I Opened Three Virtual Dollar Accounts. Here's Why I Still Use All of Them

I never planned to open a dollar account.

For the longest time, my regular bank account did everything I needed it to do. Then, every now and again, something came up that didn't fit neatly into Nigeria's banking system: paying for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before a trip, subscribing to a service that only accepted dollar payments, or later, receiving money from abroad.

I could have opened a domiciliary account, like plenty of people still do. But I didn't want another trip to the bank, more paperwork, or another account that felt tied to branch hours and bureaucracy. So I started looking at the growing number of fintech apps promising USD accounts in minutes.

That first account became three: Grey, Chipper Cash, and Cleva.

But after months of using all of them, I've realised they're often mentioned in the same breath, but they solve very different problems.  

How to Link Your Bank Account to Chipper Cash

Chipper Cash is a fintech startup that operates as a peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer platform primarily in Africa. The platform allows users to link their mobile money accounts, bank accounts, or debit cards to their Chipper Cash account, enabling them to easily transfer funds to friends, family, or

TechloyGabriel Ojeh

/1. Grey 

Grey was the first of the three I used, and it's still the account I associate most with getting paid from abroad. If someone asks me which platform feels closest to having an actual foreign bank account, this is usually the one I mention first.

To set it up, I downloaded the app, verified my identity with my national ID and a selfie, answered a few questions about what I do, and waited. The verification took about a day; in some cases, it can take longer, but once it was approved, I had USD, GBP, and EUR account details that I could share with clients or plug into platforms that support bank transfers.