A SPIN DEBIT CARD BY OXXO—(EDITED 2/10/24) USES for Us as Expats

EDITED February 10, 2024 

Why and How to Get A Spin Debit Card 

EDIT February 10, 2024

We’re excited that we can order from Guadalajara Pharmacy again! Read why HERE. 

We were relieved to discover this online pharmacy to order from--Farmacias Klyns. Not only are their prices and service good, but they also stock our hard-to-find, specialty medications. And they take our Spin by OXXO Visa card!

The only problem now is that we have to go to an OXXO store more often to add money to our Spin Visa card. But it's worth it because we don't want to open a Mexican bank account or have a Mexican bank visa card.

Another Time-Saving Use for the OXXO Spin Card! Today we paid our Puerto Vallarta predial (Property Tax) bill online with my Spin Card. The website had rejected our U.S. Visa cards, but allowed the OXXO Visa. What a relief! (Just remember to turn off your pop-up blocker before using the website.)

My Spin Card by OXXO Saved Us Again!

Jonathan discovered another handy use for the OXXO Spin card! Today, he paid for our Mexican-plated vehicle registration online with it. It saved lots of time and frustration! No U.S. credit or debit card was needed.

As of this date, some online retailers have stopped accepting the Spin by OXXO debit card. We no longer can use it online for Farmacia San Pablo. When we inquired as to the reason, we were told that they only take debit or credit cards backed by a Mexican bank. So, some of the information below is not currently valid. We don’t know the reason or if this is a permanent situation.

We are still able to use the Spin by OXXO card to pay our CFE bill and for our Telcel Amigo Sin Limite 200 phone plan. We also have been able to order from Costco online. That’s still a benefit.

We shop online a lot in México—home delivery of medications, groceries, and supplies is a real benefit! But we don’t have a Mexican bank account and so we haven’t had a Mexican debit card—we’ve heard too many horror stories about that. That limits which online stores we can shop at. But we've found a solution! Keep reading.

Other than on Amazon, we don’t want to use our U.S. bank debit card online for fear of fraudulent activity. We had that happen once and it was a nightmare! We had to cancel our debit card and have a new debit card shipped here from the United States—what a hassle! We’re very cautious now, but some things we HAVE to order online and Amazon doesn’t stock everything.

Guadalajara Pharmacy Delivers to Us in Two Hours

Having our specialty medications delivered from various pharmacies here in México has been one of our biggest challenges since moving here. We order online from four pharmacies, buying each medication from the least expensive source or, in some cases, from the only source that has it in stock.

This Specialty Pharmacy is Sometimes Our Only Source

Each pharmacy has a different requirement for payment. Fortunately, two of our favorites allow us to pay cash upon delivery to our home. We tip the delivery person well for this convenience. Farmacia Guadalajara and San Pablo Farmacia require payment with a Mexican debit or credit card, so this is why we started our quest to obtain one without opening a Mexican bank account.

My first idea was to apply for a Citibanamex Credit Card through Costco. We took all of the necessary documentation to Costco and spent over an hour completing an application. The associate finally announced, “Felicidades!” (Congratulations!) and handed us our Visa card. We did our shopping at Costco, presented our new Visa card at the checkout, and it was declined. The credit card associate could not tell us why and referred us to a Citibanamex bank. An hour-and-a-half wait for our turn at the bank only clarified that the card had been canceled, but no reason was given. It also confirmed that I do not speak Spanish well enough to deal well with a Mexican bank. It was just as well, it would have cost us $25 US per year. That was a bust!

Jon’s next idea was to open a México PayPal account since some stores do not accept U.S. PayPal. I transferred money to his account twice and we waited for them to release it for use. After our money was tied up for three weeks, Jon refunded the money to me. It appeared that they wanted Jon’s Mexico PayPal account attached to a Mexican bank account and we were determined not to open one. Also, there was a high fee and a low exchange rate with each transfer to the Mexico PayPal account. Another bust!

OXXO Convenience Stores Now Sell Spin Debit Cards!

Jon’s best idea was to buy a Spin debit card at an OXXO store. He had read in Forbes (December 2021) “Oxxo debuts as a fintech: launches app to send and receive money: After consolidating itself as the main banking correspondent in the country, Oxxo will look for its users to make transactions with its Spin app.”

It looked easy—we thought we could just go to an OXXO convenience store and buy a card. Not as easy as that! Well, maybe it’s easy for the Mexican Nationals. But after weeks of trial and error, and much frustration, we figured out how we, as expats, could buy and use a Spin by OXXO debit card! We’re now able to order from our online pharmacies. And we can order from Costco and Home Depot online, as well as other online stores, and the stores deliver directly to our home. What a convenience!

As an expat with a Temporary or Permanent Resident card, Mexico cellphone, and a México address, you can buy and use a Spin by OXXO debit card without opening a Mexican bank. Here are the steps to take:

1.     Set up a Mexican Google Play account by:

·       Open Settings on your Phone

·       In Settings, Click Accounts

·       In Accounts, Click Add Account

·       Click on Google

·       Sign in with an email or phone that you will open a NEW Google account for México. (This needs to be a different Google account from the one you normally use because your primary Google account is usually linked to your home country apps and you won’t find the “Spin By OXXO” app there.)

·       Enter Password and click Agree 

Now Log In with that New Google Account and password

2. Download the “Spin by OXXO” app in the Mexico Google Play Store—Now go to the Play Store and search for the “Spin by OXXO” app and Install it. (You may have to go to Settings, then General, then Account and device preferences, and switch it to Mexico).

*Finding the “Spin by OXXO” app means you are in the Mexico Play Store

3. Open the Spin app and Allow the Spin by OXXO app to access this device location while using the app. Below, I will walk you through the screens which are all in Spanish. If you need help, I recommend using Google Translate, but below, I have translated most necessary phrases.

·       At the Bienvenida! screen (it’s in Spanish), press “Si, soy nuevo en la app” (Yes, I am new in the app)

·       At the Agiliza tu dinero screen, press Registrarme en la app (Register me in the app)

·       At the Regístrate y agiliza tu dinero (Register and streamline your money) screen, press Empezar mi registro (start my registration).

·       At the Tienes un Código? (Do you have a code?) screen, press No tengo Código (I don’t have a cod

·       At the Verifica tu número (verify your phone number) screen, enter your Mexican cell phone number, accept the conditions and tap Continuar.

·       When it asks for a code, it will be text to your phone. Enter code.

·       In the Escribe tu correo electrónico screen, put in email address associated with this Play Store account twice and then tap Continuar.

·       In the Crea tu contraseña (Create your password) screen, enter a password for your profile. It should have 8 characters, 1 lower-case letter, 1 upper-case letter, and 1 number.

·       At the Tu ubicación screen (your location or address), you will need to confirm that you are in Mexico. Press Continuar.

·       At the Tu información con INE o IFE (Your Information from your Permanent or Temporary Resident card), get your card ready for a photo and press Continuar and Allow the Spin app to take photos.

·       At the Tomar la parte de Enfrente (Take a photo of the front), press Entendido (I understand), and prepare your identification card.

·       Press Tomar Photo to take photo of the front of your resident card. When it is clear and complete, press Mi INE es legible

·       At the Tomar la parte de atrás, press Entendido (I understand

·       Take a photo of the back side of your resident card, repeating above steps.

·       At the Completa tu información screen, enter your personal information and on the next screen, confirm your CURP number matches your Resident Card CURP. On the next screen, enter your Mexico address.

·       Crea un codigo de seguridan para autorizar tus transacciones (Create a security code to authorize your transactions) Press Continuar and create your 6-digit security code. Your code must not have more than 3 consecutive numbers or 3 equal numbers. When it is accepted, press Siguiente (Following).

·       Agrega a tus beneficiaries (Add your beneficiaries): press Agregar beneficiaries and enter the information for the beneficiary of your card if you die.

4. When your information has been correctly entered and accepted, you will see Felicidades! Tu Cuenta Spin Base está lista para usarse (Congratulations! Your Spin Base Account is ready to use). It will ask, Quieres conocer los limites de tu cuenta? (Do you want to know the limits of your account?). Press Si, ver detalles de mi cuenta (Yes, see my account details). A few more steps and you’ll be finished with the app:

·       Actualizamos nuestros Terminos y Condiciones, Aviso de Privacidad y Programa de Lealtad (We update our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Notice and Loyalty Program), Accept the 3 terms and press Continuar.

·       The next Hola screen will tell you Tu saldo disponible (your available balance) and your Todavia puedes depositar (meaning “you can still deposit”, or “the amount you can deposit onto your card at an OXXO store”)

5. You will receive an email from Spin by OXXO to Verify Your Email.

6. Go to an OXXO Store and purchase a Spin card. It cost us 50 pesos, a one-time charge.

7. Sign your card and make a note of your NIP (the card’s PIN).

8. Go into an OXXO store and deposit money onto your Spin debit card. Open your Spin app and tell the cashier how much you want to deposit. (Our app says we are allowed 5570 pesos maximum deposit per month, but it appears it’s possible to ask for an increase in the limit.) Give the cashier the pesos to be deposited plus 5 pesos fee. She will record the deposit in the store’s computer, it will go into your account, and then she will give you a receipt.

You are ready to shop with your Spin debit card!

We’re so relieved to now be able to order from all of our online pharmacies and receive home deliveries. This will simplify our life and save us money in the long run. We think we can order from Costco and Home Depot online, as well as other online stores. We’ll try that next week.

Another lesson learned! And this one isn’t included in my newest book. Check out other lessons learned in Living in Mexico More Lessons Learned (Healthy Living in Mexico Book #5).

Healthy Living in Mexico Book #5

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Terry L Turrell

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