Features of the HELB Smart Card
The card’s features include the following.
- Multi-wallet card with 3 wallet accounts (Tuition, Upkeep & VISA)
- The student’s names
- The university’s name and logo
- The student’s photo
- The student’s course
- The student’s registration number
- Access barcode at the back of the card
- Usage at any VISA branded ATMs and POS terminals worldwide
- The card will be Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled
- Ability to receive funds from other sources like HELB
- Reloadable on the VISA wallet
Benefits of the HELB Smart Card
The benefits of the card include the following.
a. To the students
- Security
- Convenience/suitability
- Better budgeting and planning tool
- Several transaction access points, for example, Co-op ATMs, Agents, VISA branded ATMs and Merchants
- Ease of use anywhere/availability
- Flexibility of disbursements
b. To the university/college
- Operational efficiency, that is, admissions, library services, etc
- Access controls within campus, that is, access to library, exam rooms, etc
- Dedicated relationship support
- Convenience for students
- Ease of implementation
- Account monitoring and reconciliation for the card accounts
- Call centre support services
Requirements to apply for HELB Smart Card
In order to apply for the card, the student will require the following.
- Duly signed application/contract agreement between the university and the bank
- Signed mass data upload instructions for all prospective cardholders by the university
HELB partner banks
You can apply for the HELB Smart Card with the following banks.
- KCB
- Equity Bank
- Co-Operative Bank
- Family Bank
- Standard Chartered Bank
- NCBA Bank
- National Bank
- Ecobank
- Post Bank
- Jamii Bora Bank
How to get HELB Smart Card
In order to obtain the HELB Smart Card, you must follow these steps.
- Visit your students affairs office or Dean of Students office at your university and provide your bio data
- The bio data will then be sent to your bank for the processing of the smart card
- After completion of processing the smart card, the bank will send it back to your university for collection
