Best credit cards to use abroad
The best credit card to use on your holidays
These are the best credit cards to use if you're going abroad on holiday or business. Most credit cards charge an extra 2.75% when you use them to buy shopping overseas. These fees are a money spinner for the credit card operators and can add £5.50 on to a £200 hotel bill.
All the credit cards recommended below do not charge you extra for using them for purchases in Europe. Most also have no extra fees for shopping worldwide. They're not always the best credit cards for borrowing on though, so try to pay off your bill in full when you get home.
And don't use a credit card for withdrawing cash abroad - credit card providers charge high fees and higher interest for cash withdrawals. You'd be better with a no-fee debit card, for example the one offered by Nationwide's current account.
| Best for spending abroad Cards that offer the lowest fees for spending abroad | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Which? recommended provider | APR | Foreign exchange loading fee EU | Foreign exchange loading fee Worldwide | Customer score | Find out more |
| Average | 16.8% | 68% | ||||
| Post Office Platinum MasterCarda |  | 16.9% | 0% | 0% | 71% |  |
| This Best Rate card for foreign exchange fees, is one of the few cards available that doesn't charge you extra for using it for purchases abroad. You need to earn at least £15,000 a year to get it. The card has a typical APR of 16.9% and a 12 month 0% balance transfer offer with 2.98% handling fee. Post Office meet our criteria as a Recommended Provider. | ||||||
| Santander Zero MasterCardb | No | 18.9% | 0% | 0% | 59% | Santander |
| This card comes with a typical APR of 18.9% and does not charge a foreign loading fee for use overseas. It also is one of the few cards that does not charge an extra fee for withdrawing cash, but it is worth noting there is no interest free period for cash advances and you will be charged interest at 27.9% APR. | ||||||
| Nationwide BS Gold Visaa | | 16.9% | 0% | 1% | 77% | |
| This card from a Recommened Provider does not charge a foreign loading fee for use in most European countries, but they do pass on a Visa charge of 1% for use in all other countries. The card has a typical APR of 16.9%, but is one of a handful of companies that have a good order of payments that benefit the card holder. | ||||||
| Saga Platinum Visac | | 11.9% | 0% | 1% | 76% | Saga |
| A Best Rate card offering a low standard APR, together with a good nine-month 0%-on-new-purchases deal and a customer-friendly order of repayments. Please note this card is only available to customers aged 50 or over. It is also one of the few cards that does not charge a foreign loading fee for use in Europe. Saga meet our criteria as a Recommended Provider. | ||||||
Table notes
For all cards in the table exact rate depends on your credit score.
Wherever we display a “MORE INFO” button in the above table, that company pays us a small fee each time someone clicks on the button. These payments do not influence whether a product is in the table, where it appears, or whether it continues to do so. Our Best Rates tables are compiled by our independent researchers. All revenue raised from these tables is reinvested in our research and campaigning work on behalf of all UK consumers.
- Also available as a Standard Classic Card (typical 19.9 APR)
- Available from Abbey and Alliance and Leicester
- Card only available to customers aged over 50.