Best Multi-Currency Card for Travel

Multi-currency card, cash or a standard bank card: which should you choose before travelling?

You've booked your flight, your hotel is sorted, and there's just one question left that most people leave until the last minute: how should you pay once you're abroad?

The default answer is often, "I'll just use my usual bank card." The problem is that "it'll be fine" often ends up costing between £20 and £60 in hidden fees during a one-week trip outside the United Kingdom, without you ever noticing a separate charge on your bank statement.

In this guide, we'll give you an honest comparison of the three main options available: using your standard bank card, carrying cash, or choosing a multi-currency card. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, but by understanding the pros and cons of each, you'll be able to choose the option that best suits your destination and the way you travel.

Why your everyday bank card costs more than you think

Every time you make a purchase or withdraw cash in a currency other than euros using a traditional bank card, two different types of charges usually apply.

• Foreign exchange fees: Most banks charge a foreign exchange fee of around 2% to 3% of the transaction value. If you spend £1,000 during your holiday, that's already £20 to £30 lost without much notice.
• Cash withdrawal charges: Many banks also charge a fixed fee every time you withdraw cash abroad—typically £3 to £5 per withdrawal—and you may also be charged an additional fee by the local ATM operator.
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC): the hidden trap: There's another, less obvious cost that catches many travellers out: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). This is when a shop or ATM offers to charge you in euros instead of the local currency. Although it may seem convenient, the exchange rate is set by the merchant or ATM provider and is almost always less favourable than the rate offered by your card issuer.

The golden rule: whenever you're abroad, always choose to pay in the local currency, not in pounds.

Cash: the reassuring—but imperfect—option

Paying with cash has one clear advantage: once you've exchanged your money, there are no additional card processing fees when you spend it. It also makes budgeting easier because you can physically see how much money you have left.

In many destinations, cash is still essential for:

• local markets
• tips
• small independent businesses
• rural areas with limited card acceptance

However, cash also has three major drawbacks.

Security

Lost or stolen cash is gone forever. Unlike a payment card, it cannot be blocked or replaced.

Planning ahead

You need to estimate how much foreign currency you'll need before travelling. Most people either:

come home with leftover currency sitting unused in a drawer, or
run out of cash and exchange more abroad, often at a much poorer exchange rate.
Convenience

Even in destinations traditionally associated with cash payments, more and more businesses now prefer—or only accept—card payments.

Good to know

If you return home with unused foreign currency, ChangeGroup's BuyBack Guarantee allows you to exchange it back into euros at the same exchange rate you originally purchased it for, for just €3.95. That makes leftover travel money much less of a concern.

The multi-currency card: the travel solution many people still don't know about

A multi-currency card works much like a standard payment card when you're shopping or paying for services. The difference happens behind the scenes.

Before you travel, you load the currencies you'll need onto the card using the current exchange rate. Once loaded, that exchange rate is locked in until you've spent the balance.

That means:

• no foreign exchange fees every time you pay
• no surprises if exchange rates move during your holiday

The ChangeGroup Travel Money Card is completely free to obtain, with:

• no application fee
• no annual fee
• support for more than 40 currencies
• the ability to top up instantly from your phone—even while you're abroad if you need extra spending money
• manual selection of which currency wallet to use for each payment

So, which option should you choose?

In reality, experienced travellers rarely rely on just one payment method—they combine all three.

A multi-currency card covers the majority of everyday spending, including hotels, restaurants, transport and shopping.

Keeping a small amount of cash remains useful for tips, markets and businesses that only accept cash.

Your standard bank card then becomes a backup option in case of emergencies or technical issues.

The biggest change you can make isn't giving up your bank card altogether—it's simply stopping it from being your primary payment method, because over the course of a trip it's often the option that quietly costs you the most.