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Using a crypto card abroad without paying extra

Spending abroad is where a crypto card’s costs add up fastest. It’s rarely one big fee. It’s three or four small ones stacked on top of each other. Here’s what they are, and how to keep each one down.

2 min readLast checked 3 Oct 2026

In this guide6 sections
  1. 1The card’s FX fee
  2. 2The network’s exchange rate
  3. 3Always pay in the local currency
  4. 4ATMs
  5. 5What it adds up to
  6. 6Check it yourself

The card’s FX fee

If you pay in a currency your card doesn’t settle in, Visa or Mastercard charge about 1%, and most cards pass it on. “0% FX” usually means nothing on top of that 1%. Some cards add their own markup or a conversion fee as well, and only a handful say in their terms that you pay nothing at all (here’s the list). Our FX guide goes deeper.

The network’s exchange rate

Visa and Mastercard convert at their own rate, which is a little worse than the real one. In our own tests it came to about 0.3% on Australian dollars, and close to nothing on currencies pegged to the US dollar. You never see it as a fee, but you pay it all the same.

Always pay in the local currency

This is the big one. When a card machine or checkout offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local one, say no.

Choose your currency

  • Pay in EUR€100.00

    Pick this. Your card converts it

  • Pay in USD$113.40

    Skip this. The merchant’s rate

Pick the local currency. The other option uses the merchant’s own exchange rate, which is often several percent worse than your card’s. In this example, it adds about $5 to a €100 bill.

It’s called dynamic currency conversion, and it’s one of the easiest costs to avoid. Pay in the local currency and let your card do the converting.

ATMs

Cash withdrawals often carry a fee from the card, a fee from whoever owns the ATM, and the same FX costs as a purchase. If you need cash, one larger withdrawal usually costs less than several small ones.

What it adds up to

Say you spend $2,000 on a two-week trip.

What $2,000 of spending abroad costs in FX
  • A card that covers the network’s fee, paying in the local currency$6
  • A card that says “0% FX” (Visa’s 1% still applies), plus the 0.3%$26
  • A card with a 1.5% FX fee, plus the network’s 0.3%$36
  • The same card, saying yes to their currency a few timesabout $72

Check it yourself

Want to see what your card actually charged? It takes a minute.

  1. 1

    Note the price

    In the local currency, from the receipt.

  2. 2

    Look up that day’s rate

    Google or any currency converter shows the mid-market rate.

  3. 3

    Compare

    Convert the price at that rate and compare it with what left your account. The difference is what you paid.

It’s the same check we run on every purchase in our card tests.

See what each card pays back at your spend.

Open the calculator