Travel Cards

Travel money setup

Should you exchange cash before your trip, use Wise, or pay with your credit card?

Compare cash exchange, Wise, and no-foreign-transaction-fee cards before you travel.

Check my travel money setup Read the guide

Choose the local currency at checkout. Avoid USD conversion offered by merchants or ATMs.

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Your setup

Travel money recommendation

Best for card payments

Best for cash

Avoid

Credit card cash advances, unless it is an emergency.

Estimated cost comparison

Rank Method Estimated cost

Guide

For most card payments, start with a no-foreign-transaction-fee card.

If a merchant accepts cards, a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card is usually the cleanest option for U.S. travelers. Choose the local currency at checkout so the card network handles conversion instead of the merchant's USD conversion.

Cash is a separate decision. Wise may be useful if you need small ATM withdrawals, want to hold multiple currencies, or only have a credit card that charges a foreign transaction fee. ATM operator fees are not included in this estimate and may still apply.

Credit card cash advances are not the main strategy here. They can carry upfront fees and immediate interest, so this tool treats them as emergency-only.

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