July 12, 2020 - 1,675 citizens have requested the Cro Card, and by July 10, 1,325 were issued. More are expected in the coming days, as the number of discount service providers is expected to increase, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
T.portal reports that Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB) is taking care of previous requests and issuing the Cro Cards. They are the only ones actively involved out of the three banks that have signed the agreement so far (HPB, Agram banka and POBA), out of seven that applied to MINT's public call.
Other banks will join per their capabilities and business decisions, while employers, craftspeople, the self-employed, freelancers and farmers can join by paying up to HRK 2,500 on this card for their workers, but also to themselves, which is also tax-free for them.
Any natural person can request a card and use it everywhere, all year round.
Since the cards are not issued to companies but citizens, whether they submit the application in agreement with employers who have decided to pay this non-taxable part of the receipt, or independently, MINT cannot say. They state that 'almost all cards issued so far are paid by employers'.
They also state that most cards have been requested and issued in Zagreb so far, noting that citizens are free to open a bank account and request a Cro Card, which they can use throughout Croatia and throughout the year.
Payment with the Cro Card is possible in all catering facilities that provide food preparation and beverage services (restaurants, cafes, fast food, etc.), in all types of accommodation (hotels, camps, boarding houses, private renters, etc.) that accept payment via bank cards (pos devices), for charter services (boat rental) and payment of other services in Croatia through travel agencies (package arrangements, excursions, etc.), emphasizes MINT.
Unlike others, the Cro Card can provide discounts in catering and tourism, which are expected from service providers, whose number is slowly increasing. In the last day or two, the total number of service providers with discounts from 10 to 20 percent increased to eight.
While it started with one restaurant in Zadar, the seven additions are located mostly in the Dalmatia region. By July 12, they are two restaurants and a stone house for accommodation in Zadar and four hotels in Podstrana, Makarska, Dubrovnik and Vrana / Pakostane. A novelty is an offer in continental Croatia, a hotel in Orahovica.
Service providers do not have to sign any special contract for the Cro Card, nor apply to accept it. They decide for themselves how much discount they will give, and if they want, they can show their offer with discounts on the promotional website.
Expectations from the Cro Card for this year are not high due to the corona crisis.
"It started despite everything, we will highlight all service providers who sign up on the web so that users can see where they can achieve the best conditions for consumption, and we believe that there will be more of them, as well as more cards, in the coming days," concluded MINT.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
