Most UK high street bank cards charge between 2% and 3% on every transaction you make abroad. On a £800 city break that's up to £24 quietly disappearing for no reason. The fix is simple: use a card with no foreign transaction fees, and there are several excellent ones available for free.

The Best Option: Starling Bank

Starling is the recommendation. It's a full UK current account (FSCS protected up to £85,000), not a prepaid card. You spend in local currency at the Mastercard exchange rate with zero fees, including at ATMs up to a generous limit. Withdrawals up to £300 per day abroad are free.

The app is clean, instant spending notifications keep you on top of every transaction, and you can freeze the card from your phone in seconds if it goes missing. Setup takes about ten minutes online.

If you already use Monzo, its free tier also offers no foreign transaction fees on spending (though ATM withdrawals above £200 per 30 days incur a fee). Same principle, slightly more restrictive on cash.

Revolut for Multi-Currency Trips

Revolut is worth having alongside Starling, particularly if you're visiting multiple countries or want to hold euros separately. The free tier offers fee-free spending up to a fair use limit (currently around £1,000 per month) and the exchange rates are strong. It's not a full bank account, but as a travel spending card it's effective.

The main catch: Revolut's free tier limits ATM withdrawals to £200 per month before fees apply. For cash-heavy destinations, Starling wins.

What to Avoid

Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC): When a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in pounds instead of the local currency, always decline. The rate it uses is several percentage points worse than your bank's rate. Always pay in the local currency.

Your main high street bank card abroad: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, and most traditional banks charge non-sterling transaction fees and ATM withdrawal fees. Leave these at home or use them only as a backup.

Carry Two Cards

Whatever you choose, travel with two separate cards from two different networks. Card machines fail, accounts occasionally get flagged for unusual activity, and being caught with only one card that doesn't work is an avoidable problem.

Starling (Mastercard) plus any Visa-network card covers you for virtually every terminal in Europe.