Hello.
Really enjoying a central source of reliable information and comparisons - so thank you!!
We have recently opened Macquarie Bank transaction accounts and after reading your articles have opened the Macquarie Debit account for travelling as it rated very well.
However I am not hearing any feedback about it either here in your comments section or elsewhere.
Is it less well known and would you recommend we consider an an alternative like UP? We liked the convenience of already having Macquarie Accounts.
Many thanks.

Great article :)

We're travelling to Denmark, Faroe Islands and UK. We have existing Ubank and ING accounts so have the needed transactions to qualify for fee free transactions etc.
Do you know if these cards are widely accepted in the Faroes?
Thanks

Great article. I noticed nothing was mentioned in the article or in other questions about Travel Money Oz. Do you have a review of this one by chance?

Hi Tom,
Thank you for your review of debit cards. While debit cards are great, I observed that some car renting companies do not accept debit cards, therefore it's worth having a credit card as well when you travel. I think credit cards allow them to put a hold on a credit card without charging the transaction, and use this as a security.
Being close to retirement, we plan to travel overseas more frequently, therefore I'm thinking of using the 28 Degrees Platinum Mastercard along the Up Bank or Ubank Debit Card.
Would you have any other advice?
Thanks again

Hi Immanuel, I’ve just returned from 10 months travel in Western and Eastern Europe and am no longer a happy ING customer for several reasons.

1. My card slipped down between the wall and counter top at my hotel on my first week while in Paris. I was still able to use it unless I wanted to withdraw euros.
2. ING changed the no fees for withdrawal at the end of August. Damn.
3. When I emailed ING while in Turkey and mentioned this, my card was immediately stopped without telling or asking me. My spare ING card expired about the same time.
4. Customer support got Visa to send me a 3 month emergency card with no pin which was rejected by Turkish ATM. They said to try banks, but they couldn’t help.
5. My friends had to send me money via Western Union which costs a bomb.
6. An English guy I met suggested I get a Wise card which I did in about 10 minutes but I still couldn’t withdraw money. I applied to Wise for a real card but they didn’t post to Turkey.
7. Meanwhile my neighbour tried to send a replacement card for my second ING card which had arrived at my home. Customs rejected it 3 times, so I had to go to Athens to get the Wise card.
8. Meanwhile when I attempted to use the original ING account to pay for online bookings, ING insisted on sending codes to my Australian mobile number which I was not using as I had an eSIM. Thanks God for the Bendigo Bank which gave me a choice of email or mobile.
9. Once I had my Wise card I could get cash again. When my second ING card arrived at my home, I was able to put it in my wallet which has been my saviour ever since.
10. Now I’m looking for a better bank than ING. They were next to useless in helping me.
    Do U bank and upbank also have two ways of authentication eg messages or email.
    Thanks for all your information.

My daughter is travelling to Italy in July (she is 14) was thinking the UP card for her and the U Bank for me when I meet her over there. Do I put these cards both in my name? Or can I have the UP card in hers?
Are these still the best options for travel to Italy, UK and Ireland?
Thanks so much

Why is Citibank Plus still on this page? It no longer exists. Sadly.

Went to sign up to the Ubank Debit Card and followed the link, and it says it's $10 sign up bonus.

Is it now $10 or is it actually $20 if you enter the code?

Thank you for this article- I've since decided on an Up card for my travels!
Out of interest have you encountered many places that only accept Visa and not MasterCard or vice versa?

We currently have Commbank Travel Cards, a friend said she tried the Ubank and UpBank cards and said they were good no fees, but can you load more money onto them whilst you're away?
Can the Citibank one be loaded as well.

Thank you for all this information. I have poured over all the posts several times. For three weeks in EU countries, making ATM withdrawals where we have to pay cash (local transport costs mainly, I guess) but mainly using a card to pay for expenses, am I correct in thinking that UBank or Up would be the best options? I read that you personally use these two, but then I also saw that you recommended Revolut for card payments, with UBank or Up as backups (for ATM withdrawals, I assume). I have poured over your comments and exhaustively researched other sites, but I cannot find out why you would use Revolut as your first option for card payments. They seem to offer the same exchange rate as UBank and Wise, whilst Up seems to offer a very slightly higher rate (MasterCard rate). Would you mind telling me what would be the advantage of using Revolut (or Wise) ahead of UBank or Up as your main payment option please? I am not concerned about ATM withdrawal fees in relation to Revolut or Wise, as we would use UBank or Up for these. I am just trying to figure out whether we should open both a UBank and an Up account and nothing else, or whether we should open either a UBank or an Up account and then also get a Revolut or Wise card - two bank debit cards OR one bank debit card and one travel money card? I would really value your advice! Thank you.

Update 23 October - Singapore, Spain and Portugal

sorry, some of this might be a repeat of what you have already provided:

I’m not sure where is the best place to put this up to date information as of October 2023:
Have just been to Singapore, Spain and Portugal. I hope this information is helpful. Full disclosure - I am allergic to Bank Fees.

Cash - Good News: before leaving Australia how to obtain cash in a cost effective way took a lot of effort searching the internet and I still wasn’t sure until actually travelling and testing ATMs whether we would be successful keeping fees to a minimum.

First Rule: in case you have not read this before - Do Not Use any ATMs associated with Euronet - ever! The charges are outrageous. And Euronet are everywhere, outside convenience stores, restaurants etc… so very tempting - I cringed everytime I saw someone at an Euronet.

ATM machines - Debit Cards (hopefully you know not to use your Credit Card at a ATM)
UBank Debit Card & ING Card were equivalent to each other with no fees and the same fair exchange rate:
ING has more rules - but I was already used to their rules and managed to do my 5 transactions at the beginning of every month to meet the requirements. If that is too difficult - UBank is awesome.
I used UBank and kept ING as my back-up. You need a back-up.

ATM machines - countries
Singapore – one ATM was going to charge 8SGD we walked around the corner to Maybank (yellow colour) and it was zero fee. Suggest google the nearest Maybank to your accommodation - there might even be one at Changi. I took out $20 with ING, UBank and Wise to test their exchange rates (fee free so it was a worthwhile exercise as I was travelling for 66 days). All 3 were similar. I don’l like Wise because they charge you to move your money around. UBank and ING are truly fee free.

Spain – The first banks we tried charged Euro8 or more; the 3rd bank we tried was Deutsche Bank, charged Euro3 on a withdrawl maximum of Euro300, and we went with that. I would google Deutsche Bank and go to the nearest one to your accommodation.

Portugal
we used Multibanco – Caixa Geral de Depositos and got charged zero fees. Apparently all Multibancos do not charge a fee – but we stuck with the same brand after having success at Caixa Geral de Depositos in Lisbon. We found that brand everywhere in Portugal.

The maximum withdrawl at one time was Euro200. It didn’t matter because 3mins later or after someone else used the ATM or using a different card accessing the same account you can get another Euro200. We got Euro600 out at a time, (3 times) because in Portugal they appreciate cash - and some smaller businesses only accept cash - fair enough.

Note that during the process the ATM asked if we wanted to accept their exchange rate and we pressed Decline, then it asked a second time in a different way, like do you want to lock in the the exchange rate?, we pressed Decline again – then it processed the withdrawl at our banks exchange rate – which is many many Euros better than the rate offered by the ATM – for us anyway as we were using a Debit card with Australian UBank and Australian ING and both give the best exchange rates on offer.

Credit Card - Lattitude 28 degrees: for good exchange rate and no fees is still the best Credit Card for overseas travelling - in my opinion. Unless you are a points gatherer the best fee free / no points earning credit card.
As a couple we have an account each and each of us has an additional card with the others account. We use one card / one account all the time - it’s easier to track our transactions using only one card - and therefore to know quickly whether there is a fraudulent transaction. We have the other card as our back-up. You need a back-up.
Travelling alone I would either use my UBank Debit Card for everything and keep the 28 degrees Credit Card as back up - or the other way around.

I hope this is helpful

I saw 'Revolut' on the list above and I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole. They hold the accounts of, in particular, the Microsoft Scammers. I stupidly got scammed and wrote a VERY bad review on Trustpilot and Revolut responded with a link to address the issue and reimburse the money but the link didn't work and I never got a refund.

I’m travelling in October and was researching cards and saw your site. I was sold on Ubank but not only can’t I complete registration on the App which is so frustrating , I also checked out Customer Reviews on various sites and nearly all the reviews weren’t only bad, they were horrendous.
Confused but definitely no longer confident

Hi Immanuel,
I'm travelling to Egypt in October, and trying to figure out how to handle my money there... This is a great article and has given lots of good info, but wondering if these recommended cards would be OK for travel in Egypt?

Hi Immanuel,

I am travelling to Japan in couple of weeks and interested to hear what debit card is best to use in Japan? Hoping to be able to get actual physical card within a coming week.

Appreciate all your insights, so amazing is come across this article!

Thanks

Dragan

Hi, is one better than the other hsbc vs ubank? Looking at switching from Citibank.

Hi Immanuel,

My partner and I are going around Europe for a month during December and a deciding what cards to take over with us. Based off your article and the majority of the comments I have read through I am thinking the Up or Ubank will be the way to go and also easiest as we won't have to worry about have lots of different curriences or enough of each currency like a travel card. I also have a Suncorp banking debit card that has no international conversion fees I can take as a backup.

We are just wondering about security deposits for hotels that are paid when checking in- I have read that using a debit card for these can be a disadvantage as the money is withdrawn and can take a while to come back into your account after checkout, leaving you down a few hundred dollars in the meantime. Do you think it would be beneficial to have a credit card for these type of situations? Or would all associated fees make it better to just cut the losses with the debit card and factor in that "missing money" when planning budgets.

Thanks!

Hi :) I'm heading off to Singapore in Sept/Oct, in which you can use mostly debit but I will likely withdraw small amounts of money. I already have a ubank card (from back when they were 86 400). I am looking to grab a backup card. Do you think the Wise or Up Bank, and would you suggest 1 VISA and 1 Mastercard to cover all bases? Thanks so much, Bianca

Hi, great review. The one thing I am not clear about is the difference between the VISA or MasterCard exchange rates vs the mid point rate that WISE provides. Can that be a big difference? Also not clear which rate Revolut uses

Hi, thank you for the advice above. As yet, I don’t think anyone has asked about cards for India and Nepal. Do your suggestions of Up, UBank and Revolut still the best for these countries. They do prefer cash in many places so am guessing atms will be needed regularly.

Hi there
We are travelling to UK/France/Italy next month. Originally we were going to get the card from Travel Guides TV show LOL travelmoneyoz.com/travel-money-card - after reading the comments and your article would it be safe to say the UBank option would likely be better as i think you have to preload the currency onto the Travel Guides one?

Hi Immanuel,
My wife and I are travelling to Europe for 3 months and whilst we already have Cash Passport cards pre-loaded with some Euros from last year, we are considering debit cards, but need one that provides 2 cards for joint access to the one account. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Hi Immanuel, your article and answers here are incredibly useful. Thank you so much! I will be touing in Morocco for 2 weeks, and of course will have to buy things!. What is best card for me to use please? I have a Wise card already. Should I get another one as well? many thanks

Hi I intend travelling to Europe late next year and want to start saving now by putting a certain amount in a card monthly now. I will probably lean toward the ubank option because of their benefits. Is it too early to apply for a card now

AWESOME REVIEW!
Just what we're looking into right now. What do you think would be the best option for travel to the UK.

I previously used the Qantas Cash Card but that was a disaster

Hi Immanuel,

Currently a ING customer. Travelling to Greece,Crotia and Italy. Looking at Up & UBank any preferences on either? Will be hopefully using card most of the time. Should I look at other options? Should I get hung up on currency conversions that HSBC and Wise offer?

Thanks again for the article

So confused with debit cards, travel cards, varying reviews on which one is best and worst. Please help.

Travelling to Europe for 7 weeks in June and we already use a NAB visa credit and an AMEX card so do we need yet another card?

I understand we have fees to tap and use at places and also for atm withdrawal etc but from what i can find its not a lot of $ but guess over 7 weeks it will add up.

Should i get a NAB Ultimate or Mastercard debit card or just use our current visa amex cards? Thanks for any help in advance everyone. Thank you

The Westpac World Wide Wallet card will cost you hundreds of dollars. Westpac claim no fees, but their exchange rate is always poor and slow to change. I have already lost hundreds of dollars converting to Euros. My cousin has one, and he consistently gets a higher exchange rate than myself, because he has more money in his Australian account than I do. I complained and was blown off, my cousin's higher exchange rate wasn't even addressed. I wish I'd read some reviews before blindly accepting their lies. There are better cards out there, you might pay a fee, but the better exchange rate will save you a lot of money.

Thanks for this awesome up to date review and the video - so helpful. I've been reading up the last few weeks in prep. for our next trip knowing you have to be organised well ahead.

I've been a UBank and ING customer for years and was planning on using ING for Cash withdrawls on our next trip but was reassessing because they dropped the ATM reimbursement.

I've always used 28degrees Mastercard for purchases thinking it would be a better exchange rate than UBank or ING - I don't know whether they are or not.

Anyway, reason I'm commenting because there are many many articles online saying how good Wise is. Unfortunately, last night, before reading your article and watching the video I joined Wise and was charged $10 for the Card. I paid before reading this article and am really annoyed about it. I paid because I thought they were way ahead on exchange rate so thought overall I'd be better off. But it seems ING and UBank are as good if not better and their cards don't cost anything.

I'm thinking of cancelling my Wise card - in principle.

What do you think ?

Did you know there was a $10 fee to get the Wise Card ?

thanks

Hi Immanuel,

Firstly let me say this site has been extremely helpful and your recent video comparing 11 cards in Japan was also very informative.

A big thank you for creating this site and spending time to make things easier for travellers who need clarity around this topic.

I am about to travel to Europe and thanks to your post have both an Up and Ubank account. I understand there are no fees from these banks to use these cards overseas however I have been told I will still be charged fees by the overseas banks when using their ATMs to make withdrawls and making overseas instore card purchases? What are these fees? Is there any way these fees can be avoided?

Ideally I dont want to pay any fees to banks while I'm overseas and would like to maximise my funds while on my holiday.

Appreciate your time and advise

Many thanks

Hi, tossing up between UBank, Up or Wise debit card? I can't decide, which one would you go with?
And, was looking at getting the BankWest Breeze Platinum Credit Card? Is this a good credit card to use when travelling in Europe?
Lastly, is it best to order Euros before i travel (was going to order thru S Money) or use an ATM in Italy with my Debit card?
Many thanks :)

I have the Westpac worldwide wallet travel card that I have loaded money into.
I was told it is fee free. So I hope that’s true. I also have the Qantas cash card, but the exchange rate is not as good as the westpac card.

Hi Immanuel,
Just wandering if there is much difference between using my standard Suncorp debit card while travelling Europe in comparison to actually getting a travel card like UP?
thanky ou

Hi Immanuel

Thank you for this article. I am frequent visitor on your website. Always great content.
Just a quick question, I have had Citibank card for decade and have enjoyed benefits while travelling overseas. Since they have been bought by NAB and they are changing product services one by one. Have their transaction account been affected as well or they still offering same benefits?
Website doesn’t give clear information either.

Hi Immanuel,

We are travelling to USA/Canada in a few weeks & are still unsure whether to take cash & a credit card or cash & travel card (currently have Stgeorge World Wide Wallet).Any advice would be appreciated TIA

Hi, just about to go travelling to Europe and came across your article which is very helpful - thank you. I will now be getting an Upbank and U bank debit card based on your recommendation. I was also wondering if you could recommend a good credit card for large purchases when overseas. I currently have a CW platinum Visa. TIA

Hey,
I'm off to Japan in a few weeks.
Last year when I went to South Korea I got a Wise card/account which is still active. I'm also a Westpac customer and while at the bank today mentioned I'm going to Japan and they gave me a Worldwide Wallet pack with the two cards (why two cards?).
What would be the better option? Sticking with Wise, or going Westpac WWC?

Hi,
Great content here and advice - thank you!
Quick question though - Have you evaluated the different fx rates between Wise, Ubank or Up at one point in time? Considering either one of these and leaning to Ubank or Up given no ATM withdrawal fees but are there rates worse than Wise?

I was about to open up a CBA Travel Money Card (Visa) and a Westpac World Wide Wallet (Mastercard) today with foreign currencies pre-loaded, but fortunately I stumbled across your site and I'm now going to open up 2 debit cards instead because they have $0/low transaction/international fees.
I do like taking both a Visa and a Mastercard overseas in case one of them is not accepted.
I'll probably be applying for an Up Bank (Mastercard) debit card and a UBank (Visa) debit card.
Many thanks for your advice.

Hi Immanuel

My partner and I are travelling to Spain/Portugual/Morroco in June. We would like to usE a combination of ATMs (take out a larger sum of money) and travel cards. We also current customers of Macquarie Bank. My partner is a little hesitant in using banks/travel cards of merchants she's not heard of. Should we contact Macquarie and use one off their Visa cards or get a travel card. Any advice would be great

Thank you

Hi Immanuel,

What are your thoughts on the ING Everyday Debit Card for travel in The UK and Europe?

Hi Immanuel, thanks for your dedication to this post and the discussion thread - both insightful and incredible!
I'd be grateful for your opinion on the best card for travelling through Taiwan for a couple of months.
I expect to be able to pay with a card at most places in the city centres (Taipei, Taichung, etc) but many places only accept cash. So I'll need the occasional ATM withdrawal facility, preferably with a bank that has a strong local presence in Taiwan.
I'd be grateful for your recommendations.
Thanks in advance
Tony

Hi Immanuel,
When comparing the Ubank Visa Debit foreign exchange rate versus the Wise mid market rate + Wise exchange fee, which provides a better exchange rate usually for UK and America? Or is there a general trend, where one is just better than the other?

Hi, what is quickest way to get a travel card in Australia- Westpac travel card any good as believe I can pick up one in person at bank?
Thanks RA

Hi Immanuel,

I am wanting to go overseas and currently have a 28Degrees, Up and Citi account.

With the recent cyber attacks on Latitude would you still use the card while overseas? Would you recommend getting another card together with the Up and Citi or will these two cards be enough.

Also with Citi not taking new customers from May 23 am concerned there will be issues with this card as well.

I am worried as I do not want to be without access to funds should I go overseas?

Appreciate any suggestions you may have.

Thanks so much.

Hi Immanuel,
Thanks for the great article and all the chat.

We're going to France for 10 weeks in late June. We'll want to be able to pay for some things by card and also withdraw cash. I note you recommend Revolut for paying by card and Up or Ubank for withdrawing cash from ATMs. Is it not possible to pay for things using a debit card? For example, could I pay for hotel accommodation, or some clothing using an Up debit card for example?

We've not had a Debit card before, always just had one credit card (NAB Platinum). When travelling in the past we used a NAB travel card and if necessary we used our credit card and accepted any fees that applied. A couple of questions:

1. If we open an Up or Ubank account should we just open it as an individual account for one of us rather than a joint account?
   
   
2. You suggest having more than one debit card. Would it be worth getting both an Up and a Ubank debit card or would we be better to get a Revolut card, and either an Up or Ubank debit card?
   
   

As we are in WA we might also look into a Bankwest account with a debit card.
Thanks.

Hi im traveling to Malta soon .Im i better off to use u bank or Up .

Hi,

Im travelling Europe later in the year and was wondering with the UP bank card do you convert AUD currency into (euro/pound) or is it payed in AUD? so would you just transfer AUD currency to the card and it withdraws from that?

Thanks!

Hi there
Thanks so much for this article , it was so helpful
I opened a Citibank currency card but they are now closing . I’ve got an Ing orange everyday card which I’ve used before I’ve traveled to japan. Apart from the other comments saying about the bad customer service If you needed to call . And keeping in mind the 5 withdrawals fee free . Do you think it’s on the same level as one u bank ? Much of a muchness ? I won’t be missing out on much if I just take my ing card for convenience sake ? Thanks again

Hi I’m travelling to Europe in June for a month with my husband and I’m wondering if wise or Revolut would be best to use? Not sure which one is better but they seem to be very similar, or do you have any recommendations on any other cards
Thanks!

We are a family of 4 (2+2) going to be travelling in India for 1.5 months. Just wanted to get your thoughts on what's the best card to carry to cover our expenses in India (ATM withdrawal, paying for restaurant/shopping etc.).

Hi Tom,

Great article / recommendations :-)

I'm travelling from OZ to the UK, stopping at potentially some European countries (for a few days)
I have a bank acc in the UK so can transfer money there (and use UK card in UK where I'll spend the majority of my time)
I'll probably use the travel card to pay for all bills if possible (rather that use cash)

I'm tossing up between UP card / U Bank?

Any advice from yourself on a preference, and can I get an additional card linked for my partner or do I have to get a separate card?

Thanks in advance for your help :-)

I will be doing some travel in Europe (Malta, Greece, Spain, France etc) before living and working in the UK for a couple of years, paid in GBP. Do you think I should open a local UK bank account to get paid or will one of these travel debit cards work for me as a good allrounder? If yes, which would work best. Just looking to keep it simple.

Hi Tom, I am going to Europe for 7 months. I have got the basic Revolut plan with the cards. I have already put some Aud and Euro on the card. I have added the Revolut card as my payment card on booking.com and Airbnb. If I choose to pay this accommodation now using this card will they take the money out in Euros or Aud( as I have both on my card?)
Also, for a longer stay trip like this should I upgrade my plan?
Thankyou for all your advice
Leanne

Hi,

Im heading to Europe for 2 months and will be in countries that use the pound and euro. What would be my best option regarding what would be the best travel card to take, I've been looking online and there is so many options that its kind of confusing me (wise/revolout/aus post/travelex just to name a few) and are travel cards the best option to take?

Just wondering what your opinion would be for the best options, thanks!

Hi there,
I’m 18 and going to be travelling around europe for 2 months. I’ve read all the comments and it seems like Up or Ubank is the way to go… is there much difference between them which could help me decide what to pick? Would getting both cards be a good idea incase one has issues (lost, not working, etc)?
Thanks heaps

Hi there.
I'm off to Japan in May and I'm considering using the Westpac Worldwide Wallet.
I've seen your comments about not recommending this option because of ATM withdrawal fees but according to the Westpac website there are no ATM withdrawal fees.
Just wondering if I've read it wrong.

Are there any advantages of Ubank over Citibank??

UBank and Up Bank have appalling review on 'Product Review' website, mostly related to customer support and account accessibility. I had personally experienced that with UBank when trying to open a term deposit account and ended up giving up. If one has difficulty, stress, time pressure and frustration getting customer support at home in your comfort zone, imagine what you will experience if you need customer support while overseas. I am sure it will spoil your holidays or might end your holidays with a fatal heart attack. Very afraid and concern about given UBank anothergo and Up Bank ago. I believe online and/or neobanks have less than satisfactory and acceptable customer support. One may also say that customer support by most business are substandard and not meeting consumer expectations and neeeds.

From what I read and understand, Up Bank is not actually a 'bank' and not listed as an ADI by APRA but a brand of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited covered by it.

Relating to the above mentioned, do you have any comments or advice regarding other products mentioned in your article or any others not mentioned such as Bankwest, HSBC or Suncorp? Are you aware of any credible and sizable database review by real people using these or any cards while travellig overseas particularly in Europe and ASIA?

Finally, I complement Flighhacks for a well presented article on the topic and so glad that I came across it. Your ongoing discussions and support to readers via this forum is highly commmendable. The fact that I joined the discussion group speaks for itself because I rarely do so. It has been tremendous help and I thank you. I am sure my appreciation is shared by all your readers. Keep up the good work. If banks and businesses are as good and committed as you guys, the world would be different.

Hi Can you tell me if there is a daily withdrawal limit for both Up & Ubank cards.

Hi there, we have Citi and 28 degrees and have always found them to have the best exchange rates when paying local currencies overseas. Has this changed at all in the last 3 years since we’ve travelled?
I did notice on Citi with the new feature to add a global wallet, the exchange rate to lock in a transfer now seems quite a bit lower than the wholesale rate. Is this the new rate that Citi uses even for on the spot transactions overseas?

Thanks

Hi Immanuel,

I have read most of the comments and will go with one of your suggestions for sure. Only question I have is that I have a few grands of EURO in cash from my last trip and I don't want to carry it on with myself to spend it. Is there anyway that I load that money to one of the above cards so that I can use it in Europe?

Cheers

Thank you for the article and recommendations. I have been leaning towards the Citi Debit Card to use alongside the Latitude 28 degrees credit card for my 6 weeks overseas trip to Italy in May. This was because the Citi Debit Card has essentially no fees and a worldwide presence (although I am concerned about the constant reference to non user-friendly app). I have just read that NAB will cease sign up to new Citi accounts from May 20th 2023 but will still support active Citi accounts which were opened prior to that date (I'm guessing they are trying to move customers to their UBank product???). Sounds to me that there would be extra risk going abroad with a Citi debit card and it seems from posts by your readers, that there is some question surrounding recent customer service with UBank. I plan to use the Latitude card for most of my purchases and the Debit card for incidentals and ATM withdrawals where necessary. This will be my first foray into the world of internet banking and as such I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of a 'digital bank'. I will therefore hold my savings in my regular bank account and transfer money from there to my 'travel debit card' and my Latitude 28Degrees account. I am thinking to get another debit card as a backup for my Citi card and to cover bases am thinking to go with a Visa network card. I have read your article in Flighthacks re: Revolut Premium. I note that the Standard card does not have 24/7 customer support and I am not keen on paying the monthly account keeping fees when I return to Australia. Could you suggest a pair of Debit cards that can team with my Latitude card to see me comfortably through my travel?

Is the westpac worlwide wallet able to be used in unsupported countries such as Denmark? Will it just convert the aud in the account at the time of a purchase?

Hi Immanuel,

I'm travelling to Europe and with NAB - and they don't seem to have a free option! I've clicked the link to Up included in your article. I just followed the prompts and now have a digital card - am I now free to use the digital card on my phone in Europe and incur no fees? Thanks so much for this article by the way!

Hi, is it true that Wise has one distinct benefit for travel....it allows purchase verification codes via the app....not SMS? This would be a game changer for me when using o/s sim in phone.

Hi, I'm travelling to Hawaii in a few months and need a new travel card. I've always used the Virgin one which was great, but it's now closed. I've been looking at the Westpac Worldwide Wallet, just keen to here your thoughts? They seem to have no fees and the best conversion rate at the moment. The downside it seems is I have to be a Westpac customer. I've had poor customer service with uBank before so I want to steer clear of them.

Hi! Great article! Have planned a trip to Japan and Korea for March and this is exactly what I needed do THANKS. I’m thinking of getting the Citibank and the UBank cards — thoughts on these for Japan and Korea? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Citibank card since they have been acquired by NAB. Or do you have any other recommendations on top of the previous ones in the article?

Additionally, along with my current NAB debit card (for emergency, if the previous two cards fail), would you recommend bringing a credit card as well? Thanks again!!

Hello. What would be the best card to use in New Zealand (I am in Australia).

Thanks in advance.

Hi Great advice. I am travelling to America, England and Switzerland this year. I will mainly use a card for tap and go purchases what would you suggest. With the CHF is it costing me twice as it appears most options is Euro and not CHF. Thank you

Great article - I got the Ubank card without fuss and it has worked without hassle - at a good exchange rate too (way better than i could get cash pre departure).

Only concert is in Apple Wallet you have to choose between Visa, eftpos Savings, eftpos Cheque. Neither of the first 2 worked, i didn’t try Cheque, but the physical card worked. Don’t know why this would be

Thanks for this article, it is really helpful as we try and narrow down our best option. Do you happen to know if the UBank one lets you have a joint account for the times my partner and I are not together ? I will control the app (not his forte) but I would prefer we both have a card we can load to Apple Pay so we can go our own ways at times.

Hi thank you this article was very useful for me as I was planning on using a travel money card with preloaded converted currency. I will be travelling to Europe soon, I currently have a Bankwest Easy Transaction account. They do not charge international transaction fees or ATM withdrawal fees. However I don’t know whether they charge any hidden foreign exchange markup fees. Would you recommend this card for travelling.

Hey
Great article!
I am travelling to Japan and Mexico in a month and was wondering what cards I should use while travelling and why. I have the following transaction accounts/cards already Up, Ubank, ING and Commbank debit. I also have a Westpac altitude black credit card.
Thanks

hello , we are travelling from AUS to US and staying in multiple hotels and conscious of the Hotel pre-auth holds whilst using Debit cards - could you recommend the best travel credit card for first time users

How would you compare the Qantas Frequent Flyer Card thet can be loaded with dollars and used overseas

Hi there. I’m slightly confused with all these options. I have been flying to EU in past and using INg.. would UBank compare? What do I go for? Thank you.

Hi Immanuel,
What a great article! Thank you so much.
Can I ask how you think the Mastercard rate compares to the mid-market rate offered by Wise?
Thank you.

Between Wise and Revolut which one do you think is better? and why?

Hi there. You mention… many of our top picks use either Visa or Mastercard’s exchange rates, without applying any markup. which ones are these?

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. What would be your best recommendation as I am trying to do a lot of research on what would be the best debit card to use for overseas this year. Travelling through to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta, London and Dubai. Would probably mainly try to use the debit card mostly for purchases if that’s what would be best recommended and do minimal cash withdrawals from the ATM. What would be best for saving money on 0 fees and also what would offer the best exchange rate? Secondly would you recommend to load whichever card with AUD and then spend overseas and then apparently when I go through the eftpos machine select the purchase in euro option or exchange the AUD to euro before travelling? And lastly with taking out cash in euro or gbp would you recommend to take out at an exchange rate or public ATM when overseas or exchange it in AUS before travelling ?

Thanks :)

Hey! Firstly this is the greatest thread regarding travel cards! Thanks for the replies!

I am travelling to Europe in June with my partner, we are heading to Denmark, UK, Greece, Croatia, Albania, UAE, Italy, France, Macedonia and Lebanon (just over 3 months).

I was originally considering Wise, however I see your point on withdrawal caps without fee.

Tossing between the Citibank plus, Wise, HSBC global and now the UP and UBank (open to others)

What would be your best recommendation for no fees and best exchange rate for these countries?

Could I get 4 best card recommendations for;

1/ Exchange rate and fees?
2/ Exchange rate, fees and atm withdrawal
3/ Atm withdrawal
4/ A extra card to carry to withdraw USD dollars to take to Lebanon (don’t want to be carrying a large amount of cash that I need for my last destination)

Thank you in advance! :)

Hi - I am curious about the markup fees on these cards. Upbank clearly states they don't do forex markup fees, but I cannot find information on the others. HSBC Everyday Global Rewards does have a forex mark up fee for the currencies you can load into the card for example. What about Ubank?

Hi Tom,
We are going to the Maldives in Feb and Europe in June/July, it looks like UP or Revolut are our best options.
We are with HSBC which doesnt have OSKO. Would we be best to open an account with these other banks for easy transfer.
Do you know if you can get multiple cards for the one account with UP & Revolut?

I’m off to Nepal and Bhutan shortly. What is your opinion on the NAB Platinum Visa Debit Card? I believe it’s targeted at o/s travel but I wonder why it hasn’t made your recommendation list. Cheers

Hi Immanuel I'm travelling for the fist time overseas to the Pacific Islands of Fiji for a 2 week holiday with family and kids. What card would best suit me? I do have accounts with Commonwealth and ANZ if it matters?
Regards Mick

Hi my grand daughter is travelling to the U.S.A,
For sport competition, what would be the best travelcard for her as she is a minor.

Hi Emmanuel
Travelling overseas first time to Europe for five and half weeks. Spain, France, Italy and Greece.
I’m looking at both of these, Up Mastercard Debit card and UBank Visa Debit card, as you said have a back up.
1- I have a westpac bank account, how do I transfer money onto these cards from westpac, will I be charged any fees for transferring?
2- For security is it best to have a seperate westpac account with x amount $ in it that is for transferring onto these two debit cards while over seas?
3- Reason I ask about seperate westpac account, if scammed or the debit card is hacked can the scammers get into my main westpac accounts?
4- Do I transfer onto both cards or just one at a time?
5- Would I only have one as back up with no funds on it, and if needed can I transfer while in Europe?
6- As you mentioned, if the card I’m using eg: Up Mastercard Debit card is stolen, lost or blocked can I automatically transfer the funds on that card to my back up card eg: UBank Visa Debit card? Or because it’s compromised I wont be able to transfer those funds to my back up Debit card?
7- If that happens are my funds gone/ lost. Or will the banks that back these cards reinburst me for funds lost?
8- Is Up Mastercard Debit card backed by Bendigo Bank and UBank Visa Debit card backed by NAB bank?
9- With any funds left on these two cards once back in Australia can all the funds be transferred back into my westpac accounts, is there fees to do this?
Thanking you in advance for your reply to all my questions.

I've got HSBC, Revolut, Wise and Qantas.
Don't know why people criticise the HSBC website and app, I've never had any issues. Exchange rates are pretty good and there's 2% cashback on paywave purchases under AUD$100 (not sure if this applies OS).
Revolut and Wise have the best exchange rates. Revolut Metal plan offers more ATM withdrawals. Lounge access is nothing special (slightly below normal fee unless there's a +1 hour delay). Wise has no subscription fee.
Qantas exchange rates are terrible, points bonus kicks in for overseas spending.
I think Wise is the best all-round option if you don't need many ATM withdrawals.

Hi Immanual,
I'm travelling to Mexico and Hawaii in feb for the whole month and I'm stuck on which card to get. I'm unsure if I should get a prepaid or a debit card. Do you have any tips? I assume in Hawaii I'll be using eftpos (transaction) more, whereas Mexico I think cash. But I'm really not sure, I'm just going off what people have said in travel blogs. Thanks!

Hi,
Im going to Europe for 2 months next year which would be the best travel card with the lowest fees? as i will only be using euros and pounds for the trip. My last pre- covid trip I used an ANZ travel card but they dont offer them anymore.

thanks

Hi Tom
So is this correct? I miss my choice if card(atm between Up, UBank & Wise) with AUD and use it to pay for things OS (Canada). Therefore I won’t be charged any fees and the money is converted to CAD at the time of transaction?
If I choose to withdraw actual cash OS then I may incur a fee of over $350 is withdrawn for the month?

Hi, I'll be traveling to Germany and Denmark at the start of next year, all of these cards look viable. Is there a specific one that you would recommend...maybe location-wise? Thanks

I feel that when you recommend these cards you take customer service into account. UBank has been in the news of late for poor service and I wouldn't have believed it unless I experienced this myself.
My daughter is in Rome with a UBank card, that we got for her because we read this review.
They did an upgrade last night during the early hours of the morning AEDT but that was peak time in Europe.
She was not able to use her card and then when they came back online, she still can't use the card.
I was in a queue for over two hours, which is minimum for them, no chat option, which is terrible for a bank.
I spoke to someone and they assured me they would fix it and they still haven't. Luckily her friends are with her and they are paying for her items, but this is a terrible bank it really is.
Please factor this into your reviews and don't worry about the referral fees, think about the people this affects.

Hi there,

I’m hoping to take advantage of the exchange rate for japAn before it drops, I have a trip booked in April.

Can you please advise which travel card would be best. I want to transfer $2000 across as a piggy bank. And then continue to use my up account for purchases once this $2000 is gone.

Would it be better to do this or go to a cash exchange in Australia and change money before I leave as a lot of purchases will be in cash?

Just fyi - ubank is no allowing joint accounts at the moment. Very annoying as all their marketing says they do, but you get to the “new account” section and get a weird error message. Only after 50mins on hold to the call centre did it all become clear.

The argument is that they are being used for phishing which seems odd/unlikely - each of the joint owners need to give over ID but after Optus etc who knows.

I’ll be checking out some of the others - thanks for the tips!

Hi, I'm travelling to Vietnam, I have the 28 degree MasterCard but need a debit card to withdraw cash. What are your thoughts on Westpac worldwide wallet? I don't want to lock in a currency.

Hi Immanuel, I plan to use Macquarie debit card for my upcoming overseas travel. How does Macquarie debit card compare to Citibank? And would Aud convert to other currencies automatically when I pay with my debit card?

Thanks

Hi Zara - this is an excellent site and your advice much appreciated. My 19 year old son is going to Japan for working ski holiday next week for 7 weeks. He will need to use cash Yen in most places and hence, a number of ATM withdrawals. From what I read above, he would probably be best off just using his existing Bendigo Bank debit Mastercard - as he can use for payments as well as ATM withdrawals. Do you agree? Thanks in advance - Ian

Which is the best card for recieving overseas payments like the japanese yen, etc. ?

If I already have a Ubank account (for savings), will this suffice for using on overseas trip? Don't have a card attached to it, but daresay I could apply for one. Travelling in the new year to UK and France.
Thanks

Hi Immanuel,
My 15 year old daughter is going to Japan on exchange for a year. I am a bit worried about sending her with a card in my name in case she is questioned (why she has a card in another person's name). Other kids are going with CommBank as kids 14 and over can use it but I don't like the sound of their fees. Any suggestions? Thanks

Thanks for the detailed articles team, I've always used cash when I travelled in the past but after reading this article I'll use debit card instead.

Quick question though, would you recommend using Australian credit card overseas? I understand there're fees (1-5%) but it earn points in return. Still tossing if points are worth the additional fees.

Hi there! How about the Macquarie debit card? seems as good as Ubank!

Hi!
Im travelling to the UK and Europe for a month is December and would prefer to use a travel card as opposed to cash. I've looked at all of these options but the reviews are a little worrying. Have you used any personally? What would you suggest? Im ideally trying to not spend a whole heap on fees and things and I dont plan on taking much out at an ATM if at all.
Also looking for a card that wont cost be a fortune to put the left over money back into my bank account once ive returned.
I was originally going to get a qantas card but once again reviews arent very good.
Thanks

Signed up for the U Bank card, used the code - it appears that actually the referrer gets the $20 credit, not the new signed up customer. I used the code C7N1TAZ as mentioned above.

Hi there, I am travelling to the UK and Europe for 4 weeks and tossing up between two options which I can’t choose from. Is it better to use a fee free card overseas (Up in particular) and convert on the spot and cop the varying exchange rate, or preload a travel card so I have converted funds, but risk the fees from ATMs and conversion fees when I need to do so? Cheers

We're going to Argentina in January, which is a money minefield! - with the official dollar rate via banks vs the blue dollar that is worth nearly twice as much when exchanged for USD cash. Apparently the govt is in the process of introducing blue dollar (or better) rates for tourists using foreign cards, so that makes taking a debit card instead of wads of USD cash much more feasible. Are you aware of this? Do you have any advice at all? If not, we'll take a chance on one of your recommended cards and hope that it works over there. Thank you!

Surely ING is worth a mention? As far as I know they're the only one that offers ATM fee rebates. Unfortunately they've recently limited this to 5 per month (whether domestic or international), but depending on the country this could still be worth ~$50. If you only withdraw cash once a week or so while travelling this really isn't an issue. It's saved me 100s of dollars in the past while travelling so I'm happy to deal with some sub par support!

Thank you for the article. My concern is how long will it take for money to be transferred from another bank account onto these Travel Cards so that funds are available? Are you better off getting a travel card from your current bank to get the instant transfer?

Which card uses the best currency conversion rates?

Choosing a card is really hard as the reviews are not that great with any of them. Want to get a card which offers security for my money and easy access to it. I am planning to go to Europe and am worried I wont be able to use my card because its blocked or funds have disappeared (comments in a few google threads). Are all these cards covered by the government guarantee? Are these cards supported by large banks with good customer support should something go wrong?

Many thanks

Am going on a six month trip - 3 months total in Morocco and Tanzania, and then 3 months in Europe. Am agonising over how to do the money thing - don’t want to carry wads of cash and don’t want to pay loads of fees if I pay by card or make frequent atm withdrawals. Would the Ucard be a good option for me if I just load it up with AUD before I go?

Hi, thanks for providing such great information it's really helped narrow down the search for the best debit card to use for our honeymoon. We are travelling to Cancun Mexico and considering either Citibank Plus or HSBC Global account. Do you think we will be fine with these cards?

Hi Immanuel going to Bali and if I get the UBank card do I just put aud in it, and when I pay at restaurants does it just convert to IDR then or do I have to change my Aud to idr.

Hi
Just want to which debit card is best for Switzerland?
I am traveling from Australia

Hi Immanuel, we are travelling to Thailand next year. My sister uses Latitude 28 Degrees Global Platinum Mastercard. Is this any good? Otherwise, I'll go with the Ubank card. Thanks for some great advice.
Regards, Melissa

Hi, Interesting article on paying for things overseas! One question/comment. I think it is necessary to advise the bank that your card will being used overseas? Otherwise the bank may put a stop on the account in case it is being used illegally.

Hi After reading all this I’m still not too sure. I’m traveling to UK and USA in December 22 and have applied for a Revolut card, what do you think?
Regards Elly

I just wanted to come here to say thank you Immanuel, so much information - exactly what I wanted to know and have been agonising over! The fact you are still answering the questions a few months after the article was written!

Hi Immanuel, thanks for the advice above.

Which is the best card for us?

My partner is heading of the the USA, Canada. Then we are flying across to meet her in Netherlands, then Scotland followed by a trip to Italy for a holiday.

She likes the Wise Travel, I like the Macquarie. I think the limit on withdrawals from atms is a pain in the wise one. She thinks the Wise one has a better currency conversion rate since Macquarie uses Mastercard rate.

What are your thoughts? It's hard to find detail on ubank and what their currency conversion rate is.

Hi Immanuel, Do you know which card would be best to take to Bali? My son will be taking AUD cash as well to change over there for a more favourable rate but lots of cash is a risk.I've also heard that ATM's charge their own fee (randomly) and when making purchases using a credit or debit card a 3% fee is charged. Can you confirm or deny? :) Thanks

Hi, I was just wondering with up bank do I have to create another account with wise. Just a bit confused.
Thanks

Hi Immanuel.

Just confirming, is the link below the 'travel' card for UBank, as it is coming up as a 'transaction' account rather than 'travel' card, so I want to make sure it is the right one?

https://www.ubank.com.au/banking/transaction-account

Any other advice regarding using this card (if the correct one) or UBank's travel card (please send link) would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Joe

What is the best travel card for ATM withdrawals. We intend to pay for most things such as meals, taxifares and public transport by cash in the UK and Ireland. Is this the most cost effective method or are we better off just presenting our card when paying for goods and services. TIA

Great discussions. Thanks all.
How about these cards Westpac - www.westpac.com.au/international-travel/travel-money-card/
Commbank Travle money card - https://www.commbank.com.au/travel/travel-money-card.html?ei=prod_TMC

Please advise. Thanks once again.

Hi Immanuel
I have a 15 year old daughter going on a 3 month student exchange to Italy at the end of this month. A number of travel websites recommend paying in cash in Italy so regular ATM use will be expected. She will be staying in a smalll village in Tuscany so may not have access to some of the “international/fee-free” ATMs. She will likely be spending around $600 per month (which exceeds some of the monthly fee-free ATM limits). A lot of the recommended debit cards have restrictions for under 18s.
What do you recommend for her?
Thanks

Thanks for the article. Do the recommended cards offer travel insurance?

Going to US in 2 weeks. Just wanted to check your advice please. You mentioned "You should never convert money beforehand unless you have a crystal ball and know which way the FX markets will move". Does this mean I should load up a Ubank Card with AUD and use this for both direct purchases and ATM withdrawals & rely on spot rates? It seems from the discussions above that foreign exchange occur at the UBank end. Is this a correct understanding?

Hey Immanuel,
Which is the better of Ubank and Up and why, especially considering you say Mastercard gives better rates than Visa?
Thanks in advance!

I have been researching some of the reviews on the cards, some adamantly say don’t use ING because of poor customer support when something goes wrong.
Do you know of any that standout as having a good track record for customer support?

What do you think is better the citibank card, ubank or travelwise? :) Tossing between those 3.

Thanks for a very interesting article about these attractive products. However, a doubt remains - how do these cards make money out of you? That is, what they do not take with one hand, must be taken by the other.

what do you think is the best travel card for Moldova?
I know not many people go there, but being a non EU country whose currency isn't in much demand, I think we get stung when withdrawing from an atm.
I'm using the QANTAS travel card. It was many currency wallets, but no Moldovan Leu.
In Chisinau, Moldova seems to default to taking US dollars.
I get the feeling we are double converting. AUD to USD and then to Leu. Ouch!

Do you know any other alternative?

how about Bankwest https://www.bankwest.com.au/personal/bank-and-save/bank-accounts/easy

Not sure why Wise (previously known as Transferwise) makes on the list but HSBC Everyday Global Account didn’t make the cut. They also offer $0 ATM fees (no cap on withdrawal per month) and 0% overseas transaction fee.

I have the Citibank one, it’s fantastic I find. Good rate which I locked in before travel so I know exactly how much I have to spend, I am even in Hawaii at the moment and even though the ATM operator says it charges $4.35USD per withdrawal, my card has not charged it.

Off to Singapore and KL in October, got the BankSA Worldide Wallet card. Unsure whether I'd be better off using a card like the Up debit card instead.