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Cheap travel money tips
The cheapest ways to get foreign currency & spend overseas
Updated 22 August 2022
Many people are dusting off their passports after the pandemic, whether for a bit of sun, a city break or an amazing overseas adventure. Yet many treat how to pay when they're abroad as an afterthought – even though doing it wrong can cost them £100s. This guide compares the four main options to get the most bang for your buck when overseas.
Sorting your currency is just one way to cut travel costs. For more, see 65+ overseas travel tips.
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Travel money need-to-knows
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Use a credit card to buy currency at a bureau de change or online through our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool and you risk falling foul of a hidden charge.
That's because buying currency is counted as a cash withdrawal, so you could face a myriad of fees. These include cash withdrawal fees, interest or even a charge from the currency exchange for using a credit card.
Some card providers also treat loading a prepaid card using a credit card as a cash withdrawal.
So if you're buying currency or loading a prepaid card, ALWAYS use a debit card, which isn't allowed to charge this fee, or withdraw cash and pay with that instead.
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Are you part of the 'overseas wallet or purse' club? Martin's pioneered this, and it's a clever way to make sure you're prepared on holiday. His rationale is that there are some things you only need when abroad:
- Specialist overseas plastic. These tend to be pretty poor for UK use, so leave it in your overseas wallet until you go away.
- Free GHIC/EHIC for emergency medical issues in Europe. See our guide on how to get or renew your free GHIC/EHIC card.
- Driving licence & international driving permit. Check out when and why you need to take these in our full Driving licence renewal guide.
- ESTA number for US travel. Check out our ESTA application guide.
- Leftover currency. Left over from previous trips – good if you can't get to a cash machine right away.
- Specialist overseas plastic. These tend to be pretty poor for UK use, so leave it in your overseas wallet until you go away.
The best travel money options
Which type of travel money you should use mainly depends on your preferences as each has advantages and disadvantages. There are four main forms of payment to choose from:
- Travel credit cards – near-perfect exchange rates and purchase protection
- Travel debit cards – near-perfect exchange rates and no 'hard' credit check
- Prepaid travel cards – lock in a rate before you go
- Cash – good as a backup where card is not accepted
Spend on a credit card abroad and normally your card provider gets near-perfect rates, but then adds a 3%-ish 'non-sterling exchange fee'. This means that every £100 worth of euros or dollars costs you £103, and some add even more fees on top.
Specialist credit cards don't add this, so you get the same rate the bank does. Yet ONLY use one if you set up a direct debit to repay IN FULL each month or the interest dwarfs the exchange rate gain. As with any credit card, you'll need to pass a credit check to get a travel credit card.
| Travel credit cards are good if... | Travel credit cards may not be right if... |
✔️ You want near-perfect exchange rates |
⚠️ You've a poor credit score |
| ✔️ You want Section 75 protection | ⚠️You won't repay IN FULL every month |
See our Top travel credit cards guide for full info and more options, though our two top picks are below.
Top travel credit cards for new cardholders
| Bear in mind that a travel debit card could be cheaper. If you're happy opening a new app-only current account and loading funds before you go, you can get near-perfect exchange rates and up to 1% cashback on most spending worldwide with a top travel debit card. | ||
 Barclaycard Rewards Visa |
The top pick as it charges no fees or interest on spending AND overseas cash withdrawals, provided you repay in full. Plus there are a couple of perks – you get 0.25% cashback on almost all spending and it also gives five months' free access to Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and/or Apple TV+. Just remember to cancel after the five months if you don't want to pay the subscription fee. | |
- No fees on spending or ATM withdrawals overseas - 22.9% rep APR interest |
Check eligibility | |
| Apply* | ||
|
The Halifax Clarity is a long-term top pick as it has no fees on overseas spending and low ATM interest. You don't get charged interest on spending abroad as long as you repay IN FULL, but you will if you make cash withdrawals (about 5p per £100 per day) – so try to minimise these. | |
- No fees on spending or ATM withdrawals overseas |
Check eligibility | |
| Apply* | ||
See all official APR examples.
Warning. Withdraw cash on a credit card and it's marked on your credit file
Withdrawing cash on some of the top specialist overseas credit cards is usually a cheap option. However, it can have unintended consequences as it's recorded on your credit report. This isn't necessarily bad, but if you apply for a loan or other credit soon after, the new lender might see it as a sign that you've no cash and you're so desperate for it, you're willing to pay high interest to get it.
In isolation, the negative effect of withdrawing cash is minor and shouldn't be the root cause of a lender rejecting you. But if it's combined with other negatives on your credit report, it doesn't look good. To be safe, if you've an important credit application to make, such as a mortgage, it's probably worth avoiding withdrawing cash on your credit card for the few months before the application.
See Withdrawing cash on a credit card for full information.
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Option 2: Travel debit cards
You can also get debit cards that don't charge 'non-sterling transaction fees'. Here, you usually need to apply for a new bank account. But, unlike with the credit cards above, our top picks only do a 'soft' credit check, which means the application for the card itself won't affect your ability to get credit in the future.
If accepted, you can just use these as a secondary bank account without switching bank, but unlike with a credit card, you will need to pay cash into the account before using it, which some may find a pain.
| Travel debit cards are good if... | Travel debit cards may not be right if... |
✔️ You're happy to open a (new) bank account to get one |
⚠️ You switch from a better account to get one |
| ✔️ You frequently withdraw cash, as there are no charges | ⚠️You want Section 75 protection (though they do allow chargebacks) |
For more information and the full list of debit card options, see Top travel debit cards. Our two top picks are...
Top travel debit cards
 Chase Mastercard |
Fee-free spending and cash withdrawals worldwide, plus activate 1% cashback for 12 months. Unlike the credit cards above, Chase only runs a 'soft' credit check when you apply – so there's no permanent mark on your credit report.
If you're thinking of switching to Chase, or using it as your main bank account, read our full Chase review. |
|
- No fees on spending or at ATMs - 1% cashback on spending for one year, once activated in the app |
Apply* | |
 Starling Bank Mastercard |
Fee-free spending and cash withdrawals anywhere in the world. Like the Chase account above, Starling only does a 'soft' credit check, unless you apply for an overdraft – so if you don't get one, there won't be a permanent mark on your credit report. If you're thinking of switching to Starling, or using it as your main bank account, read our full Starling review. |
|
- No fees on spending or at ATMs - ATM limits: six withdrawals a day, max £300/day |
Apply* | |
Option 3: Prepaid travel cards
Here, you load with cash before you travel, then use it like a debit card. If you lose it, you can call the provider to block the card and protect your cash.
Prepaid cards' big advantage is that you can choose to exchange cash in advance, locking in a rate, rather than getting the exchange rate when you spend as you would with a credit or debit card. This means you'll know exactly how much you have to spend in the foreign currency during your trip, but will also mean you're subject to currency fluctuations – for better or worse.
However, there are a few places that don't accept them – car hire firms and pay-at-pump petrol stations are the major ones, but there are a few others to watch out for.
| Prepaid travel cards are good if... | Prepaid travel cards may not be right if... |
✔️ You want to lock in a rate |
⚠️ You want the absolute best rates |
| ✔️ You want to stick to a budget | ⚠️You need to pay by credit card (for example, you need to hire a car) |
| ✔️ You lose it/it's stolen (unlike cash, your balance is protected if you report it immediately) | ⚠️ You want Section 75 protection (though they do allow chargebacks) |
Our top pick is below, though see our full review and more options in Prepaid travel cards.
Top prepaid travel card
 Revolut (standard plan) |
Perfect interbank rates (marginally higher than Mastercard/Visa rates) during the week, though watch out at weekends. You can spend up to £1,000 per 30-day period with no charges on weekdays (UK time) – it charges 0.5% above this, and 1% at weekends. You can lock in a rate with 30 currencies by exchanging in advance, just make sure to do this on a weekday. The card usually costs £4.99, plus you pay ATM fees on more than £200/month. | |
- £4.99 card delivery fee - App-only |
Apply* | |
(i) If you spend at weekends (UK time) it adds a 1% fee to its rates, unless you've locked in a rate on a weekday. There's an additional anytime 1% fee on Thai baht and Ukrainian hryvnia (so 2% at the weekend) and a 0.5% fee on amounts more than £1,000 in a single month.
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Our TravelMoneyMax tool compares foreign exchange rates at about 16 online bureaux and orders them by how much currency you'll actually get after all fees and charges.
Though beware, pay a UK bureau by credit (not debit) card and it counts as a cash withdrawal, so there's a fee and interest even if you fully repay – best to always use a debit card or cash to buy.
What should I do if I have leftover currency after a trip?
You have a few options if you've a few leftover coins or notes after your trip...
- Save it for your next trip. If it's a common currency from a country you'll go back to, then just store it safely at home ready for your next trip.
- Find a friend (or a friend of a friend) who needs that currency. If you won't go back, but your currency's for a common holiday destination, see if you've friends, or contacts on social media groups, planning a trip there. If so, look up the 'spot rate' (perfect rate, eg on XE.com) and agree to sell at that price, then you both win.
- Sell it back to a bureau de change. Sometimes if you bought currency from a particular place, it'll give you a buyback promise at a preferential rate. Yet, if this is what you're doing, always check the Buyback tab on MSE's TravelMoneyMax currency tool, to make sure it's a good deal.
This won't be the case if you just returned from a trip, but if you have other currency from previous trips, and it's old, or even defunct (eg French francs), check out MSE Rhiannon's leftover currency blog, where she has tips of companies that may buy it from you - though don't expect to get paid what it's 'worth' at face value.
Quick questions on buying currency
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