Guide

What is the MLC card and how to top it up

If you have never sent money to Cuba, the acronyms MLC, CUP and CUC can be confusing. Here is the short version and the full version.

Why the MLC system exists

Cuba introduced MLC stores and accounts in 2020 as a way to capture foreign currency directly, at a time of severe dollar cash shortages. Since then, certain goods — especially appliances, imported food and higher-quality items — can only be bought with MLC balance, not with Cuban pesos (CUP), no matter how many pesos you hold.

That means that, for many families, receiving a remittance directly in MLC — instead of cash that then has to be exchanged — is the most direct way to access those stores.

How to top up an MLC card from abroad

1. 1.Your relative in Cuba needs to already have an MLC card, issued by a Cuban bank (usually linked to BPA, Bandec or Metropolitano). If they do not have one, that is the first step — and they do it in Cuba, not from abroad.
2. 2.You pick an operator that offers MLC card top-ups — not all of them do; some only deliver cash CUP or bank deposits. Check our operator comparison to see which ones do.
3. 3.You send the amount in dollars. Unlike cash in CUP, the MLC balance is not converted at the informal rate — it stays in dollars (minus the operator's fee).
4. 4.The balance usually shows up on your relative's card within minutes to a couple of days, depending on the operator — confirm the estimated time before sending.

One thing many people don't know

Although MLC balance is meant to be spent in dollars, a separate informal market exists where people buy and sell MLC balance for CUP cash, at a rate that is not necessarily the same as the dollar's informal rate. Our calculator does not model that secondary market — it only calculates what arrives directly on the card.