The best banks and cards for European travellers

AccountNetworkTypeForeign ATM fees outside SEPAInternational ATM surcharge fee rebatesForeign currency transaction feesannual/ monthly feesEligible countriesnotes
N26 YouMastercardDebit0-09,90€ monthlyMost EEA countriesGerman bank
Monese ClassicMastercardPrepaid900€ per month free, then 2%-05,95€ monthlyAll EEA countriesBelgian E-money
Wirex StandardMastercardPrepaid400€ per month free, then 2%-00All EEA countriesLithuanian e-money. own exchange rates for at least some currencies, card terms are unclear which rates will be used.
Aion Bank Light MembershipMastercardDebit300€ per month free, then 2%-0,2%3,90€ monthlyMany EEA countriesBelgian bank, use own exchange rates
ConotoxiaVisaPrepaid200€ per month free, then 2%-00All EEA countriesPolish account. Own exchange rate for 20 currencies, Visa rates for the rest.
My Travel UnionMastercardPrepaid2x and max 200€ per month free-00all EEA countriesLithuanian E-Money
Zen GoldMastercardPrepaid200€ per month free, then 1,5%-0,2-0,6% depending on weekday etc.0,90€ monthlyAll EEA countries, see card termsLithuanian e-money
RevolutVisaDebit200€ per month free, then 2%-0-3% depending on weekday etc.0All EEA countriesLithuanian bank. Exchange rate top-up for certain currencies and on weekends between 0,5 and 2%, see disclosure. Account can also be in other European currencies.
Curve XMastercardDebit300€ per month free, then 2% min. 2€-0-3,5% depending on weekday etc.5,99€ monthlyall EEA countriesLithuania based. have to already have a Mastercard or Visa to use service.
Vivid Money StandardVisaDebit200€ per month free, then 3%-0,5-1% depending on weekday etc.0 France, Germany, Italy, SpainGerman bank, inactivity fee after 4 months
Bunq easyMoneyMastercard or MaestroDebit4 per month free, then 0,99€-0,5%8,99€ monthlyMost EEA countriesDutch bank
Wise Multi-Currency AccountVisaDebit2x and 200€ max. per 30 days free, then 0,50€ + 1,75%-0.43%-2.85% for 40+ currencies, 0 for the rest0All EEA countriesBelgian E-Money. You can add money directly to your account in 18 currencies including: BGN, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HRK, HUF, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK. Own exchange rates for 40+ currencies, Mastercard for the rest.
Nexo Gold TierMastercardPrepaid2 per month free-5000€ per month free0All EEA countriesLithuania based
N26 Bank AccountMastercardDebit1,7%-00Most EU & EFTA countriesGerman bank.
MoneybaseMastercardPrepaid1% min. 0,95€-00All Eurozone countriesMalta based, own exchange rates
DiPocketMastercardPrepaid1€-1%0All EEA countrieslithuanian e-money, accounts based in Poland. no load fee
Cards available in: GBP,EUR,PLN, USD. Acccounts available in EUR, GBP, PLN, USD and CHF
Nickel Premium/ ChromeMastercardDebit1,50€none, but surcharge free at Global ATM Alliance030€ annuallyBelgium, France, Portugal, SpainFrench bank
Openbank R42MastercardDebit05 per month07,99€ monthlyGermany, Netherlands, Portugal, SpainSpanish bank
Tomorrow ChangeVisa + VpayDebit5 per month free, then 2€-07€ monthlyAustria, Germany, Italy, SpainGerman Bank
Sweep BankMastercardDebit4 per month free, then 2% + 1€-0depends on issuing countryFinland, Germany, LatviaMaltese bank
DKBVisaDebit0-00Austria, Germany, SwitzerlandGerman bank. 700€ monthly deposit required after 6 months to still enjoy 0% currency conversion.
Lunar WayVisaDebitdepends on issuing country-00-69DKK monthlyDenmark, Norway, Swedenbased in Denmark
Unicredit StartVisaDebitfree for withdrawals of 80€ or morenone, but surcharge free at UniCredit outside SEPA00Slovakia, Czech RepublicCzech bank
Advanzia BankMastercardCredit1,49-2% interest per month, depending on issuing country-00Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, SpainLuxembourgish Bank. German customers would be wise to pick this cobranded card, because it offers autopay by SEPA direct debit.
BNP Paribas Personal FinanceMastercardCreditdepends on issuing country-0depends on issuing countryAustria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia
Societe Generale Consumer FinanceMastercard or VisaCreditdepends on issuing country-0depends on issuing countryCzechia, Germany, Italy, Romania
Santander Consumer FinanceMastercard, Maestro or VisaCreditdepends on issuing country-0 - 0,59%, depending on issuing countrydepends on issuing countryAustria, Germany, Italy, Spain (Eroski Co-brand card), Sweden
CofidisMastercard or VisaCreditdepends on issuing country-0-1%, depending on issuing country0Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Spain
Bank NorwegianVisaCredit0-0 - 1,75%, depending on issuing country0Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, SwedenNorwegian bank
TF BankMastercardCreditdepends on issuing country-0 - 1,75%, depending on issuing country0Austria, Germany, NorwaySwedish Bank
KlarnaVisaCreditnot possible-00Sweden, GermanySwedish bank
Diners Club PureDiners Club International/ DiscoverCredit2€ + 2,5%-00Slovakia, Czech Republic

Rules for inclusion:

I’ve focused on pan-european and multi-country offers (list is growing every year) with zero or very low conversion and/or withdrawal fees. There is a decent option for every EEA resident available here.

Credit cards are still mostly local only. They should at least offer 0 or very low conversion fees.

Eligibility usually concerns residence, not citizenship.

Recommendations:

Unless you see an offer on the list above that fits your needs even better, get My Travel Union. They use card company rates and have no monthly fees.

If you travel only occasionally Monese is also a good option, the Classic tier can be up- and downgraded on a monthly basis. The basic tier is free.

If the included travel insurance justifies the price for you N26 You is great as well.

Credit cards: If there isn’t one listed for your country or you don’t qualify for one, don’t worry, you only truly need to use a credit card when renting a car or similar (depending on country), for most other purposes a debit or prepaid card is just fine.

Watch out: There are some banks that hide their currency conversion fee behind the fact that they use their own exchange rates instead of those from Visa or Mastercard. This way they can claim there are “zero” conversion fees, but then use exchange rates that are worse than the card companies’ and pocket the difference. The fine print should reveal this, but it’s a pain.

For some European countries not using the Euro there’s an additional wrinkle: There can be double conversions. You spend in say Indian Rupees, Mastercard converts to Euro and your bank then converts from € to your local currency with their own exchange rate. That’s how they can still have their cut. Seems to happen more with Mastercard than Visa. Here’s a good explainer how it works with Polish banks. Again, the fine print should reveal this.

Now, Revolut, Curve and Wise for example do not use Visa or Mastercard rates either, but at least they are transparent in that they use the mid-market rate. But still, with Revolut and Curve you’re up to 2% worse off on weekends, and with Wise in any case. 99% of the time you’re better off sticking to the card companies’ rates and you won’t have to compare rates and what not.

Inside the EEA the European Central Bank rates are the best, but few banks use them for card transactions.

Term explainer:

Overseas ATM fee: The fee your own bank charges you for withdrawals when you use a foreign ATM abroad.

ATM surcharge rebate: How much of the fee the owner of the foreign ATM may charge you directly your bank will pay back to you. Not all ATMs charge a fee, but if they do it will show up on the screen at some point during the withdrawal process.

Foreign currency transaction fee: The fee your bank charges you for a transaction in a foreign currency. Unless otherwise noted this fee applies to both, ATM withdrawals and POS transactions in a store/ or on the internet.

 

Spotted a mistake, or know another card that doesn’t charge? Shoot me an email at webmaster [at] nofeesoverseas.com

Disclaimer

I’m not a financial advisor, everything you read on this website is for informational purposes only. While doing my best, I do not take responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Make sure you read all the fine print before you sign up for any of these products. If you have questions about fees or terms contact the bank/ card issuer.