The best prepaid multi-currency cards 

Lock in charges and keep on with your funds

Spending abroad with out charges is now fairly straightforward because of quite a few available debit and bank cards. However utilizing a pay as you go card, even when it has a small charge, might provide you with a bonus on getting the very best charge or maintaining it separate to your different spending.

Listed here are among the greatest choices.

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Kinds of pay as you go playing cards

Multi-currency playing cards defined

If you use a traditional fee-free debit or credit card overseas you’re spending in kilos and getting that day’s alternate charge. More often than not that’s not a difficulty.

However you’re on the mercy of alternate charges, that means holidays can value greater than you supposed. Should you occur to be away when the pound crashes, as occurred to me in the course of the mini-Finances of 2022, then it may add a whole bunch of kilos to the price of your journey.

Nonetheless, some banks help you lock in charges at any time by changing cash if you select fairly than if you spend. These are often known as multi-currency accounts.

This may be nice for budgeting because it has the benefit of serving to you understand precisely what issues will value in your vacation.

You’ll be able to even lock in charges a lot additional forward of journey in case you assume they’re notably good. Although there’s additionally the robust risk that charges might enhance additional and also you’ll miss out on higher charges from stay alternate charges.

Some playing cards is likely to be restricted to the principle worldwide ones comparable to {dollars} and euros, however others provide the possibility to pick currencies as far afield as Uganda or Uruguay. We’ve listed these obtainable for every of our high picks on the backside of this text.

Pre-loaded sterling playing cards defined

The opposite sort of pay as you go card stays in kilos and are fee-free to make use of abroad. These are in all probability the sort you’re most accustomed to.

These are good for many who need one thing separate to their regular account (a helpful safety measure in case you lose your card) or an account you possibly can add cash to for others, notably youngsters.

For essentially the most half it’s greatest to keep away from conventional pay as you go playing cards. They’ll set their very own alternate charges, add on ‘load charges’ and sometimes cost you ‘inactivity charges’ that may eat up any money left on playing cards after your vacation.

These pay as you go playing cards are nonetheless obtainable, with Submit Workplace and Sainsbury’s Financial institution amongst suppliers. However I’d keep away from them until you need to keep away from utilizing an app.

As an alternative, there are digital banks and apps you possibly can deal with in the identical method. You add the cash you need to spend, and use them solely for abroad spending. The important thing right here is to search out ones that are charge free for spending and ATM withdrawals. In impact they’ll act like a pay as you go card in case you do that

Andy’s high tip

With all really helpful playing cards to make use of overseas, ensure you pay within the native foreign money. Should you allow them to convert the quantity to kilos you’ll find yourself having it transformed at their very own alternate charge – which will likely be costlier.

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Finest multi-currency pay as you go playing cards

The next playing cards have the bottom alternate charges or different options value contemplating. We’ve extra particulars beneath the tables on each.

Finest sterling pay as you go playing cards

Should you don’t need to use the likes of Chase, Monzo or Starling, this selection is nearer to the old-fashioned pay as you go playing cards, however with out the hidden costs.

Extra on every pay as you go card

Revolut multi-currency account

Although you possibly can function Revolut as if it have been a checking account, together with spending overseas without spending a dime out of your Pound Sterling account, you can even maintain multiple foreign money.

It’s free to alternate as much as £1,000 monthly into one in every of 30 plus totally different currencies from internationally – so long as you do it Monday to Friday. So in case you plan forward, then you possibly can keep away from an additional 1% cost. You’ll get the (usually barely higher) interbank charge with Revolut, fairly than the Visa or Mastercard charge.

Spending is free (you’re already within the native foreign money), although there’s a £200 ATM restrict a month earlier than a 2% cost is utilized to money withdrawals.

You’ll be able to add your card to Apple or Google Pay right away, although you’ll have to pay £4.99 to get an precise debit card delivered if you’d like one. Right here’s our full Revolut review.

Over at our sister website Good Cash Folks, prospects have rated Revolut 4.92 out of 5. You’ll be able to read their reviews here.

Buying and selling 212 multi-currency account

Buying and selling 212’s card is linked to the uninvested money in your funding account. This may be transformed into one in every of 12 further currencies, nearly all of that are in Europe.

Regardless of Buying and selling 212 including 0.15% charge to the Interbank charge, it might really be higher than Revolut’s charge. That’s as a result of there aren’t limits and no additional costs at weekends. Plus, you additionally get 1.5% cashback in your spending with the Buying and selling 212 card till September 2025 (then 0.5%), even if you spend overseas.

You’ll be able to add digital playing cards to Apple or Google Pay. We have now extra in regards to the Buying and selling 212 card, together with the way it works and all of the charges concerned in our full review. And don’t overlook new customers can get a free share worth up to £100.

One other perk is you’ll be incomes curiosity in your uninvested cash held in Trading 212, regardless of the foreign money.

Over at our sister website Good Cash Folks, prospects have rated Buying and selling 212 4.75 out of 5. You’ll be able to read their reviews here.

Sensible multi-currency account

The most important choice of currencies you possibly can lock in is by way of Sensible. There are 40 plus obtainable, so in case you’re going someplace past even Revolut’s giant checklist of nations, Sensible could possibly be your greatest wager.

The mark up on the alternate charge varies by foreign money, beginning at an additional 0.39%. So it could possibly be higher than Revolut on weekends, however greater than each Revolut and Buying and selling 212 at different occasions.

For people who need an account to make use of for extra than simply the odd vacation, Sensible stands out as for a lot of of those accounts you additionally get account particulars, so you possibly can simply pay in and pay out money in these currencies.

It pays curiosity on Euros and US {Dollars}, and the cardboard could be added to Apple and Google wallets.

iFast multi-currency account

Another choice is iFast. This solely has eight currencies, together with British Kilos. An excellent function is you’ll earn 2% cashback on spending abroad, however solely till the top of August 2025.

Frustratingly, their FAQs are massively clear on what charge you’ll get. They are saying it’s a mix of the Visa charge and “charges from our correspondent banking accomplice(s) concerned in foreign money settlement”.

Utilizing the calculator on their website it doesn’t appear too totally different to the stay charge, so it doesn’t appear to be an excessive amount of off a mark up.

Their web site additionally doesn’t share issues like spending and ATM withdrawal limits, pointing you to examine in your individual account on the app. You’ll be able to add the cardboard to Google Pay, however for the time being it gained’t work with Apple Pay. One perk is you possibly can earn curiosity in your overseas foreign money holdings.

Over at our sister website Good Cash Folks, prospects have rated iFast 4.88 out of 5. You’ll be able to read their reviews here.

HyperJar pay as you go account

HyperJar is a pay as you go Mastercard that will get added to your Google or Apple Pay if you join. There are each grownup and children variations. There are not any costs for spending, and the alternate charge is Mastercard.

This holds your cash in kilos, so that you wouldn’t be capable of lock within the charge as with the opposite playing cards on the web page. So actually it’s much like fee-free debit playing cards.

The primary ten top-ups every month are free, so long as they’re over £10 every time. There’s additionally a charge added in case you don’t use it not less than as soon as in 12 months.

You’ll be able to’t make money withdrawals with HyperJar, so both guarantee you will have an account that allows you to make withdrawals too, or ensure you’ve received as a lot bodily money as you want forward of the vacation.

The cardboard could be added to each Google and Apple Pay.

What currencies can be found?