FNB international payment issues

I am an FNB client with products for more than 2m rand. The experience I had so far is terrible. But let me start with my experience with online payment/international transactions.

So, the bank told me that if I want to reduce the cost of my bank account, I need to collect ebucks points and make payments using my virtual debit cards.

Now, I need to book a room on Booking.com for a 3 days in CT. I am trying to make the payment using my virtual debit card - payment rejected because not allowed to make international payments.

Then tried to use the phisical debit card (that won’t give me any ebucks point) - transaction not possible because of my card is not allowing international payments.

I am chatting with the FNB online chat service to solve the problem. Untofunatwly I cannot attach screenshot, but 1. The problem must be fixed by the FNB FOREX transaction team, please call the ******4442. Tried to call multiple times, they are asking me informations about when I am going to be abroad and where I will be. I explain to them That I am in South Africa and I need to make a payment on booking.com. Couple of agents just dropped the call, and other gave me an other phone number to call. The number is ******xx4162 2. I tried to call this number, and the answer from the agent was: your debit card has an “International transaction not allowed” block, and to make the payment you have to call the ******x4442

I did 8 calls in 3 days, plus endless chat on the FNB app, still I cannot make any payments.

I am not going to make any comments on how they have treated me with the ebucks points I have earned in October 2023 and they still have to be loaded into my account.

I think you have a very long way to do before getting to a decent customer service level, and I am not talking about best in class like Santander or HSBC, but even Revolut is outperforming you massively.

If anyone has a better banking option for SA, please let me know and I will swap immediately