Take the perfect travel companion with you
Heading somewhere nice this year? You can use your HSBC debit and credit cards easily outside the UK, the same way you would at home.
At a glance
Enjoy flexibility and convenience
You can use your debit or credit card at shops, restaurants and cash machines while you’re away. Plus you can use contactless* wherever it’s accepted.
Keep track of your holiday spends
Use our mobile banking app or online banking to keep track of your spending outside the UK. That way, you’ll have no nasty surprises on your statement when you arrive back home.
Relax knowing you can block your card
If you think your card’s been lost or stolen, you can freeze or block it with our online or mobile banking – and unblock it if it turns up again.
*Fees apply when using your card outside the UK. Please see our frequently asked questions for full details.
Top tip – it pays to go local
If you’re using your card outside the UK in shops, bars or restaurants and are given the choice of paying in pounds or local currency, you could consider choosing local currency. If you choose to pay in local currency, you’ll avoid dynamic currency conversion fees and in most cases will get a better exchange rate.
| If you spend | You will pay a fee of |
|---|---|
| £10 | 28p |
| £25 | 69p |
| £40 | £1.10 |
| £50 | £1.38 |
| £75 | £2.06 |
| £100 | £2.75 |
| If you spend | £10 |
|---|---|
| You will pay a fee of | 28p |
| If you spend | £25 |
| You will pay a fee of | 69p |
| If you spend | £40 |
| You will pay a fee of | £1.10 |
| If you spend | £50 |
| You will pay a fee of | £1.38 |
| If you spend | £75 |
| You will pay a fee of | £2.06 |
| If you spend | £100 |
| You will pay a fee of | £2.75 |
Credit card charges are slightly different. For details, please see our frequently asked questions, below.
Visa converts transactions into sterling using the Visa Exchange Rate applicable on the day it processes the transaction (the rates are provided by Visa and subject to change). This date may be different to the day on which the transaction took place. Historic exchange rate information is available at www.visaeurope.com
How much will it cost to withdraw money from an ATM with my HSBC debit card?
A non-sterling transaction fee of 2.75% applies to conversion on foreign exchange transactions for all HSBC account holders.
HSBC Bank Account holders are charged a non-sterling cash fee of 2% (minimum £1.75, maximum £5.00) when withdrawing non-sterling cash. However, there is no non-sterling cash fee for HSBC Premier and HSBC Premier MyAccount customers when using ATMs.
Credit card charges are slightly different. See our frequently asked questions, below, for details.
Making payments in Europe
If you live in Europe or you're travelling to another European country soon, it's worth knowing about rules designed to make payments safer.
New EU legislation, such as the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2), has been introduced to enable better security, easier payments away from home and fairer rules around pricing and charges. This leaflet gives you more information on these rules and how they affect your rights when making payments in Europe.
We’re aware this document may not be fully accessible using assistive technologies such as a screen reader. If you would like this information in a different format, please call us on 03457 404 404 and request the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, BSL or large print.
Lines are open 08:00 - 20:00 every day. From outside the UK, call +44 1226 261 010
You can also request a physical copy of the leaflet at one of our branches.
Heading off on your travels?
Travel with confidence, knowing we’ll look out for any unusual spending on your accounts - just as we do when you’re at home.
Please make sure your contact details are up to date.
That means we can get in touch if and when we need to. We’ll also be able to tell you about our latest travel products and services. Updating your contact details doesn’t affect your marketing preferences.
How to let us know
1. Log on to online banking.
2. Select ‘Notify us of travel’ in the ‘My banking’ section.
3. Go to ‘Create new travel plan’ and complete the form.
4. Select ‘Back to my accounts’.
To check your personal details after completing the travel form:
1. Select ‘Personal and address details’ in the ‘My banking’ section.
2. Update your mobile phone number and email address.
We don’t use the mobile number you give in the form to contact you if any fraud is suspected, only for travel notifications and offers.
We’ll use the phone number you give under ‘Personal and address details’ if we need to contact you urgently.
Frequently Asked Questions
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