If you’re jetting off for a week or two to find some sunshine this year and thinking of taking your credit card with you, it’s worth checking the card charges before you travel.
Some cards don’t charge for purchases or ATM cash withdrawals when used overseas, whereas others can cost you as much as £7.99 for drawing £100 worth of currency from the local cash machine.
The table below shows the best credit cards to use abroad as well as those that are the most expensive – and best left at home.
Some people prefer to take a prepaid currency card as an alternative – these cards come with fees too but usually lower than most UK credit and debit cards – some of the more competitive prepaid cards include Revolut, FairFX and WeSwap
| Credit Card | Cost of £100 purchase abroad | Cost of £100 ATM Cash Withdrawal abroad | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Clarity | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Tandem | £0.00 | £0.00 | 0.5% cashback on purchases home and abroad |
| Barclaycard Platinum Travel Card | £0.00 | £0.00 | Free until 31.08.2022 |
| Creation Everyday Card | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Metro Bank (In Europe) | £0.00 | £0.00 | Current Account required |
| Santander Zero | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Barclaycard | £2.99 | £2.99 | |
| B Credit Card | £0.00 | £3.00 | |
| Post Office Platinum | £0.00 | £3.00 | |
| Santander All In One | £0.00 | £3.00 | £3 monthly fee |
| Metro Bank (Outside Europe) | £2.75 | £4.25 | Current Account required |
| Co-operative Bank | £2.75 | £4.75 | |
| Virgin Money Travel Credit Card | £0.00 | £5.00 | |
| John Lewis Partnership Card | £2.75 | £5.25 | |
| NatWest Clear card | £2.75 | £5.75 | |
| RBS | £2.75 | £5.75 | |
| Sainsbury's Bank | £2.75 | £5.75 | |
| Tesco Bank | £2.75 | £5.75 | |
| Bank of Scotland | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| Clydesdale bank | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| Halifax | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| Lloyds Bank | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| Yorkshire Bank | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| Santander Everyday Card | £2.95 | £5.95 | |
| First Direct | £2.99 | £5.99 | Current Account required |
| HSBC | £2.99 | £5.99 | |
| M&S Bank | £2.99 | £5.99 | |
| American Express Everyday Platinum Cashback | £2.99 | £5.99 | |
| MBNA | £2.99 | £7.99 | |
| Asda Money | £2.99 | £7.99 | |
| Virgin Money | £2.99 | £7.99 | |
| Creation Balance Transfer Card | £2.99 | £7.99 |
Information from provider websites 23.04.2018
- Fixed rate savings – best buy rates edging upwards - September 17, 2020
- 0% Credit Card Balance Transfer terms on the slide since lockdown - July 13, 2020
- Mainstream credit card rates unchanged in 2020 – for now - June 16, 2020
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