Using First Direct abroad: fees, rates and more

If you’re a First Direct customer and have an overseas holiday planned, you’ll need to know whether you can use your account and card abroad. Or perhaps you’re looking for a new account, and want to know whether First Direct is a travel-friendly bank.

Whichever is the case, read on. We’ve put together a handy guide to how First Direct works abroad. This includes fees for using your card outside the UK, exchange rates for currency conversion and international transfers too.

We’ll also show you an alternative - Wise, a powerful multi-currency account and card perfect for travel.

Does the First Direct card work abroad?

Yes, if you have a First Direct current account and debit card, you can use it to spend and withdraw money outside the UK.

The same goes for First Direct credit and Gold Cards. You can use them to pay in shops, restaurants and everywhere else that Mastercard and Visa payments are accepted.

You can also use your First Direct card to withdraw cash from foreign ATMs. Just be aware that in some cases, there may be some fees, and limits will apply.

Fees for using First Direct cards abroad

The great news for debit card holders is that First Direct doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees for using your card overseas. There are some charges for credit cards and Gold Cards though.

Let’s take a look:¹

Type	Debit card fee	Credit or Gold Card fee
Cash withdrawals in foreign currency outside the UK	No fee (although ATM operators may charge their own fee)	2.99% (min. £3)
Debit card payments in foreign currency	No fee	2.99%

Are there any limits?

Banks tend to put limits on how much you can spend or withdraw per day, especially for overseas transactions.

Here are the limits you need to know about with First Direct cards:

Transaction type	Limits
Overseas purchases with your debit card or credit card	No limits - although you can set your own limits in the First Direct mobile app. Spending limits will apply to credit cards.
Overseas ATM withdrawals with your debit or credit card	Max. £500 a day¹
Contactless payments with your card	£100 per transaction (mobile wallets may have higher limits)

Sending international payments with First Direct

You might also want to use your First Direct account to send and receive international payments. This service is available, but fees may apply depending on the currency and where you’re sending money to.

Here’s the full list of fees for international transfers with First Direct:²

Type	Fee
Making international transfers	- No fee for payments to First Direct or HSBC accounts; No fee for EUR payments within EEA; £5 for payments in other currencies or outside of the EEA (Intermediary or receiving bank fees may also apply)
Receiving international transfers	No fee for EUR payments from EEA; £5 for other currencies, including GBP

What exchange rates does First Direct use to convert currency?

Alongside the fees for using your UK-issued card overseas, it’s also important to factor in the exchange rate used to convert the currency. Your bank account is denominated in GBP, so there’ll need to be a conversion between that and the local currency in your destination (e.g. EUR or USD).

When you use your First Direct card to spend or withdraw in other currencies, the exchange rate used will be set by Mastercard. This rate is usually quite competitive, with not much of a mark-up on the mid-market exchange rate.

For info, this is the rate that banks use when trading currency with each other, and is considered to be one of the fairest you can get. Wise always uses the mid-market rate.

But when you send an international transfer with your First Direct account, the bank chooses the rate. It’s likely to add its own mark-up, making the transfer more expensive for you. But you should be shown the rate you’ll get before sending the payment, so you can decide whether to go ahead.

What you need to know before using your First Direct debit card abroad

Before you jet off on your holidays, there’s some information it could be useful to know about using your First Direct debit card outside the UK:

• You don’t need to tell First Direct that you’re going abroad
• You can manage card security in the First Direct app while you’re away - this includes freezing your card if you lose it.
• Always pay in the local currency when asked. This includes purchases in shops and ATM withdrawals too. If you pay in the local currency, you’ll know what exchange rate is being used (usually the network provider’s rate, such as Mastercard or Visa). But if you let the merchant or ATM provider do the conversion, they may choose their own rate and it’s unlikely to be favourable for you.

Spend worldwide for low fees and great rates with the Wise card

The Wise card is tailor-made for international spending. It’s the perfect holiday companion, as it’s contactless, works worldwide and is compatible with mobile wallets. Best of all, it has no foreign transaction fees.

Your Wise card can be used for spending and cash withdrawals in a whopping 40 currencies, in 150+ countries. This means that there’s no need for separate cards for multi-destination trips - you can do it all with just the one card.

Here are all the advantages at-a-glance:

• Open a Wise account online for free
• Get a Wise card for a one-time cost of just £7
• No monthly fees
• No foreign transaction fees
• Automatically converts currency at mid-market exchange rates
• Works worldwide, wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
• Low currency conversion fees
• Withdraw up to £200 a month (max. 2 withdrawals) for free. Fee of 1.75% + 0.50 for withdrawals over this limit.

You can manage your card and account in the handy Wise app, wherever you are in the world. This includes options to freeze your card if you lose it.

Wise is a money service business, offering a multi-currency account, international money transfer services and a debit card.

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

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And that’s it - everything you need to know about using First Direct abroad. We’ve covered all the main fees, plus exchange rate info.

It’s great that First Direct doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, making it a decent option for holiday spending. But if you’re after potentially better exchange rates, consider an alternative such as the Wise card instead.

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Sources used:

1. First Direct - Using your cards outside the UK
2. First Direct - Fee Information Document

Sources last checked on date: 04-Aug-2023