The Best Debit Card For International Travel
One of the questions we frequently get asked is how to manage money when traveling. No, we do not carry thousands of dollars of cash on us. Yes, travelers cheques are a thing of the past. So, how do you manage money while traveling abroad? By getting the best debit card for international travel, that’s how.
The Best Debit Card For International Travel
Before we set off on our first 8 month backpacking trip, we determined that whatever card we would use, it had to be a card that had no ATM fees and no foreign transaction fees.
We did some quick math and over months of travel, we could risk losing thousands of dollars in ATM and foreign transaction fees. Yeah, we were not okay with that. Our hard-earned money being wasted on fees? Not cool.
The search was on to find a card that fit our needs.
Ladies and gentlemen, may we introduce you to Charles Schwab, the best debit card for international travel and the only one you will need.
Let us repeat, THE BEST DEBIT CARD FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL and the only one you will need.
Why you ask? Well, let us tell you and may we remind you, this is from first-hand experience.
Charles Schwab – No ATM Fees
ATMs were the way Jesse and I withdrew money for 8-months and like we stated, when traveling intentionally, ATM fees have the potential to lose you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Hundreds of dollars you could use to travel longer or take a certain excursion. W
hen using your Charles Schwab debit card, you pay ATM fees upfront. However, at the end of each month, Charles Schwab reimburses your account with all those lost dollars you spent on fees.
Charles Schwab – No Foreign Transaction Fees
Combined with zero ATM fees, Jesse and I saved thousands of dollars. We didn’t have to worry about currency exchange rates. We just popped our debit card in an ATM and our USD’s were converted to the currency we needed.
Easy peasy. Cash in our pockets and we were off to explore feeling good and not ripped off.
Responsive Customer Service
Jesse and I lost our debit cards, not once, but twice during our 8-month hiatus. Without our debit cards, we were basically screwed.
Charles Schwab completely understood our situation and FedEx’ed both of our cards abroad to a FedEx location for us to pick up. The process was seamless.
We gave them our preferred FedEx location, they shipped it aboard for a nominal fee of $15, supplied us the tracking number and within a week we had our new cards in hand.
Long story short, The Wandering Stüs will not be leaving home without our Charles Schwab cards in hand. If you would like further details on the card, take a look at the below chart.
How Do I Get A Charles Schwab Debit Card?
First things first, there is no cost to get the card but you will need to setup a brokerage account with Charles Schwab in order to get a Charles Schwab checking account.
The only barrier to entry for you would be your Credit Score. In order to open an account, you have to have a solid to great credit score – think 650 or higher.
If you have any questions, Charles Schwab has exceptional customer service, so feel free to reach out to them.
Our only 2 cents is to make sure your account and card are activate before leaving on your trip. Also, let Charles Schwab know how long you are traveling for and what countries you intend on visiting. This gives their customer service a heads up that you are traveling so they know not to shut your card off for fraudulent activity.
Doing these few things before departing will save you potential headaches while your overseas.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
For more travel tips, guides and awesome travel shots, be sure to poke around our site, follow us on Instagram @wanderingstus and on Facebook. Oh and if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section. We’re happy to answer. Or, just leave us a positive note!
Happy Travels,
– Lauren & Jesse Stuart (The Stüs)
