Best Debit Card to Use in Europe and Avoid High Fees in 2023

Overview — Wise (ex Transferwise) is essentially a money transfer service. That said, mixed into its core offering is one of the top prepaid debit cards for international travel.

In a nutshell, Wise’s strength comes from low currency conversion rates. 

For example, other cards may not charge transaction fees but will tank your value in the conversion rate. Well, that’s simply not the case with Wise!

Fees — To our absolute delight, the card has no maintenance fee and no minimum account balance. Still, you’ll need to pay for card delivery and replacement cards.

Furthermore, it also covers ATM operating fees but only up to a maximum of £200 (about $270) per month. Again, the value comes mainly from the conversion rate.

Domestic use — This card is designed to help you spend money efficiently across different currency areas. However, there’s no benefit in using it if you’re not traveling. US-based banks and card issuers will probably have much better deals if you want an all-around card.

However, as a prepaid debit card for Europe, it’s definitely got our full recommendations. 

Overview — Chime is one of the leading financial technology companies and provides one of the coolest debit cards for international travel, besides their highly popular debit card for minors. This financial technology company works with a network of over 90,000 retail locations that accept cash deposits.

Chime doesn’t offer prepaid cards. Instead, you’ll have to set up a Chime account and deposit money.

Fees — You’ll appreciate the fact that the Chime debit card is mostly free. We say “mostly” because you’ll still have to pay ATM fees if or when you use it internationally, but that’s about it. There are no monthly, or annual fees, or maintenance fees.

Better yet, Chime’s spending account doesn’t have maintenance fees either. What’s more, it has a bunch of nifty features that make Chime great for getting your paycheck a bit earlier, too.

Domestic use — If you choose Chime, there’s a strong case for making it more than just a debit card for Europe travel adventures. Namely, it offers outstanding online banking features and account perks.

Moreover, it offers a secured credit card if you want to rebuild or repair your credit and high-yield savings account with a respectable 0.50% APY. 

Chime is just a great pick overall if you wish to use it for travel purposes or need to set up a solid online bank account for everyday use.

Overview — Revolut is a financial services company from the UK whose goal is to be a global presence in online banking. As a result, it has an outstanding international debit card for the UK and it’s perfect for traveling around Europe.

Fees — The card itself is free! However, you’ll have to pay a delivery fee that varies based on location. If you link it to your payment apps, you don’t need a physical card to start using it.

We also liked that up to five ATM withdrawals per month are free (to a limit of £200 (about $270)). Subsequent withdrawals incur a 2% fee, though. On the bright side, transactions within the Single European Payments Area are also free.

Conversely, transactions outside of it are not and incur fees, and subsequent ATM withdrawals incur a 2% fee too.

Domestic use —This prepaid international debit card is a terrific European travel card but not a very convenient debit card for use at home, as is the case with most of these cards

All in all, the primary benefit of using Revolut cards is that payments made in foreign currency are converted at the interbank exchange rate. And depending on how much you spend, the feature could save you a lot of money.

Overview — Betterment is a cross between a digital bank and a financial advisory company. As a result, its checking account comes with debit cards with no transaction fees abroad.

Fees — What we liked, in particular, was that the checking account had no maintenance fees and no account minimum. Additionally, Betterment reimburses foreign transaction fees and ATM fees automatically. The card doesn’t even charge overdraft fees, which is a nice bonus.

The daily transaction limit is slightly lower than other cards in the category. Though, it should be more than enough for a typical trip.

Domestic use — As a US debit card in Europe, Betterment’s card is a slam dunk. Moreover, it has an equally impressive array of features compared to similar offers in the country.

Yet, best of all, Betterment partners with thousands of retailers to offer cash-back rewards on debit card spending. It also includes free cell phone insurance coverage when you use it to pay your mobile bill.

The only drawback we could find for this one was that the brand has no physical locations. Hence, they don’t accept cash deposits.

Overview — Aspiration is yet another one in the line of best debit cards for international travel, bar none. Aspiration is also unique as it was started as an alternative for people who wanted to invest in ways that don’t contribute to carbon pollution.

In addition to many of the features you’d expect from debit cards, Aspiration also includes earth-friendly tidbits like:

• deposits don’t fund fossil fuel production or exploration
• carbon offsetting for gas purchases

Fees — Aspiration Plus reimburses ATM fees up to a flat $4.00 if you use it outside of the Allpoint ATM network. Other than that, Aspiration doesn’t charge international transaction fees at all.

Domestic use — When you’re done using it as a Euro debit card, Aspiration won’t just weigh down your wallet. You’ll even get 1% APY on your checking account balance, which is rare for debit cards.

Last but not least, it provides a personal impact score so you can shop to offset your carbon footprint and gives you the option to plant a tree with every purchase roundup.

Overview — SoFi Money is an increasingly popular cash management account, which acts as a checking account but earns interest on your balance. Recently, SoFi switched its debit card from Visa to the Mastercard network, giving it many new features that make it stand out among American debit cards in Europe in many instances.

For instance, the airport concierge service (at over 450 destinations) is free of charge. In other words, with this card, you can travel with incredible peace of mind, knowing there’s always someone there to help out if you need it.

Fees — There are no account fees associated with SoFi’s Money account, nor do you have to pay any maintenance fees for the card. Hence, the 0.25% APY you earn is a clear profit. Plus, it also includes overdraft fee protection.

SoFi reimburses unlimited out-of-network ATM fees by the following business day. Otherwise, it doesn’t incur ATM fees at all.

Domestic use — Within the US, SoFi’s card is good but not groundbreaking. Despite its relatively small ATM network, it has a reasonably competitive APY.

Overview — Ally Bank is one of the most successful online banking institutions in the US. Likewise, it offers an attractive alternative to some big banks and within its offering is a checking account with decent debit cards for international travel.

Like many others on this list, Ally is a digital bank. In other words, it has no physical locations.

Fees — Ally is pretty good about eliminating fees. There are no maintenance fees or minimum opening deposits, and it reimburses up to $10 in ATM fees every statement cycle, which is a real bargain.

Unfortunately, it does charge a 1% foreign transaction fee and 1% for every foreign ATM withdrawal.

Nevertheless, it makes up for it by not charging currency conversion fees.

Domestic use — Ally is an FDIC-insured banking provider since you’ll also keep using it back home when you’re done traveling.

It has a higher APY than most competitors (0.25% checking; 0.50% savings). And it even offers certificates of deposit with pretty good returns if your goal is to earn money.

Overview — Unlike most of the cards on this list, Fidelity’s debit card is linked to a cash management account. There’s no massive difference except that Fidelity, technically, offers a brokerage account, and it’s not a bank. 

Still, we’d recommend this US debit card to use in Europe if you also want to manage your savings and investments simultaneously. And among its main advantages is the high daily spending limit — hence why if you plan on making big purchases abroad, this is your go-to debit card.

Fees — Fidelity doesn’t charge any account fees, and the debit card is free. The card has access to ATMs worldwide, albeit with a 1% fee for out-of-network ATM use.

At the same time, it reimburses fees from the ATM operator if those fees apply, which makes it easier to arrive at your actual fee when you use an ATM.

Domestic use — To be fair, you’ll probably only want to open a Fidelity cash management account if your goal is to continue using it back home.