The best banks and cards for British travellers

Account	Network	Type	Foreign ATM fees overseas	Foreign currency transaction fees	annual/ monthly fees	notes
Starling Bank Current Account	Mastercard	Debit	0	0	0
Virgin Money Current Account	Mastercard	Debit	0	0	0
Cumberland Building Society Cumberland Plus Current Account	Visa	Debit	0	0	£2 monthly, can be waived with either £750 monthly deposit or £1000 min. balance	only available to customers who live in Cumbria, South-West Scotland, West Northumberland and North Lancashire. You have to notify them to enable card usage abroad. "You must confirm that this is going to be the primary account through which you conduct your personal banking". see account details.
TSB Spend and Save Plus Account	Visa	Debit	0	0	£3 monthly
Nationwide Building Society FlexPlus Account	Visa	Debit	0	0	£13 monthly (see notes)	free for Teenagers and Students see FlexOne and FlexStudent accounts
Monzo Bank Current Account	Mastercard	Debit	0 in EEA, outside £200 per month free	0	0
Metrobank Current Account	Mastercard	Debit	0 in EEA, outside £1.50	0 in EEA, outside 2.5%	0
Lloyds Classic Account	Visa	Debit	0 in the Eurozone	0 in the Eurozone	0
Barclaycard Rewards	Visa	Credit	0	0	0
118118 Money	Mastercard	Credit	0	0	0
Halifax Clarity Card	Mastercard	Credit	1.46 to 1.94% interest per month	0	0
Sync Money	Mastercard	Prepaid	2 per month free, then 2%	0	0	no load fee
Monese Simple	Mastercard	Prepaid	£200 per month free, then 2%	£2000 per month free, then 2%	0	no load fee

Recommendations:

Get Starling if you can, if not get Virgin Money. If your travels are limited to Europe Monzo and Metrobank are also very good.

The best credit card for low-fee travel is offered by Barclaycard and 118118. All others charge at least interest for cash withdrawals from day one.

If you prefer a prepaid card, get Monese or Revolut.

Notes:

All other banks apart from those listed above charge at least a currency conversion fee, many also add a withdrawal fee on top.
Barclay’s Bank participates in the Global ATM Alliance which gives free ATM access in a number of countries. Still not a good deal because Barclay’s does not waive their 2.75% currency conversion fee.
If your’re under 18, good news – Starling is open to anyone 16 and over.

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