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Your holiday could be ruined by fees on overseas spending if you pack the wrong card to spend with.
Prepaid travel cards, also known as 'currency cards', allow you to load money in pounds and spend in another currency without the foreign transaction fees charged by many standard debit and credit cards. They usually allow you to lock in competitive exchange rates, saving you money compared with using your everyday debit or credit card.
However, these types of cards can come with a range of charges that aren't always obvious at first glance. In this guide, we take the hard work out of comparing these deals and explain the pros and cons of using a prepaid card for your trip.
Multi-currency prepaid cards allow you to load and store foreign currencies before your trip, ideal for visiting multiple destinations. For example, you could have £100, $200 and €300 stored on one card in different 'e-wallets'.
Once loaded, you can use a prepaid travel card to make contactless payments or withdraw cash from ATMs.
Many will let you lock in rates by converting when you load the cash, or store some money in pounds to convert later.
Prepaid travel cards work a bit like a debit card, but they differ because they are usually detached from any other account.
This helps prevent you from overspending because you can only use the funds you have preloaded.
And unlike a credit card, prepaid travel cards generally do not involve any borrowed funds or APR rates.
Travel credit cards offer fee-free spending and cash withdrawals abroad, making them a cheap way to spend overseas so long as you pay off your bill in full each month.
Credit cards also provide Section 75 protection on big purchases and can be used for pre-authorised transactions like car hire and hotel rooms.
We've rounded up the best deals in our travel credit cards guide.
Lots of banks offer debit cards with fee-free spending, meaning you can spend directly from your current account if you don't want to worry about topping up a prepaid card. Check out our guide to the best debit cards to use abroad.
That said, prepaid travel cards can be useful if you want to lock in an exchange rate or stick to a budget. And unlike credit cards and current accounts, you won't need to undergo a credit check, making them a good option if you have a low credit rating.
Multi-currency prepaid cards allow you to load a variety of major currencies in one place.
We've analysed the main providers of multi-currency prepaid cards; including the type of currency offered, load fees (loading money onto the card), fees for withdrawing cash, and inactivity fees that could catch you out.
Please note the table is ordered alphabetically, not ranked in order of features.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of the card provider before committing to any financial products.
| Card | No. of currencies | Exchange rate | Load fees | Foreign ATM fee | Min/max amount you can load | Max amount you can hold | Daily cash withdrawal limit | Other fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asda Money Travel Card | 22 | Mastercard exchange rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP. | Free | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 12 months inactive. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| Caxton Mastercard Prepaid Card | 15 | Caxton's own rate | Free | Free | £50/£12,000 | £12,000 | £300 | A £2 monthly dormancy fee applies if the account has not been used for 12 months. |
| Eurochange Travel Money Card | 22 | Mastercard exchange rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP. | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 18 months. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| Fair FX Currency Card | 21 | Mastercard exchange rate | Free | £1 | £10/£10,000 | £50,000 | £1,500 (£500 single transaction) | Inactivity fee: £2 per month once the card expires. No fee if you have a zero balance. Replacement card fee: first replacement card is free, £6 for subsequent cards. |
| Hays Travel Money Card | 22 | Hays' own rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP. | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 18 months. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| MasterCard Cash Passport | 22 | Mastercard exchange rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP. | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 12 months. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| Post Office Travel Money Card | 22 | Rates set by First Rate | Free for foreign currency. 1.5% charge for GBP (a) | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £10/£5,000 | £10,000 | £300, but varies per currency | Inactivity fee: £2 per month 12 months after the card expires. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| Ramsdens Mastercard Multi Currency Card | 18 | Ramsdens' own rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP. | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 18 months. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| Sainsbury's Bank Travel Money Card | 22 | Sainsbury's own exchange rate. Nectar cardholders get better rates. | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP load. | Free | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 24 months. |
| Travelex Money Card | 22 | Travelex's own rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP load. | Free | £50/£5,000 | £5,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 12 months. No fee if you have a zero balance. |
| TUI Travel Money Card | 12 | TUI's own rate | Free for foreign currency. 2% charge for GBP load. | Fees apply depending where cash is being withdrawn. | £25/£6,000 | £6,000 | £500 | Inactivity fee: £2 per month after 24 months. |
| Wise Travel Money Card | 40+ | Wise's own rate | Free | Free withdrawals each month up to a total of £250. Fee of 2.69% applies to amounts in excess of this. | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £7 ordering fee. £2.50 replacement fee. |
The Wise Travel Money Card can load more than 40 different currencies, and has no fees for loading in one of those currencies. However, free ATM withdrawals are pretty limited with this card at just £250 per month. You will also need to download an app to use it.
The Sainsbury's Bank Travel Money Card, Travelex Money Card, and Asda Money Travel Card, can load 22 currencies and don't charge for ATM withdrawals abroad. Plus, Nectar cardholders can get better exchange rates at Sainsbury's.
Caxton's Mastercard Prepaid card meanwhile is the only one to combine no load fees with free ATM withdrawals, though it supports fewer currencies than most of the others.
All the cards allow you to load money that is immediately converted to a foreign currency free of charge.
However, the majority of providers charge a fee of up to 2% for topping up your wallet with pounds to convert at a later date. So if you plan on doing this often you may be better off with one that doesn't charge.
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Prepaid card providers offer different exchange rates.
Some use the 'interbank rate' (the rate banks charge one another) and others may use Mastercard or Visa's exchange rates.
In some cases, a provider may pick one of these rates, then apply a percentage on top, usually between 1% and 2.5%.
When picking a prepaid travel card you should compare the exchange rates offered as well as the card's fees.
Prepaid cards designed for spending abroad are usually cheaper than spending on your everyday debit or credit card.
However, almost all prepaid cards currently on the market come with a variety of fees and charges. Common charges to watch out for include:
Prepaid cards also often come with limits on loading and transactions, which could leave you in a tricky situation if you aren't aware of them.
If you're considering getting a prepaid travel card, here are the pros and cons to weigh up.
Each card provider will have its own terms and conditions, so read them carefully before you sign up.
Prepaid cards offer a secure way to carry cash when abroad.
They come with the same security features as credit and debit cards, so you need a Pin to withdraw cash or use them in person. However, many are now contactless so you may not need a Pin for smaller purchases.
It's also worth bearing in mind that prepaid cards offer no protection for losses under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. However, redress may be possible under the MasterCard or Visa chargeback scheme.
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not cover deposits onto prepaid cards.
Most prepaid providers will deposit customers' cash in a ring-fenced account held in a bank or building society. So, if the prepaid company goes bust, your money should be protected by the bank holding your cash.
However, if the bank or building society fails, your cash won't be protected. So you should never store lots of money on a prepaid card, just what you need to spend in the near future.
You generally have to be 18 or over to use a prepaid travel card.
Some children's prepaid cards, like GoHenry and HyperJar, offer fee-free spending abroad.
However, watch out for costs and restrictions — GoHenry has a monthly fee and HyperJar cards don't allow ATM withdrawals.
Another option is to look for a children's bank account that offers fee-free spending abroad.
Monzo and Starling both offer children's accounts that come with fee-free spending abroad.
Currensea is not a prepaid travel card. Instead, it is a travel card linked directly to your current account.
It provides a layer over your existing bank account that will allow you to spend in all 180 currencies without charges. It uses the interbank exchange rate for 16 major currencies and Mastercard rates for all other available currencies.
There are currently three plans on offer, and the rates and fees vary depending on your subscription.
The Essential plan has no annual fee, and offers the interbank exchange rate up to £500 a month and a 1% fee after that. ATM withdrawals are free up to £200 a month. After this, a 2% fee will be applied.
Holly, our prepaid card expert, answers the top questions people have about these types of deals.