WOWCOMPARE® – Travel Money Cards, what’s the best currency card for you
Travel money cards or foreign currency cards help you save money on holiday by providing better exchange rates and eliminating fees, including: individual transaction fees, individual currency conversion fees and ATM cash machine fees.
Why use a travel money card?
Compared to regular credit or debit bank cards, travel money cards provide a great way to buy and spend foreign currency when you’re travelling or on holiday. Travel money cards help you save money in two ways:
1. Most travel money cards offer better foreign exchange rates compared to using standard debit or credit cards.
2. Travel money cards also prevent you incurring individual foreign transaction fees as they enable you to always pay in the local currency.
Travel money cards = Safer holiday money
Prepaid currency cards can be used worldwide in shops, bars, cafes, restaurants and for online purchases when abroad, they have become hugely popular and are considered a much safer option to changing up holiday money and having to carry large amounts of cash.
Most travel currency payment cards are compatible with Apple Pay & Google Pay and can be stored on your phone to enable cardless payments. Plus having a saved version ‘backed-up’ on your phone is handy, just in case you loose your physical card.
4 Travel money card options
Travel money cards fall into four categories, this can be important when choosing the right travel money card for you:
Single-currency prepaid travel money cards
Are restricted to a single currency for example €EURO or $US. Currency can be topped up by bank transfer or using a credit or debit card. You can lock in an exchange rate when you top up, or when the exchange rates offer the better rates.
Cards are available from providers including: * Cashplus (eligibility requirement – you must have a Cashplus account in order to apply for a currency card).
Multi-currency prepaid travel money cards
Allow numerous currencies to be loaded on a single card, perfect if you plan to visit multiple destinations. A multi-currency card could have Pounds, Euros, Dollars and other world currencies all stored on a single card.
With a multi-currency card you can lock in rates by converting currencies when you load up. Alternatively you load up you card with your national currency and convert balances later via your app, when you choose e.g. when exchange rates are more favourable.
Multi-currency cards are available from providers including: Mastercard (Prepaid own brand card), WISE, Revolut, EasyFX, Travelex and others.
Bank account & card linked travel money cards
Bank account & card linked travel money cards are a new concept, they basically act as a payment bridge allowing you to pay with an existing bank account or payment card when abroad. The payments are made in the foreign currency with the currency exchange handled in the cloud, they eliminate foreign transaction fees and generally offer some of the best exchange rates (based on a spot rate at each transaction).
Examples of linked cards include Currensea card & Curve card.
NEW Crytpo and world currency cards
New crypto currency prepaid debit cards also allow you to load up and spend selected national ‘fiat’ currencies. They basically work in the same way as a Multi-currency card with smart technology and digital wallets to store and spend from separate currencies. Cards are available from providers including: Bitpanda, Wirex, Coinbase, Binance and others.
Check out some of UK’s most popular prepaid travel currency cards for ‘fee free’ spending.
Compare Travel Money Cards
Compare ‘prepaid’ travel money cards, ‘bank linked’ travel money cards & ‘card linked’ travel money cards. Choose a travel money card that works best for you.
✔ PRE-PAID multi-currency Mastercard or VISA (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 40+ currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ Top-up, electronic transfers & card management online or in app
✔ FREE loading via Bank Transfer
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay / Garmin Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- £7 CARD ISSUE FEE
- Standard card – NO MONTHLY FEE
- Mid-market exchange rate
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals up to £200/$300 per month FOC, 1.75% fee on anything over
✔ PRE-PAID multi-currency Mastercard (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 9 currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ Top-up, electronic transfers & card management online or in app
✔ FREE loading via Bank Transfer
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- NO CARD ISSUE FREE
(£5 delivery charge) - Standard card – NO MONTHLY FEE
- FX exchange rate when loading / converting
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals FREE up to £200/$300 per month, 2% fee on anything above
✔ PRE-PAID multi-currency Mastercard (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 25+ currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ Top-up, electronic transfers & card management online or in app
✔ FREE loading via Bank Transfer
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- NO CARD ISSUE FREE (card delivery charge)
- Standard Card – NO MONTHLY FEE
Plus Card – £3.99 /mth
Premium Card – £7.99 /mth
Metal Card – £14.99 /mth - FX exchange rate when loading/converting
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals FREE £200/$300 per month, 2% fee on anything over
✔ CARD LINKED multi-currency Mastercard (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 50+ currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ NO loading or top-ups required, link your Curve card to any or all of your debit/credit cards
✔ Card management via app
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- £5 ISSUE FREE/ Card replacement fee
- Standard Card – NO MONTHLY FEE
Curve X – £5.99 /mth
Curve Black – £9.99 /mth - FEE FREE FX exchange rate up to £250 / £500 per month
- Exchange conversion at time of purchase
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals FREE £250 – £500 per month, 2% fee on anything over
✔ BANK LINKED multi-currency Mastercard (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 160+ currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ NO loading or top-ups required, link your Currensea card to your bank account
✔ Card management via app
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- NO ISSUE FREE
- Standard card – NO MONTHLY FEE
- Interbank exchange rate / conversion at time of purchase
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals FREE up to £500 per month
✔ PRE-PAID multi-currency Mastercard (UK & EU)
✔ Supports 22 currencies including: £GBP, $US, €EURO
✔ FREE Top-up electronic transfers & card management online or via app
✔ Card management via app
✔ Contactless payments Apple Pay / G Pay
✔ FCA & EEA Regulated
- NO ISSUE FREE
- Standard card – NO MONTHLY FEE
- Travelex exchange rate
- NO instore /usage fees
- ATM withdrawals FREE
(Source – WOWCOMPARE Travel money cards details updated April 2024) Individual card details subject to change, see card provider t&c’s for full fees and prices.
Top Travel Money Tips
Avoid changing up cash at a bureaux de change
Changing cash at bureaux de change, especially those located in airports and stations can result in charges anywhere from 2% – 15% in commission, rates and fees.
Don’t use regular bank cards unless they offer ‘fee free’ use abroad
Most bank debit & credit cards add foreign transaction fees, using regular bank cards could cost you anywhere between 1.5% and 4.25% per transaction. Choose a card with low fees, or even better get a ‘fee free’ travel money card and save on fees.
Always remember to pay in the local currency
Never choose the option to pay in your own currency, especially if you are using a travel money card, you should always pay in the local currency.
Using ATMs to withdraw cash while on holiday can be expensive as most apply their own charges
It is important to bear in mind cash machines in many EU destinations apply a charge, even if your card provider offers ‘fee free’ cash withdrawals. In the EU ATM cash machines can apply charges anywhere from 1€ – 7€.
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Travel Money Cards FAQs
Pre-paid travel money cards are available from services including Post Office, FairFX & Travelx. New Fintech companies have launched travel money card alternatives, these include: Currensea, Revolut, Wirex & Wise.
Some new cryptocurrency accounts and payment cards also provide currency conversion and spending from foreign currency balances held in accounts.
Most cards can be applied for online and will be posted out to within a couple of days. Most providers issue free cards, although some card providers may charge a card issue fee &/or a delivery charge for new cards.
Pre-paid travel money cards are designed to hold at least one foreign currency, most cards have the ability to load and store multiple currencies this is handy if you do a lot of travelling and plan to visit countries with different national currencies.
New bank linked and card linked cards do not store foreign currency, instead they provide a point of purchase currency conversion using a spot exchange rate for each purchase, they will then debit the corresponding amount in GBP from your linked card or bank account.
Exchange rates vary from card to card, most cards offer better rates of exchange than traditional bank cards and do not apply individual transaction fees when you use them.
Typically exchange rates will be either based on:
Loading rate of exchange – for most cards the rate of exchange is provided each time you go to load money onto your travel money card. You choose your desired foreign currency, how much you want to buy or the value of your home currency you want to convert. You get a quote providing the exchange rate, any charges applied and the amount of foreign currency you will receive on your card.
POP (point of purchase) conversion rate of exchange – newer cards like Currensea & Curve work a little differently. These cards work like a bridge, Currensea card can be linked to a bank account of your choice, Curve card can be linked to some or all of your debit and credit cards.
When you use Currensea or Curve cards they use POP currency conversion in real time, the equivalent in GBP pounds will be debited from your linked bank account if you have a Currensea card or your chosen debit or credit card if you have a Curve card. Either way you pay no conversion fees the Currensea or Curve card handles the exchange for you, allowing you to pay in your destination currency each time.
Currensea card & Curve card provide a relatively new way of spending abroad, many customers appear to like these new innovative services, giving them 4.8 & 4.3 Trustpilot ratings.
Travel money cards are either Visa or Mastercard and are accepted in millions of places around the world. Travel money cards allow you to pay like a local in the local currency.
Travel money cards allow you to pay for goods and services in the correct currency (e.g. Euro in Europe or Dollars in the USA). No conversion fees or usage fees should apply as you are able to pay in the correct local currency.
YES – Travel money cards allow cash withdrawals from most cash machines.
It is worth checking t&cs for cards, some do charge a small fee for cash withdrawals, or limit the amounts you can withdraw free of charge.
Also some ATMs apply their own fees, if fees are being applied you should be notified before you commit or agree to make a withdrawal (fee’s should not be applied without your knowledge).
Prepaid Travel Money Cards
Prepaid cards are designed to be loaded up with foreign currency, they are basically work like a digital wallet. A prepaid travel money card allows you to buy foreign currencies (usually at competitive rates of exchange), to store and spend the currency just as you would using a regular debit card with zero transaction fees as you are able to pay in the currency of your destination. Prepaid cards can be ‘topped up’ or ‘loaded’ in advance or as needed.
Bank/Card Linked Travel Money Cards
Bank and card linked travel money cards are a relatively new concept, they basically act as a currency exchange bridge and allow you to spend in a foreign currency with zero transaction fees. What they do is link to a designated bank account or card and debit from the linked account as you spend using your travel card.
Currensea is a bank linked card, you can use Currensea card when abroad to pay in your locations currency. Currensea pays in the currency of your destination therefore eliminating individual foreign transaction fee’s, and the corresponding amount in £’s is debited from your linked bank account
Curve works in a similar way and allows you to link chosen bank cards and credit cards to your Curve account & card. Once linked you can use your Curve card to spend from linked cards while abroad. Curve uses a wholesale currency exchange rate for each transaction, Curve pays in the currency of your destination therefore eliminating individual foreign transaction fee’s, and the corresponding amount in £’s is debited from any one of your chosen linked cards.
Travel money cards are a great choice for many people, however not all cards are the same and it is important to consider which are the best cards for your travel and foreign currency needs.
Key things to look out for when choosing a travel money card are:
Ongoing administration fees: Does the card have an ongoing monthly/annual admin fee?
Whilst most prepaid travel money cards have zero transaction fees. Other fees may apply, including annual or monthly subscription fees, this is often for premium cards which usually offer more incentives and better exchange rates. Some services also charge fees for low use or dormant cards (typically after 12 months of zero use).
Load Charges: Loading foreign currency onto your card may incur a loading fee each time. Card providers often also make a small percentage on currency exchange (fees and exchange rates should be clearly stated when you load up your card so you know exactly how much foreign currency you are getting at the time of conversion/loading).
Transaction / card use fees: Individual transaction fees in shops and restaurants should be zero as a travel money card allows you to pay in your destinations currency. Always remember to select to pay in the currency of your destination if you are offered more than one option (make sure you have a balance in the correct currency (i.e. pay in Euro in Europe or $US in USA).
Be aware exchange rates and card usage fees are subject to the individual T&Cs of each travel money card provider.
Full details including terms, conditions & fees are provided on individual travel card provider websites. Please ensure you are aware of and happy with everything prior to signing up for a travel money card.
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WIREX offers you more than just a currency card, check out our cryptocurrency trading guide to see how you can buy cryptocurrencies, sell cryptocurrencies & spend cryptocurrencies in shops and online with a Wirex account and currency card.
Plus earn Cryptoback™ in Wirex Token (WXT) each time you spend on your Wirex card.
Disclaimer: WOWCOMPARE is not a financial service provider, broker or bank. Therefore we are unable to provide individual financial advice and we do not recommend or endorse individual products & services featured on this website.
This website is manually edited, we try to ensure that financial/insurance products & services included in our content, are from businesses authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Or, where applicable by regulators in the European Economic Area (EEA).
WOWCOMPARE ® is a registered trade mark of We Are Wow Limited, incorporated in England and Wales, company number 13424881
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