Traveling abroad requires careful planning, and one of the most important things to consider is how you'll manage your finances.
Traditional bank cards can come with high fees and unfavorable exchange rates. Fortunately, there are alternatives that have completely changed the way we manage our money while traveling internationally.
In this article, we'll show you the three best travel cards with no foreign transaction fees that we use on all our trips, with no fees when making payments and no charges for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
Below, you'll find a detailed comparison of these three options, highlighting their features and benefits so you can decide which one, or which combination, best suits your needs.
Check out the best cards for traveling to Scotland!
N26 STANDARD Card, One of the Best Travel Cards
There are several types of N26 cards. Here, we'll walk you through the features of the N26 Standard card.
Advantages of the N26 Card
Unlimited fee-free purchases, both within the eurozone and across the United Kingdom, using contactless, chip, or your phone with Google Pay or Apple Pay.
It has an intuitive app. The N26 app is very easy to use and lets you manage every aspect of your account, from locking your card to setting spending limits. You'll also receive real-time notifications for every transaction.
The N26 card uses the interbank exchange rate for transactions in British pounds, which means it gives you a better rate than traditional banks.
Best of all, it's 100% free. No monthly or annual fees.
The N26 account stands out for its transparency. It offers an account with no maintenance fees and no foreign transaction fees, which makes it ideal for frequent travelers. It also includes free transfers to any European bank.
And since we're talking about travel cards, it's worth mentioning that the premium accounts (N26 You and N26 Metal) include travel insurance, adding an extra layer of protection to your trips.
Disadvantages of the N26 Card
ATM withdrawals: You get up to 3 free withdrawals per month from ATMs within the eurozone. However, outside the eurozone, a 1.7% fee applies.
Card delivery costs €10, although they sometimes run promotions, so you may be able to get it for free.
REVOLUT STANDARD Card, a Travel Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees
Revolut also offers several plans. Here, we're going to break down the standard plan, the FREE one.
Advantages of the REVOLUT Card
FREE ATM withdrawals. The standard account includes free withdrawals of up to €200 per month (premium accounts increase this limit).
You can make purchases of up to €1,000 per month with no currency exchange fees using contactless, chip, or your phone with Google Pay or Apple Pay.
In addition to the free physical card, Revolut offers free virtual cards for secure online purchases.
It offers multi-currency support. You can hold balances in multiple currencies and exchange between them when the rate is more favorable, all within the same account.
Revolut lets you exchange money in real time at the interbank exchange rate with no hidden markups.
On top of that, transfers between Revolut users are instant and free, and international transfers are fast and low-cost.
Revolut also has premium accounts that include travel insurance, airport lounge access, and other exclusive perks.
Disadvantages of the REVOLUT Card
For ATM cash withdrawals, there's a 2% fee once you go over the €200 per month you can withdraw for free.
On weekends (between 9:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 p.m. on Sunday), you pay a 1% currency exchange fee on all purchases you make, so it's something worth keeping in mind. This fee can drop to 0% on higher-tier plans.
Card delivery costs €7.
APPLY FOR YOUR REVOLUT CARD HERE
WISE Card, (formerly TransferWise) a Great Travel Companion
Unlike the previous options, Wise is a multi-currency account. In other words, with a single Wise account, you can have bank account details in different currencies and from different countries.
Advantages of the WISE Card
FREE ATM withdrawals. You can make 2 free withdrawals of up to €200 per month.
Very low currency exchange fees. We're listing this as an advantage even though it does charge a fee, because we use the Wise card as a backup in case one of the previous cards doesn't work. In that case, the fee is around 0.45%. Bank cards from ING, Banco Sabadell, or BBVA charge spreads of up to 3.5%.
Wise offers currency exchange at the interbank exchange rate.
From the app, you can check in real time the exchange rate applied to your purchases.
You can request up to 3 virtual cards and 1 physical card (you need to have the physical card before you can request the virtual ones).
All cards, both physical and virtual, are compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and of course you can use them with contactless and chip.
Disadvantages of the WISE Card
If you go over the 2 free withdrawals of up to €200 per month, Wise charges a 1.75% fee. If you withdraw money more than 2 times, it will also charge you €0.50 per withdrawal.
You'll pay a 0.45% fee on purchases in British pounds (or in any currency other than euros).
Card delivery costs €7.
Our Experience with N26, Revolut, and Wise: Conclusions
To choose the best card for traveling to Scotland, it's important to consider your specific needs. If you're looking for a card with no foreign transaction fees and multiple additional benefits, N26 and Revolut are excellent options.
Unlike the other two, the Wise card may not offer as many overall travel benefits, but it's the best backup option in case you run into problems with the other two.
In that situation, the Wise card can get you out of a tight spot and is the strongest backup option of the three. That said, to be completely honest, we've never had any problems in the UK with any of these cards.
For us, the combination of all three is the best possible option
Another plus is that you can open the accounts from home. It's a quick and easy process that only takes a few minutes.
Tips to Save Money on Your Travels
- We'll say it again and again, but we recommend traveling with at least two cards (at a minimum) so you're prepared for any situation, such as losing one, having it stolen, or damaging it.
- Be careful with DCC, or “Dynamic Currency Conversion.” DCC is a service that allows you to pay in stores using your home currency.
Don't accept the conversion and ALWAYS choose to pay in the local currency. That way, the exchange rate will be the one applied by your bank, not by the bank that operates the merchant's card terminal. - Some ATMs may charge an additional fee for using them, regardless of the fees your bank applies. This is known as a “Surcharge Fee.” Cancel the transaction and look for another ATM, there's always one that doesn't charge this extra fee.
- If your card is lost or stolen, before doing anything else, lock it directly from your phone through your bank's app.
- As an extra safety measure, we recommend taking out travel insurance to cover any issues that may come up during your trip to Scotland.
RIA. How to Get British Pounds in Cash at the Best Rate
This article is about the best travel cards, but if you'd rather arrive in Scotland with cash, here's a very good alternative to using cards.
Ria is a company that offers money transfer services and currency exchange at the best rate.
Banks and airports both apply very unfavorable exchange rates, so you end up losing quite a bit of money, which is why we don't recommend those options.
With Ria, you can buy British pounds online and have them delivered to your home. Or, if you'd rather do it in person, they have physical offices in London, Birmingham, and Manchester.
After many trips to Scotland and trying out different cards, we can confidently say that these are currently the best options. For us, the combination of N26 and Revolut works really well, with Wise as an extra backup.
We hope this information has helped clear up any questions you had when choosing the best option for your trip to Scotland.
No matter what you choose, carrying several cards is a smart move to make sure you always have a backup option in case of an emergency. Happy travels!