My fee-free foreign spending wallet for my upcoming US trip (apart from the Amex ironically):
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How many cards are you expecting to use?
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Probably none as I’ll use my phone, but doesn’t hurt to have backup options on different card networks considering I’d be 4,000 miles away from home. Take 1 credit card and it gets declined and you’re stuffed.
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Isn’t card related directly but had my Flex card come today and it’s the first time seeing one of these envelopes, it has a very satisfying tear to it
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Took 4 on my last trip to a Eurozone country. Revolut and Fineco with funds on both to spread the risk of account freezing. RBS credit card in case of no funds and Curve to allow me to spend from another account if I lost either card.
Interesting. Maybe I’ve been lucky but I’ve only ever travelled with one card and just used it like I would in the UK.
Even when in the US years ago. I’m also going abroad soon so be interested to see how the Global Money account will fair. First time abroad with no Monzo/Fintech options.
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Maybe just braver than me 
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No way I’d go with one, I’ve had cards frozen and require a text to unlock them which is all well and good as long as your phone is on and with signal etc
RBS “World Mastercard” the main culprit for that with the entire card being frozen in Germany and Brazil. Revolut did block one payment due to geolocating once (my phones gps hadn’t updated after getting off the plane, but I had turned this feature on). Still it’s great to be able to just use another fee free card and check your phone later.
Having questioned it, it seems RBS don’t use the same tech as the likes of Monzo, Revolut etc and it’s still advisable to tell them you’re going away. That’s one reason why there’s still a USP over the high street banks credit card offerings (that and interbank rates with the likes of Revolut/Fineco)
Also outside Europe I’ve had cards which worked at one bank for cash and not others (e.g. only Revolut Visa would work at a Bradesco) so it’s good to have options.
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At least on RBS you can now do it via app, I remember having to do it via the call centre in the old days.
The stuff of nightmares
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Interestingly HSBC doesn’t bother anymore, even with the non Global Money account. Just use it as you would normally was the message (I was ringing about something else).
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Having to tell your bank that you’re going abroad is just another reason why legacy banking will die.
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I don’t think many do now, do they? Looks like it’s just the Natwest group that still insist on this for some reason. Barclays, HSBC/FD, Lloyds don’t.
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I don’t think they insist on it, do they? It’s an option in app but I have no idea what happens if you don’t. Presumably they wouldn’t just decline everything
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I don’t know about now, but yes in the past I have had banks just decline everything. And in some cases completely block the card beyond the point of being able to unblock it.
If not for the fact cash was still king back then I’d have been stranded with no money. So I really hope they’re not still reacting that aggressively in 2024.
Insist might be the right word in their case
“If you are travelling abroad it is advisable to register your travel plans with us as this will notify our transaction monitoring systems that you will be using your personal card abroad. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of your card transactions being blocked abroad”
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Yeah - it happened to me twice.
Just been to the Baltics and forgot to tell them - no blocks…go figure…
I don’t think so? It’s been that way for a while, no?
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