Best UK debit cards with no foreign transaction fee

Getting ready for a trip abroad? You’ll need to get yourself some spending money, or at least a way to spend in the local currency.

To save yourself from the hassle of converting currency and carrying cash around, you might want to consider taking a travel-friendly debit card away with you. The only trouble is, some UK debit cards charge foreign transaction fees. This can make your holiday spending more expensive than it needs to be.

In this guide, we’ll show you the best UK debit cards with no foreign transaction fees. This includes the Wise card, which works in 150+ countries.

It automatically converts your money at mid-market exchange rates (close to what you can see on Google), only adding a tiny, transparent currency conversion fee* whenever you spend. Or it’s free if you already have the currency in your Wise account.

Learn more about the Wise card 💳

What is a foreign transaction fee?

A foreign transaction fee is a charge for spending in a foreign currency using a UK-issued card. It’s often called a Non-Sterling Transaction Fee. Some banks and card providers charge it for all non-GBP currencies, while others waive it for spending in euros as well as pounds.

The fee is usually a percentage of the total transaction value, although it can sometimes be a fixed fee.

8 of the best UK debit cards with no foreign transaction fee

Now, let’s dive into our list of the best UK debit cards for overseas spending.

Take a look below for a quick comparison of the main contenders of UK debit cards with no foreign transaction fees:

Provider card	Fee for ATM withdrawals abroad	Limits
Starling debit card	None¹	- £10,000/day for purchases - £300/day for withdrawals²
Wise card	- Free up to £200/month - 1.75% + £0.50 above limit - Currency conversion fees from 0.33%	- £30,000/month for purchases - £4,000/month for withdrawals
first direct debit card	None³	- £500/day for withdrawals³
Monzo debit card	- Free in the EEA - Free up to £200/month elsewhere - 3% fee above limit⁴	- £10,000/day for purchases - £400/day for withdrawals⁵
Virgin Money Debit Card	Free⁶	- £10,000/day for purchases - £500/day for withdrawals⁶
Chase card	Free⁷	- £500/day for withdrawals (max. £1,500/month)⁷
Currensea travel debit card	- Free up to £200/month - 2% fee above limit⁸	- £1,500/month for withdrawals ⁹
Kroo debit card	- Free up to £200/month - 3% fee above limit - Fees changing 30/04/25¹⁰	- £10,000/day for purchases - £300/day for withdrawals¹¹

Starling card

The standard debit card that comes with a Starling Bank current account is a great choice for overseas spending and ATM withdrawals. It charges no fees for either, wherever you are in the world.¹ And there are no fees to open/maintain an account, or to order a card.

The bank uses Mastercard’s exchange rate to convert currency, with no mark-up added on top.

You can spend up to £10,000 per day (or the equivalent in another currency) on your Starling card. There’s a daily limit of £300 for withdrawals (maximum 6 withdrawals) per day. These limits count for UK and overseas use.²

💡 Read more: Using Starling Bank abroad: fees, rates and more

Wise card

Open a Wise account and you can get a Wise card for a one-time fee of just £7. It works in 150+ countries and 40+ currencies worldwide, and doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees.

The Wise card automatically converts currency at mid-market exchange rates, with no mark-ups, only adding a tiny, transparent currency conversion fee*. Or it’s completely free if you already have the currency in your Wise account.

You can also withdraw up to £200 a month (max. 2 withdrawals) for free. Wise will not charge you for these withdrawals, but additional charges may occur from independent ATM networks. If you need to withdraw more cash within the month, you’ll pay a fee of 1.75% + £0.50 per withdrawal.

The Wise card also has very generous limits, of up to £30,000 a month for purchases and £4,000 a month for cash withdrawals.

🚀 Sign up with Wise for free

first direct debit card

Open a first direct 1st Account and you can get a debit card for fee-free spending all over the world. There are no fees for overseas ATM withdrawals either, with a maximum daily limit of £500 (depending on available balance).³

You’ll just need to watch out that the ATM operator doesn’t charge its own fees.

Like Starling Bank, first direct uses the Mastercard exchange rate for currency conversion with no additional charges.

The 1st Account is free to open, with no maintenance fees, and it’s free to get the card.

💡 Read more: Using first direct abroad: fees, rates and more

Monzo debit card

With a Monzo personal current account and debit card, you can spend anywhere in the world with no foreign transaction fees.⁴

The same goes for cash withdrawals, but limits may apply. You can make unlimited fee-free withdrawals within the European Economic Area (EEA) if Monzo is your main bank account. If it’s not or you’re withdrawing cash outside the EEA, a limit of £200 a month will apply. Above this, there’s a fee of 3%.⁴

This is for the free Monzo plan, but you can get higher limits if you upgrade to a paid packaged account.

Monzo uses the Mastercard exchange rate to convert currency, with no mark-up.

You can spend up to £10,000 per day with your Monzo card, and withdraw up to £400 a day.⁵ Remember though that fees will be charged for overseas withdrawals above the limits set by your plan.

Virgin Money Debit Card

With a Virgin Money Debit Card linked to one of the bank’s current accounts, you can spend and withdraw cash without fees.⁶ This applies to all payments and withdrawals in any currency, wherever you are in the world.

Virgin Money uses the Mastercard exchange rate for converting currency.

There are some limits, as you can only spend a maximum of £10,000 and withdraw up to £500 a day.⁶

💡 Read more: Using your Virgin Money card abroad: What you need to know

Chase card

Open a current account with Chase and you’ll get a debit card you can use anywhere that Mastercard is accepted. The bank doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees for purchases or cash withdrawals,⁷ and uses the Mastercard exchange rate for currency conversion.

You’ll just need to watch out for ATM operator fees. Good to know: if you’re travelling to the US, you can use Chase ATMs for free.

You can withdraw up to £500 a day either in the UK or overseas. But if you’re abroad, you can only withdraw a maximum of £1,500 within any given month.⁷

💡 Read more: Using your Chase card abroad

Currensea travel debit card

Currensea’s travel debit card connects to your UK current account via Open Banking. On its free plan, it offers fee-free overseas spending up to £500 a month and withdrawals up to £200 a month. Above this, there’s a fee of 1% on spending and 2% on withdrawals.⁸

The provider uses the Mastercard exchange rate, with a 0.5% markup if you’re on its free plan.¹² So, it can be beaten by some of the other cards we’ve looked at so far.

Plus, there’s a card postage fee of £4.95.¹³

In terms of limits, you can withdraw up to £1,500 a month from overseas ATMs.⁹ You can view your personal spending limits in the Currensea app.

Kroo debit card

Lastly, we have Kroo. The app-only bank account comes with a debit card suitable for overseas transactions. It charges no foreign transaction fees for spending, and ATM withdrawals are fee-free up to a limit of £200 a month. Withdraw more cash than this and you’ll pay a fee of 3%.¹⁰

However, the Kroo website says it will be bringing in new overseas ATM fees from 30th April 2025.¹⁰

Kroo uses Visa’s exchange rates for currency conversion, without adding a markup.

You can spend up to £10,000 a day (maximum 50 card transactions) overseas with the Kroo card. The daily cash withdrawal limit is £300.¹¹

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And that’s it - our rundown of the best UK debit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

Your bank may already be on there, or if you’re thinking of switching you’ll be able to choose the best card for overseas spending, cash withdrawals or both.

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Sources used:

1. Starling Bank - Travel
2. Starling Bank - Help - What limits does my card have?
3. first direct - Travel help and advice - Using your card outside the UK
4. Monzo - Travel
5. Monzo - Help - What are the spending limits for accounts?
6. Virgin Money - The Tariff for your M Plus Account and M Plus Saver
7. Chase - Travel with Chase
8. Currensea - Help - Do I Get Charged Fees on Currensea Essential?
9. Currensea - Help - What Are My Cash Withdrawal Limits?
10. Kroo - Enjoy travelling with Kroo
11. Kroo - Help - What are my foreign card transaction limits?
12. Currensea - Help - What Is The Currensea Realtime Rate?
13. Currensea - Plans

Sources last checked on date: 07-Apr-2025