Tarjeta Clásica and AIS Card: Why Fonmoney No Longer Offers These Options

As of June 8, 2026

If you used to send money to Cuba via the Tarjeta Clásica or AIS card, you may have noticed these options are no longer available at Fonmoney. This is a deliberate decision, not an oversight. Here's what's behind it — and which channels remain open for you.

What these cards were

The Tarjeta Clásica and the AIS card are Cuban prepaid cards. Funds deposited became digital balance for the recipient. Both ran through Fincimex — an entity within the state-owned conglomerate GAESA.

What changed in 2026

In May 2026, the United States expanded its sanctions against Cuba through Executive Order 14404. On May 7, GAESA was explicitly added to the sanctions list. The order also introduces secondary sanctions, which can affect foreign financial institutions.

Tarjeta Clásica and AIS were processed through the Fincimex/GAESA apparatus — exactly the channels now at the center of the sanctions. The severity became visible in early June: the bank partner behind Visa and Mastercard transactions in Cuba shut down its operations.

Send money to Cuba

Why we made a clear call

Our principle is simple: your money should reach your family through a clean, compliant channel. Routes that run through listed entities no longer meet that standard reliably. Rather than continuing to offer a product whose processing has become uncertain, we take it off the market. That protects your transfer.

The channels still open to you

Sending money to Cuba remains possible. Fonmoney offers three options that don't run through listed entities:

Cash delivery: your family receives the money directly as physical cash.
Bank transfer: credited to an account at a Cuban bank.
Cubacel top-up: mobile credit added online, instantly.

Cash delivery and bank transfer are equivalent paths. What you pay and what arrives, you see from the start.

Bottom line

Tarjeta Clásica and AIS are no longer part of the Fonmoney offering because their processing relied on sanctioned entities. This is not a retreat from Cuba — it's a decision in favor of clean channels. You can still support your family: through cash delivery, bank transfer, or Cubacel top-up.

Send cash to Cuba