5 Things to consider
before choosing a prepaid travel card
1. What’s the rate?
Prepaid travel cards offer a huge range of rates that might not be as good as the rate offered by your bank. Whilst almost all providers say no fees, the fee is often hidden in the exchange rate.
2. Does your prepaid travel card offer protection?
Some cards are covered by section 75 protection, but not all, it’s worth checking the T&Cs before you sign-up to ensure that all your purchases will be covered by some kind of chargeback protection.
3. Can you get back unused currency?
Once your holiday has finished you’re unlikely to want to leave any leftover currency on your prepaid travel card. Make sure that you can easily get your money back, without incurring further fees.
4. Are there any hidden fees?
Check for any fees, prepaid travel cards generally have more hidden fees than credit or debit cards. Make sure that you keep an eye out for fees such as application and replacement fees, transaction fees, and inactivity charges.
5. Are there any limitations to where you can use the different types of cards?
All providers say that they can be used wherever you see the Visa or Mastercard logo but there are some big exceptions that may impact your choice. If you want to pay at a petrol station, hire a car, or pay on a cruise - generally, you can only use a Credit, Debit, or Currensea’s travel debit card - prepaid travel cards are often not accepted.
Better than a prepaid travel card
A better solution, offered by Currensea, is the travel debit card. You simply spend abroad in any desired currency as the money will be collected from your existing bank account by direct debit. A new way to spend abroad without worrying about fees, topping-up, and managing multiple accounts.
Plus, our free card and takes minutes to sign up.
Currensea's travel debit card explained
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Save over £290 in Florida with a Currensea travel debit card compared to using a prepaid travel card
Savings are based on a two week family holiday to Florida.
TOTAL CHARGES, % | TOTAL CHARGES, £ | |
CURRENSEA ELITE & PREMIUM PLAN |
0% |
£0
|
CURRENSEA ESSENTIAL |
0.5% |
£46.13
|
CURVE + £4.99 card delivery | 2.58% |
£238.29
|
CAXTON | 2.25% |
£207.60
|
FAIRFX | 2.27% |
£209.60
|
TRAVELEX | 4.40% |
£405.98
|
CANNYAPP | 4.52% |
£417.05
|
POST OFFICE | 4.53% |
£418.20
|
TOTAL CHARGES, % | TOTAL CHARGES, £ | |
CURRENSEA ELITE & PREMIUM PLAN |
0% |
£0
|
CURRENSEA ESSENTIAL |
0.5% |
£46.13
|
RBS | 3.27% |
£301.71
|
BARCLAYS | 3.51% |
£323.86
|
HSBC | 3.38% |
£311.50
|
LLOYDS | 4.03% |
£371.86
|
SANTANDER | 3.63% |
£334.61
|
TSB | 4.56% |
£421.20
|
You still get all the security of using your bank account, just without the fees. It’s as simple as that.
Our connected banks
We work with all the major UK high-street banks
Currensea is rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot
Why is Currensea better than a travel card?
We link with your current bank account via Open Banking to make saving money simple.
You can find out more about Open banking here
No new bank
account needed
Forget having to set-up and manage multiple accounts
No need to
top-up or pre-pay
Remove the hassle and inconvenience of pre-loading another card
No ATM fees
Pay no ATM fees if you withdraw under £500
Your account is secure with Currensea
Authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority
Freeze your card anytime at the click of the button via the app
All purchases protected by Mastercard Chargeback Protection
See how much you can save
Save in 180 currencies vs high street banks, prepaid travel cards and travel money cards
As seen in
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