A quick guide outlining the best debit cards for travel. It’s time to spend and withdraw money abroad without any of the painful international fees!
It’s 2023 and if you haven’t got yourself a debit card with ZERO FEE spending abroad already, my question is simple – why not?
As a budget traveller, one thing I really, really hate is paying a fee to access my own money in other countries. Sometimes ATMs apply charges which cannot be helped but these days there are many banking options that don’t add foreign transaction fees to your cash withdrawals and card spending abroad.
You can easily keep your main banking where it is while having one of the accounts below ready to use solely for travel. A ‘travel card’ you could say.
It is a simple way to keep more of your own money in your pocket when travelling abroad – especially when on a budget where every penny counts! So read on for the best debit cards I’ve used zero fee spending while travelling.
*Worth noting that this article is written from my point of view as a resident of the UK.
1. Chase Bank
Chase is my favourite debit card for travel and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. Not only are there zero fees for both spending and withdrawing abroad, but you also get 1% cashback on most of your spending (at home and abroad) for the first year. Now, 1% doesn’t sound like much but when you’re getting that back from all your daily spending it can add up and be a nice little bonus – especially as a backpacker on a budget!
The bank has also recently introduced a 1% interest rate on current accounts which is another bonus as you hardly ever see current accounts that gain interest.
The Chase debit card is a Mastercard and there are ATM withdrawal limits of £500/day and £1500/month.
2. Starling Bank
This was my go-to bank for travelling before Chase came to the UK. The app-based bank is very user-friendly and has zero fees for spending and withdrawing abroad. It also offers an interest rate of 0.05% on your current account balance.
Starling’s debit card is also Mastercard and has a £300 daily ATM withdrawal limit.
3. Wise
I first used Wise for transferring my money from the UK to Australia in 2018 during my Working Holiday there.
Wise has now evolved and offers multi-currency accounts. Although not technically a bank account, these are very similar and I treat mine literally as a backup travel card.
As for limits, you can withdraw with zero fees twice a month (totalling a maximum of £200). After that, Wise will charge £0.50 per transaction and 1.75% if you withdraw more than £200.
The main reason I have a Wise account and have listed it here is because the debit card is Visa. I’ve only had an issue using Mastercard on two occasions (in Guatemala and the Maldives) and was thankful to have this Visa alternative to withdraw cash. So, I’d recommend it as a backup option in the unlikely event somewhere doesn’t accept Mastercard.
4. Virgin Money
Virgin Money is another bank that has introduced fee-free spending abroad. I personally have an M Plus Current Account with them as it pays a nice 2.02% interest on up to £1000 (which was pretty good when I opened in July 2021 when normal savings interest rates were 0.6% at best).
This debit card is a Mastercard, has no fee for spending or withdrawing cash as you travel, and has an ATM withdrawal limit of £350 per day.
Other Banks with Limited Fee-Free ATM Withdrawals
The following banks are popular with fellow travellers but while they have fee-free spending, the accounts have a limit on how much cash you can withdraw with no fees. They are good options if you already bank with them, won’t hit their limits, or are looking for a backup debit card for travelling.
Revolut
The limit for free cash withdrawals depends on which plan you have with Revolut. However, with the standard free plan, you’ll only have access to 5 ATM withdrawals or £200 per month without fees (whichever comes first). You’ll incur a 2% fee each time if you reach these limits.
Monzo
A popular app-based bank that was my very first debit card specifically for travelling back when zero fees abroad were just coming onto the scene.
However, on their free account, Monzo only offers fee-free cash withdrawals of up to £250 within the European Economic Area and £200 out with the EEA per month. If you reach these limits, you will then be charged a hefty 3% fee.
To Finish
I’ll leave you with a couple of bonus tips when it comes to travel and debit cards:
- I’d suggest travelling with more than one of the above as a precaution. Just in case a card gets lost, you aren’t able to access an account, or you hit the withdrawal/zero fee limit.
- I’d also recommend having both Mastercard and Visa options as there are very odd occasions where one might not be accepted.
- Lastly, if you are withdrawing from an ATM abroad and it shows a conversion option to your home currency, always decline the conversion. This is because the ATM’s conversion fee will be (sometimes extortionately) higher than that of your bank.
I hope you found this article helpful and if you have any questions please leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
