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Which Is The Best Debit Card With No International Fees?

Are you fed up with being charged sneaky fees every time you make a purchase while overseas on holiday? Or even when purchasing online?

No doubt you are! Especially when these fees add up quickly and get quite pricey.

Considering you could get charged a 3% foreign transaction fee every time you buy something, it gets annoying quickly.

Debit Card

Even when you withdraw cash from an ATM, you’re not safe. Not only do you also get charged this 3% overseas fee, but you will also get charged another $5 withdrawal fee. Add the overseas ATM operators’ fees, and you could quickly spend an extra $10 for every $100 withdrawal.

Never fear! We have some great options for you so you can save on these pesky overseas fees.

We’ll go through some of the best debit cards with no international fees available to you and other important information, including;

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Benefits Of A Debit Card With No International Fees

The most obvious benefit here is how much you can save on fees. As we’ve already explained, fees can add up quickly and get pricey between fees on purchases and when withdrawing cash at overseas ATMs.

Another benefit to be aware of is that with selected debit cards, you get the benefit of highly competitive currency exchange rates. Once again, somewhere you can save money, where otherwise you might have yet to realise institutions add a sneaky markup to make money on.

We’ll be taking a closer look at our favourite cards so you can compare which rates are best for you and your intended destinations.

Debit Card Spending

No foreign transaction fee on purchases

None of the cards we will look at today have international transaction fees. That means you won’t be charged the usual 3% foreign transaction fee when making purchases.

 

Usually, no ATM withdrawal fee

You’ll usually get some free ATM withdrawals each month, depending on which product you choose. We’ll look closer at each card’s offers as we compare our favourite options.

 

Benefits Of Prepaid Debit Cards

Another significant benefit of a debit card with no international fees is that they are prepaid because they are a debit card. You only use your money and can’t overspend as you would on credit.

With these prepaid options, you’ll also avoid paying cash-advance interest when withdrawing your cash.

Our Top 5 Picks For Best Debit Card With No International Fees

We took a close look at several debit cards with no foreign transaction fees and found these to be our top favourites;

Wise Travel Card

Best Exchange Rate

  • 40+ currencies available
  • Best exchange rates globally
  • One of the lowest conversion fee on the market
  • No international transaction fees
  • No annual or monthly fees
  • Extremely low costs to send money overseas
Learn more

Wise Travel Card

  • Cross currency conversion fees are between 0.24–3.69%. AUD to USD, EUR or GBP was 0.42%, which is one of the lowest on the market
  • Free cash withdrawals up to $350 every 30 days. However after that, Wise charge a fixed fee of $1.50 per transaction + 1.75%
  • Daily ATM withdrawal is $2,700
  • Issue up to 3 virtual cards for temporary usage
  • It takes between 7 to 14 business days to receive your card
  • Can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted

The Wise Travel Card is great for frequent travellers as it offers over 40 currencies at the inter-market exchange rate, which is the cheapest rate globally. In addition you can buy goods online from overseas with no transaction fee plus get the best exchange rate. However if you use ATMs frequently this is not the card to use due to the fees. Finally Wise Travel Card lets you transfer money to an overseas bank account with extremely low fees and the best exchange rate.

Our Wise Travel Card Review

Revolut

Lowest Fees

  • 27+ currencies available
  • One of the best exchange rates globally
  • No international transaction fees
  • No annual or monthly fees for standard membership
  • No initial card fee
  • Instant access to a range of cryptocurrencies
Learn more

Revolut Travel Card

  • No fee ATM withdrawals up to A$350, or 5 ATM withdrawals, whichever comes first, per rolling 30 day period and 2% of withdrawal amount (minimum charge of A$1.50) after that
  • Exchanging currency on the weekend can incur a two-percent mark-up fee
  • Fees on international money transfers were introduced in April 2021 to a maximum of GBP5 per transaction.
  • Can be used wherever Visa is accepted

The Revolut Travel Card is a decent option for those who travel a lot as it offers over 27 currencies at the intermarket exchange rate, which is the cheapest rate globally. However if you exchange currency on the weekend you can incur a two-percent mark-up fee. In addition they have introduced fees for international transfers that can be up to GBP5 per transfer. Finally if you use ATMs frequently this is not the card to use due to the fees.

Macquarie Transaction Account Debit Card

  • No monthly fees
  • No initial card fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • No ATM fees in Australia
  • No ATM fees overseas
  • Contactless limit with no PIN up to $200 per transaction
  • Joint accounts available
  • Discounts of up to 10% on eGift cards to use at over 50 leading retailers
Learn more

Macquarie Transaction Account Debit Card

  • Simple and easy to work out costs for account
  • Can be used in Australia as an EFTPOS card
  • Instant transfers can be made using PayID and OSKO
  • Works with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit and Garmin
  • Available to 14 year olds and older
  • Easily lock and unlock your card in the app if your card is lost or stolen
  • Multi award winning account including Mozo Best Everyday Savings for 2021
  • $2,000 daily limit for ATM withdrawals
  • Exchange rates are MasterCard exchange rates, which are normally 2% - 6%+ the market rate
  • Added security with a mobile app that sends actionable push notifications for you to approve or deny online transactions and account activity
  • Tools for spending each time you make a transaction, it’s automatically categorised into groups such as groceries, travel, leisure or technology. In addition you can see how you're spending at a glance and over time.
  • Can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted

There's a lot to love about the Macquarie Bank Transaction account debit card starting with no fees, no foreign transaction fees, no ATM fees in Australia or overseas. In addition the only fee you will pay is the currency conversion charged by Mastercard.

The debit card works in Australia and the contactless limit is $200, which is super handy. It also works with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit and Garmin. Finally it has tools to help you track your spending, can be given to teenagers over 14 and is easy to lock or unlock your card through the app if lost or stolen.

HSBC Everyday Global Debit Card

  • No initial card or closure fees
  • No monthly or account fees
  • No international transaction fees
  • No international ATM fees
  • No cross currency conversion fees
  • Lock in very competitive exchange rates before travel
  • No maximum balance
  • Earn 2% cashback
Learn more

HSBC Everyday Global Debit Card

  • 10 Currencies can be loaded are AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, HKD, CAD, JPY, NZD, SGD, CNY (currency restrictions apply to CNY)
  • Awarded 5 gold stars by CANSTAR in 2021 for Outstanding Value
  • Very competitive exchange rates on all currencies when you have currencies already loaded on your card
  • ATMs within Australia need to be HSBC and overseas they need to display a VISA or VISA Plus logo, not be be charged fees
  • Earn 2% cash back when you tap and pay with Visa pay wave, Apple Pay or Google Pay for purchases under $100. With a maximum of $50 cash back per month. In addition you need to deposit $2,000 or more into your Everyday Global Account each calendar month.
  • Daily maximum ATM withdrawal is $2,000
  • Fraud protection covered by Visa Zero Liability
  • Can be used wherever Visa is accepted

The HSBC Everyday Global Debit Card is a good option to take travelling and to spend money in Australia with no international transaction fees, international ATM fees and monthly fees. In addition there is no maximum balance on currencies held and a 2% cash back incentive when you tap and pay under $100.

Finally it is one of the only travel cards that offers Chinese Yuan. To avoid ATM fees you need to find HSBC branches in Australia and only use ATMs overseas with a VISA or VISA Plus logo.

ING Orange Everyday Account Debit Card

  • No ATM fees
  • No international transaction fees
  • No initial card fee
  • No account keeping fees
  • Can be used in Australia with no additional costs
  • No fees for paying via bank transfer or Bpay
  • Transfer limits can be set by user
Learn more

ING Orange Everyday Account Debit Card

  • Simple and easy to work out costs for account
  • As long as you you deposit at least $1000 and make at least 5 payments each month ING will waive international transaction fees and refund overseas ATM withdrawal fees
  • Can be used in all countries
  • Can be used in Australia to buy goods overseas and not pay international transaction fees
  • Works with Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Can be used wherever Visa is accepted
  • Visa currency conversion rates apply, which are normally 4% above market

The ING Orange Everyday Account Debit Card is a good card for most Australians travelling overseas for ATM access, with no fees. It also allows you to to buy goods online without an international transaction fee.

Furthermore you can use it in Australia for free and there are no fees to get your initial card, for account keeping or to top up your card. A word of caution however, if you travel overseas for longer than 1 month, you still need to deposit at least $1,000 and make at least 5 payments each month to get the rebates.

Choosing The Right Card For You

Now that we’ve compared some great debit cards, you can consider the best for your situation.

We recommend considering some factors, such as;

  1. Countries you travel to or buy from: Some cards are better suited for certain countries. Consider the exchange rates and whether or not that card is accepted in the country you intend to travel to.
  2. ATM Networks available in those countries: You could save on ATM fees considerably, depending on the card options and whether or not that card is part of a network available in your destination country
  3. How much cash do you intend to withdraw?: Some countries don’t always allow you to use your card so easily. If that’s the case, you may withdraw a lot of cash frequently. You will want to consider the best option that will allow you to do so without being charged a lot.

Other Ways To Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees And Save Your Hard-earned Cash

Planning ahead is the best way to save your hard-earned cash when travelling overseas or buying online.

Consider which option from those we’ve reviewed is best suited for you and your intended destinations. Sometimes, bringing just a debit card with no international fees may not be enough.

You could always have a mixed strategy, like bringing your debit card along with a credit card for emergencies and then also bringing some cash with you;

Changing your Currency Before Travelling

The simplest way to avoid fees on each transaction is to bring cash. All you have to do is convert your Australian dollars to the foreign currency of the country or countries you plan to travel to.

You can convert your currency online and have it delivered directly to you or collect in-store.

Online money exchangers like S Money are often an easy and cheap way to buy foreign currency. You usually only pay a small fee and the currency exchange rate, no hidden fees!

We’ve compared some great options for choosing the best debit card with no international fees.

Remember to consider where you’ll be going and what facilities will be readily available. And don’t be afraid to consider more than one strategy.

Which card would suit you best?