Between expensive last-minute flights and all-inclusive hotel packages, lavish foreign holidays have always been a reliable way to blow a hole through the family finances. When it comes to spending money though there is one way you can pinch the pennies - namely by taking out a specialist travel credit card to get around so-called transaction fees.
As above, the big advantage of using a travel card as opposed to your every day credit or debit card is that you won't have to pay any transaction fees.
Typically banks will charge you somewhere around 3% of your purchase when you use your card overseas - which can really add up when you factor in taxi journeys, restaurant and bar tabs and the occasional supermarket jaunt.
Travel cards are also optimised to be used abroad - meaning that you can always spend in the local currency without having to convert to sterling.
Holidaymakers using their bogstandard debit cards overseas will encounter many of the same issues faced by those equipped with credit cards, insofar as they will still have to pay transaction fees both on purchases and cash withdrawals.
The advantage to using a debit card, of course - both at home and abroad - is that you don't have to worry about paying any interest or missing a bill and getting hit with unexpected fees.
It's also a lot easier to keep a watch on your spending with a debit card, as you'll be made aware by your bank as soon as you start going into overdraft.
The short answer here is that it depends on the terms of the particular travel credit card you take out.
In general though you should avoid withdrawing cash with a travel card, in the same way you would with your normal credit card in a foreign country.
The reason for this is that while travel cards never charge any fees when you're spending at a store, restaurant or taxi they do sometimes take the obligatory 3% when you're using an ATM.
As with any credit or debit card, it always pays to shop around before you sign on the dotted line. To help get you in the right ballpark, here are some of the leading travel cards currently available in the UK.
Santander Zero Credit Card
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Metro Bank Credit Card
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Barclaycard Rewards Card
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NatWest Credit Card
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