When it comes to spending one’s money overseas, the traveller has the option of simply swiping their debit or credit cards through the appropriate point of sale device. This feat is made possible by the worldwide accessibility of such card giants as American Express, Visa and MasterCard. These are globally recognised brands which are accepted at millions of locations across the planet. Such a feature is convenient for card holders who either want to go on holiday to a foreign country or are frequent business travellers.

However, paying with one’s own credit or debit card can come with some unsavoury side effects. Firstly, many of these cards will charge a foreign transaction fee. Foreign transaction fees are levied by the card companies when the holder makes a purchase on a good or service that is sold under foreign currency but is purchased with a card that transacts in the user’s home currency. The disparity in currencies and the interest rates between them must be covered somehow, and the foreign transaction fee is one way companies recoup this expense.

Secondly, there is always the possibility of fraud or theft. Should either of these occur on a card holder’s personal account and it is not intercepted in time, the card holder could lose all of their funds. While most credit cards now come with a limited or zero liability clause, which does not hold the account holder responsible for such theft, most debit cards do not. This means that a debit card user who uses their card overseas and has it hacked by thieves will probably lose the entire sum. Depending on how much money the user has in their account, this loss could severely restrict their ability to enjoy their travel plans, not to mention hamper their ability to return home due to a lack of funds.

International debit cards, on the other hand, can be employed around the world and do not carry nearly the same amount of risk that is inherent in using one’s personal credit or debit card. This is because most of them function as a prepaid debit card. With a prepaid debit card, the user must download a set amount of funds in to the card account. They will not be able to access more of their own money until they contact their bank and approve an additional download. In this way, most of the user’s funds are kept safe and sound away from the prying hands of criminals.

Furthermore, international cards carry the added benefit that they are allowed in any foreign country where major credit cards are accepted. Because these cards have been geared toward overseas use, vendors and merchants are more inclined to accept them since they will be getting paid in their domestic currency. Once the user knows where they will be headed, they can download money on to their international card in the currency of the country they will be visiting. This avoids the need to convert the currency later, which saves the user on foreign transaction and conversion fees.