Best cards for travel abroad

If you’re planning a trip abroad or you often go on business trips, using the best cards for travel could help you make your funds go further.

There are many ways to save on holiday, whether it’s booking flights early or sorting out travel insurance.

But thinking about your travel money and how you’ll pay for things on your trip is also important, as the wrong card could see you stung with fees of around 3%.

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You can avoid these charges by using a competitive travel card that comes with zero fees on foreign transactions. Often, you will also benefit from a competitive exchange rate; some providers will even give you cashback on spending.

We have rounded up the best debit and credit cards to use when travelling abroad, and a host of perks they offer.

Best credit cards for travel abroad

Remember: if you are using a credit card, make sure you are in a position to pay off your bill in full at the end of each month, otherwise interest charges will cancel out any benefits. If you are applying for a credit card, always go through an eligibility checker, like the Card Match tool from our sister site Go.Compare, to see what you can get.

Barclaycard Rewards Card

• No fees on purchases
• Fee-free ATM withdrawals abroad of up to £500 per day
• 0.25% cashback on everyday spending.
• No interest on cash withdrawals if paid in full
• Protection on purchases over £100 with potential refund cover
• Representative APR of 28.9%

If you apply for a Barclaycard by 4 August 2025, you can get an extra 0.25% cashback on spending until 30 November 2025.

NatWest Travel Reward Credit Card

• No foreign transaction fees on purchases abroad
• 3% fee on ATM withdrawals (minimum £3)
• 1% cashback on eligible travel spending on planes, trains, car rental, ferries, buses, hotel accommodations, travel agents, cruises, campsites and more
• 1% to 15% cashback at selected partner retailers
• Or, instead of these, 0.1% back on travel spending
• Representative APR of 27.9% (variable)
• No annual fee

Halifax Clarity credit card

• No fees on spending
• Fee-free ATM withdrawals abroad
• Purchases over £100 and up to £30,000 are covered by section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act
• Interest on cash withdrawals ranges between 22.9% and 28.9%, charged per day until paid off
• Representative APR of 23.9%

Santander Edge credit card

• £4 monthly fee
• No foreign exchange fees on purchases overseas if spent in local currency
• 1% cashback (max £10 per month) on all purchases
• Representative APR 37.8%
• Overseas ATM withdrawals have a 3% fee (minimum £3) and 29.9% representative APR daily until fully repaid

It’s important to remember that if you are using a credit card, make sure you are in a position to pay off your bill in full at the end of each month. Otherwise, any interest charges will cancel out any benefits.

If you are applying for a credit card, always go through an eligibility checker, like the Card Match tool from our sister site Go.Compare, to see what you can get. This will check your credit file but won't leave a mark on your credit score.

Best debit cards for travel abroad

We look at some banks that do not charge fees when using your debit card abroad. However, there may still be ATM withdrawal fees, often set by the ATM provider.

Chase Bank

• No fees on spending or cash withdrawals at home or abroad
• 1% cashback on your spending for the first 12 months (max £15 per month)
• You can only manage this account in-app
• Round up your spending to the nearest £1, and any spare change will be put into a Chase Round-up account that pays you 5% AER variable interest every month.

Chase also gives you access to its 2.75% easy access saver. However, the interest rate is quite low, so it’s worth checking out our best easy access savings accounts guide for the top-paying accounts.

First Direct

• No fees on purchases made abroad
• Fee-free ATM withdrawals abroad, up to £500 per day
• Access to 7% regular saver account
• £250 interest-free overdraft
• Get a £175 bank switching bonus for moving your current account to First Direct

Starling Bank

• No fees on spending
• No cash withdrawals at home or abroad
• Manage in-app and online
• Maximum £300 ATM limit and six withdrawals per day while abroad
• Earn 3.25% in-credit interest on a maximum of £5,000

Monzo

• Fee-free spending at home or abroad
• Cash withdrawals in the EEA are fee-free if you use Monzo as your main bank account, otherwise, you pay 3% on withdrawals over £200 every 30 days
• Make cash withdrawals outside of the EEA of up to £200 every 30 days for free. Anything over that incurs a 3% charge
• Earn 3.25% AER (variable) with an Instant Access Savings Pot
• No interest on purchases of £100 or more paid over three months

Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card

• Annual fee of £150
• No foreign exchange fees
• Fee-free ATM withdrawals up to £500 per month (or 2.5% fee)
• Instant Hilton Honors Gold Status
• Open an account by 14 August 2025 and earn 30,000 bonus Hilton Honors points when you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within six months
• Earn up to 4.5 Hilton Honors points for every £1 spent on eligible purchases
• Complimentary daily continental breakfast or food and beverage credit