Travel Money Options
Ways of funding your stay while you're abroad
Credit Cards
Credit cards, by their nature, can be used pretty much worldwide, although some countries have higher levels of acceptance than others. It would seem pretty obvious that more technologically advanced countries would have more outlets accepting credit cards, but in many countries such as Germany only a relatively small proportion of the population own a card, and so acceptance is accordingly lower.
Credit cards can of course be used in cash machines (ATMs), but you will be charged a commission for the currency exchange along with the normal cash advance fee that your card issuer charges.
Debit Cards
Debit cards are another way of spending abroad using plastic, although like credit cards, acceptance levels will vary from country to country. In fact, debit cards are not as widely accepted as credit cards even though most are operated by the 'big two' card companies Visa and Mastercard (who run Maestro).
Although the cards are accepted in 90 countries worldwide, at this stage it probably isn't a good idea to rely on them too heavily when travelling.
ATMs / Cash Machines
Almost all cash machine cards can now be used internationally. If your card has a 'Cirrus' logo, you can use it in foreign ATMs where Cirrus is supported.
The number of machines which let you use Cirrus cards is growing respectably, but the downside is that you'll usually be charged both a handling fee and a percentage commission by your own bank for withdrawing in a foreign currency, and in addition you may well be charged a commission by the foreign bank whose ATM you use.
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