When travelling abroad by train, carrying a special travel card with you can help you avoid unfavourable exchange rates and high withdrawal fees, while offering a range of other useful benefits.
A travel card that allows you to withdraw cash without fees, avoids foreign exchange charges and gives you access to competitive exchange rates is particularly useful when visiting different countries on a rail trip.
Using your regular bank card overseas can come with additional costs, whether through foreign transaction fees, ATM withdrawal charges, or less favourable exchange rates. While these expenses might seem negligible on an individual transaction, they can add up to quite a substantial amount over the course of several trips.
For this reason, I always take my Curve travel card with me when travelling by train abroad. It has become one of my go-to travel essentials, not only because it helps me avoid unnecessary banking fees but also thanks to the range of other advantages it offers.
Here’s a closer look at what makes it such a useful travel companion.
For card payments abroad, whether it’s to buy train tickets, pay for dinner at a restaurant, or a night in a hotel, the Curve travel card is my preferred choice. ©AndyBTravels
Curve : one of the best travel cards you can get
Curve is a popular choice among frequent travellers looking for an extra payment card to use abroad. It offers both virtual cards for your smartphone and physical cards, with several features that can come in handy when travelling.
One of the biggest advantages of using Curve abroad is the potential savings on currency conversion and cash withdrawals. Rather than applying the less favourable exchange rates often used by traditional banks, Curve converts your foreign currency purchases at the prevailing market rate, helping you save up to 3% on overseas spending.
You can also withdraw cash from ATMs abroad with your Curve card without paying withdrawal fees.
There are great perks beyond these savings, too. Curve rewards foreign currency purchases with 1% cashback, while UK residents can access even higher cashback rewards of up to 20% through selected offers featured in the app.
Managing your Curve travel card is straightforward. The Curve app gives you instant spending alerts and lets you manage your travel card settings whenever needed.
Should your card get lost, stolen, or swallowed up by an ATM, you can freeze it immediately with a single tap in the Curve app. The app also makes it easy to report and dispute transactions, whether you have been charged fraudulently or paid for goods that never arrived.
Curve really does give you that bit of extra consumer protection, which certainly provides some peace of mind when travelling abroad.
A Curve travel card is also a great way to get free ATM withdrawals abroad. ©AndyBTravels
Different Curve cards and plans
Curve offers several cards and plans, ranging from a free option to paid versions with additional features and perks. This allows you to pick the option that suits your travel habits and what you expect from a travel card.
Even the free version is worth considering if you mainly want to cut down on currency conversion costs and avoid ATM withdrawal fees abroad. You can use Curve either through a virtual card in its user-friendly app or by ordering a physical Curve Mastercard.
Once you have signed up, you can even link your existing debit and credit cards to the app. You can then use your virtual or physical Curve card for purchases overseas, as well as for everyday spending at home.
Whenever you make a purchase in another currency, Curve converts the amount using the real market exchange rate and charges the equivalent in your home currency to whichever linked card you have selected. You remain free to switch between your connected cards, deciding which one should cover each purchase.
This gives you greater flexibility than paying directly with your bank card. Your money still comes from your usual bank account or credit card, but Curve processes the transaction and handles the currency conversion in between, helping you benefit from more favourable rates and lower fees.
Take a look at the different Curve plans and card options to find the one that suits you best, and sign up for a free or paid account today!
