Despite what the folks at Halifax would have you believe, the Clarity card, with its representative APR of 23.9%, isn’t the only credit card offering 0% fees for non-sterling transactions.
Cards like Halifax’s Clarity are especially popular as “secondary” credit cards – you might have a card for day-to-day use and another that you use when you’re outside of the country. Just remember that if you take out one of these cards (or indeed the Clarity), when you use it abroad, decline dynamic currency conversion (DCC) – that’s when a merchant offers to charge you in pounds rather than the local currency. If the merchant’s bank converts the currency for you, it’ll be their fee structure and exchange rates that’ll apply.
A small number of digital-only banks like Curve and Revolut offer alternative ways to get around fees when spending abroad.
With Curve, you can combine multiple bank cards into one – controlled through your Curve card and app. Even if your card issuer charges exchange fees, Curve will convert the currency for you at the standard Mastercard exchange rate. Just be aware that restrictions and limitations do apply – you can read our full guide to Curve to find out if it could be right for you.
Consider a card with fee-free spending abroad and decline decline dynamic currency conversion to avoid card charges in Taiwan.
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