Travel for less
Spend less getting there
- How I find cheap flightsSkyscanner, cheaper days and letting the return decide
- Getting to the airport for lessAdvance tickets, Railcards, coaches and the islanders’ route
- Is an airport lounge worth it?UK lounge passes vs terminal food
- Winter sun for lessTunisia, Morocco or the Canaries
- How I choose a hotelReading reviews the way I do
- Decant, don’t buy miniFill your own travel bottles
- Use a card with no overseas feesHalifax Clarity, Monzo or Chase
Karen’s tip Use a card with no overseas fees
“Why spend money on fees you don’t need to? Use a card with no overseas fees, and pay in the local currency: I always do. It’s a safer way to spend, too, with no wads of cash to carry about. The best ones I know: the Halifax Clarity credit card, Monzo or Chase.”
- Halifax Clarity credit card: no fees from Halifax on purchases abroad or cash withdrawals, and Visa or Mastercard sets the exchange rate. Interest is charged from the day you take cash out, though. Halifax is changing to Lloyds and moving its cards to Visa, so check what’s on offer. (Halifax, fees, brand change)
- Monzo: pay in any currency fee-free at Mastercard’s rate. Cash is free up to a limit: on a standard account, £200 every 30 days outside the EEA, then 3%. In the UK and EEA it’s £400, or unlimited if Monzo’s your main bank. (Monzo)
- Chase: no Chase fees for using your card abroad, at the Mastercard rate. Cash machines abroad: up to £500 a day and £1,500 a calendar month. (Chase)
Pay like a local: if a card machine or cash machine offers to charge you in pounds, pick the local currency. Halifax and Chase both say that can save you conversion fees. Some cash machines add their own fee, too.
Checked on each provider’s own site on 25 Oct 2026. Rates and fees change, so check the provider’s site before you apply. Credit cards are subject to status. A friendly tip, not financial advice.