If you’re currently abroad and need to use your debit card, here’s what it’ll cost you to withdraw cash and make purchases.
Today’s exchange rates
We’ve made our exchange rates more transparent, so it’s even easier to see how much making a transaction abroad will cost.
This table shows our exchange rate for certain currencies compared to the rate published by the European Central Bank (ECB), to help you understand how much it costs to use your debit card abroad.
When you buy something or take money out of a cash machine in the EU, you may be able to choose whether to pay in sterling rather than the local currency. If so, the retailer or cash machine provider will give you a rate as a mark-up over the ECB rate.
You can use this table to decide whether you want to let the retailer or cash machine provider convert the currency using their rate, or if you’d like to use ours instead. If you’d like us to make the conversion, please pay or withdraw in local currency rather than sterling.
As we explain in our customer terms, we calculate our exchange rate using the reference exchange rate for the Visa card scheme.
In most circumstances, Visa converts transactions into sterling using the Visa Exchange Rate on the day the transaction is authorised. However for a small number of transactions the conversion may happen on the day the transaction is processed. As this may be a day or two later, the exchange rate may be different on that day.
To work out how much your transaction costs in sterling, divide the value in local currency by the rates shown in the table.
In most circumstances, Visa converts transactions into sterling using the Visa Exchange Rate on the day the transaction is authorised. However for a small number of transactions the conversion may happen on the day the transaction is processed. As this may be a day or two later, the exchange rate may be different on that day.
To work out how much your transaction costs in sterling, divide the value in local currency by the rates shown in the table.
The non-sterling transaction fee If you use your debit card abroad or pay in a currency that’s not sterling, we’ll charge you a 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee. This includes cash withdrawals in a foreign currency outside the UK, debit card payments in a foreign currency, refunds and shopping online on a non-UK website. If you’re withdrawing cash, the cash machine provider may apply other charges.
Compare transaction costs Compare transaction costs
This table shows what we’ll charge when you use your debit card abroad, or when you pay in a currency other than sterling (either abroad or in the UK).
