
Travel Credit Cards
One of the cheapest ways to spend abroad
Overseas travel is seriously disrupted right now. But if you are headed abroad, a specialist travel credit or debit card is the cheapest way to spend, giving near-perfect exchange rates worldwide. This guide includes best-buy cards, the cards to avoid, and how to check what your card's charging you when you use it overseas.
Cheap travel money alternatives:
Not sure which method's right for you? See Cheap Travel Money Tips.

How do travel cards work?
Specialist travel cards are so good for spending abroad because they don't charge fees. Use your everyday plastic while on holiday and you could be hit by a host of hidden charges (for full details, read the hidden holiday spending charges note). These include adding a non-sterling transaction fee of around 3%, cash withdrawal fees and interest charges even if you pay off in full (on credit cards).
But there are credit and debit cards that don't charge these fees, making them ideal to use when you're on holiday or buying from overseas websites. Use this checker to find out what you'll pay when using your existing card and check out our best buy cards below to find cards that don't charge.
The 7 need-to-knows when spending abroad
Top travel credit cards
These specialist cards have near-perfect spending rates abroad but tend to charge fees or interest on cash withdrawals. We've picked out the top credit cards that allow you to spend for free and withdraw cash cheaply overseas.
No fees or interest on spending and cash withdrawals overseas, plus 0.25% cashback on spending worldwide
The Barclaycard Rewards card (apply – sadly not in our eligibility calculator) has no fees on spending or cash withdrawals overseas. Unusually, it also doesn't charge interest on spending OR overseas cash withdrawals as long as you repay IN FULL.
Plus, it pays 0.25% cashback on spending worldwide – a small extra boost.
You can use Barclaycard's eligibility checker to check your chances of acceptance before applying.
Exchange rate fee: Europe: 0% | Worldwide: 0%
Cash withdrawal fee: None
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest on spending and non-sterling cash withdrawals
Interest on overseas cash withdrawals? No, if repaid in full every month
Representative APR (variable): 22.9% (see Official APR Examples)
Interest rate on ATM withdrawals: 22.9%
Card issuer: Visa (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
The Santander Zero card (apply – sadly not in our eligibility calculator) offers near-perfect rates and fee-free spending overseas. You don't get charged interest on spending abroad as long as you repay IN FULL, but do for cash withdrawals until they're paid off (5p-ish per £100 per day) – so try to minimise these.
You can use Santander's eligibility checker to check your chances of acceptance before applying.
Exchange rate fee: Europe: 0% | Worldwide: 0%
Cash withdrawal fee: None
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest on spending
Interest on overseas cash withdrawals? Yes, until it's repaid in full
Representative APR (variable): 18.9% (see Official APR Examples)
Interest rate on ATM withdrawals: 18.9%
Card issuer: Mastercard (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
The Halifax Clarity card (check eligibility / apply*) has been one of our top picks for years due to its great feedback, near-perfect rates and that it doesn't charge exchange fees on spending or withdrawing cash abroad.
You don't get charged interest on spending abroad as long as you repay IN FULL, but do for cash withdrawals (5p-ish per £100 per day) – so try to minimise these.
Exchange rate fee: Europe: 0% | Worldwide: 0%
Cash withdrawal fee: None
Important: Repay IN FULL every month to avoid interest on spending
Interest on overseas cash withdrawals? Yes, until it's repaid in full
Representative APR (variable): 19.9% (see Official APR Examples)
Interest rate on ATM withdrawals: 19.95% or 27.95%
Card issuer: Mastercard (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
Best of the rest
There are a few other cards that don't charge non-sterling exchange fees when you use them to spend overseas. If you're choosing a card, remember that Mastercard's exchange rate tends to beat Visa's rate, so factor this in when making your decision.
The cards above are our top picks but if you already have one of the cards below, it's usually not worth switching as the gains are small. Here are the 'best of the rest' of the cheapest overseas spending cards.
Next best travel cards that charge no fees on purchases
CARD | ATM FEE + CASH W/D INTEREST | REP APR (IF NOT REPAID) |
---|---|---|
118 118 Money - for poorer credit scorers Apply via eligibility calculator (i) |
No fee None if paid off IN FULL |
34%, 39% or 49% |
NatWest Credit Card Apply direct to lender (not in eligibility calc) |
3% fee (min £3) 16.9% to 25.9% interest (ii) |
9.9% |
Post Office Apply direct to lender (not in eligibility calc) |
3% fee (min £3) 24.93% interest |
24.9% |
Virgin Money |
3% fee 27.9% interest |
21.9% (iii) |
Zopa Credit Card |
£3 fee 34.9% interest
|
34.9% |
(i) 118 118 Money has told us you have a better chance of getting its card if you go via our eligibility calculator, but if you prefer you can go direct to 118 118 Money* instead. (ii) You could be accepted and offered the higher rate. (iii) All accepted get 0% for the first nine months on spending.
Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
Top overseas debit cards
It's also possible to get non-sterling transaction fee-free debit cards, but you'll usually need to open a bank account. It's questionable whether it's worth switching bank for this (as you're forgoing other bank account perks – see Best Bank Accounts), which is why we favour opening an account separately so you can use it alongside your existing account.
App-based Starling Bank's* debit card has no non-sterling transaction or cash withdrawal fees worldwide. Plus, Starling will only do a 'soft' credit check to see if it wants you as a customer (unless you also apply for an overdraft). This is helpful as it won't count as an application on your credit report - though if you do go on to open an account, that will appear on your credit report.
Exchange rate fee: Europe: 0% | Worldwide: 0%
Cash withdrawal fee: None
In-credit interest: 0.05% AER variable on up to £85,000
Card issuer: Mastercard (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
Arranged overdraft cost: 15%, 25% or 35% EAR variable. The rate you get depends on your credit history.
Unarranged overdraft cost: None
Fee-free spending and cash withdrawals worldwide, but requires 'hard' credit check
Virgin Money's debit card doesn't charge fees on spending or cash withdrawals overseas, but Virgin Money does do a 'hard' credit check when you apply, which will appear as an application search on your credit report (unlike Starling above).
As an added boon, it also pays a decent 2.02% interest on credit balances up to £1,000.
Exchange rate fee: Europe: 0% | Worldwide: 0%
Cash withdrawal fee: None
In-credit interest: 2.02% AER variable on up to £1,000
Card issuer: Mastercard (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
Arranged overdraft cost: 19.9%, 29.9% or 39.9% EAR variable. The rate you get depends on your credit history.
Unarranged overdraft cost: The same interest rate as above, plus a £4 fee each time Virgin Money refuses a payment due to lack of funds (max £40/mth).
Currensea* is a free debit card which connects to your existing high street bank account via open banking. Spend or withdraw on it instead of your normal debit card and it'll take the payments out of your linked current account – without charging any currency exchange or ATM fees.
While it doesn't charge fees on its free plan, it adds a flat 0.5% markup on the interbank/Mastercard exchange rates it uses. This means the rates you get aren’t quite as good as those you can get from Starling or Virgin Money above – but it’s a good option if you don’t want to open a separate bank account for travelling.
Exchange rates: Interbank/Mastercard rates + 0.5% markup (see FAQs)
Cash withdrawal fee: None
ATM limits: £500/mth, £300/day
Card issuer: Mastercard (see Mastercard vs Visa vs Amex rates)
While the cards above are our top picks, here are some other options to consider:
- Monzo: With its current account, Monzo charges no foreign transaction fees for spending, but as of October 2020, the withdrawal fees you pay depend on how you use your account. If you use Monzo for everyday banking, you can make unlimited fee-free withdrawals in the UK, EU, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway – if you use it more casually as a spending card, cash withdrawals are fee-free up to £250 in any 30-day period (3% fee above, more information here). If you’re anywhere else in the world, you’ll pay a 3% fee on withdrawals over £200 in any 30-day period, regardless of how you use your Monzo account. You'll need to operate the account via the app – it's available on iOS and Android.
- Nationwide Building Society: The Nationwide FlexPlus debit card charges no fees on overseas purchases or cash withdrawals. However, FlexPlus is a packaged bank account and charges a £13/mth fee – so unless you'll use the travel insurance, breakdown and mobile phone insurance, it's not worth getting just for free overseas spending. Read more on Nationwide FlexPlus to see if it's the right account for you.
- Cumberland Building Society: If you have a Cumberland Plus current account with Cumberland Building Society, it charges no foreign exchange fees or cash withdrawal fees on the debit card that comes with the account. However, you need to live in its operating area – it covers Cumbria, south west Scotland, West Northumberland and North Lancashire.
Currency & credit cards Q&A

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
Clever ways to calculate your finances