Using your ANZ debit card abroad. The lowdown

These days, accessing your money has become far easier with the widespread use and acceptance of debit cards. In Australia, over 80% of transactions that are over an amount of $10 are made using cards.¹ When you go abroad, you are probably wondering if you are able to use your bank card.

If you bank with ANZ, one of Australia’s big four banks, this article will delve into how things work when you use your ANZ debit card abroad.

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Can you use your ANZ debit card overseas?

Yes, you can use your ANZ debit card overseas and it should work everywhere that Visa is accepted. In fact, your card should work at around 29 million outlets worldwide.

If you are nervous about using your debit card abroad, you don’t have to be as, all purchases are protected by ANZ Falcon™. This security feature is designed to detect and notify you of suspicious transactions.²

What to do before you travel abroad with your ANZ debit card

The most important thing to do before you travel overseas with your ANZ debit card is to let ANZ know your travel plans. This is because using your card abroad can trigger the ANZ monitoring system to go off and potentially block your card if the bank is not aware you’re abroad.

This can cause you great inconvenience and may even leave you stranded while you try to get in touch with ANZ. You can let the bank know about your travel plans through the ANZ banking app.³

What are the fees to use your ANZ debit card abroad

One thing that you’ll need to watch out for is some of the fees that can occur when using your local debit card abroad. Let’s check out what sort of fees the ANZ debit cards may charge.

As seen on 19 September, 2023

In some cases it can be possible to be charged other fees when using your ANZ card abroad, especially at ATMs. ANZ claims that this is out of their control.⁴

What is the exchange rate ANZ uses for your overseas foreign currency payments

Both the ANZ Access Advantage and the ANZ Plus Visa debit card access the Visa exchange rate available at the time a purchase is made.⁵ ANZ does not specify if any added margin is included in the rate.

We’ll check out how much a transaction of 100 GBP will cost using these cards. We will also include how much this same transaction will cost with Wise, an alternative provider.

As seen on 26 September, 2023

What are the card spending limits with ANZ debit card

Your card spending limit is restricted to the account balance available on your ANZ debit card. There is a daily withdrawal limit of $1000 AUD when taking money out of an ATM.² For the standard ANZ debit card, withdrawal limits can be increased to $2000 per day by contacting ANZ directly.⁸ If you have an ANZ Plus debit card, you can withdraw up to $2,500 a day.⁹

Dedicated foreign currency travel cards from ANZ

Sometimes it’s possible to save on some of the abovementioned fees by choosing a dedicated foreign currency card. Unfortunately ANZ no longer offers travel cards as part of their product offering.¹⁰

Keep in mind before your travel

Before you travel with your ANZ Plus Visa Debit card, there are a few important things you should keep in mind before you set off.

Organise international roaming

There is a chance that your Australian phone data plan may not work abroad or charge you high fees if you leave without checking if you do have an international roaming plan included.

Know your pin before you leave

With contactless payments being a common way to pay these days, forgetting our card pin can happen. Sometimes contactless payment isn’t as available as in Australia, so resetting your pin to a new one if you don’t remember it is a good idea.

Take more than one payment method

Although your ANZ card should work abroad, having one or two back up payment methods is useful if your card decides not to work. This could be in the form of another type of debit or credit card or taking some cash over with exchanged or ready to be exchanged.

Get to know if there's any extra fees for using your card abroad

Although we’ve covered some of the fees associated with your ANZ debit card, sometimes there may be some hidden fees thrown into the mix. Knowing where some of these fees may be incurred most and planning around it can help you save some extra cash on your trips. Especially if you take multiple card options or are looking to get some physical cash exchanged.

Plan ahead in case of emergencies

Anything can happen when you travel, so being aware of what to do in an emergency can save you from coming up short when you need or want to pay for something. The best way to do this is through getting to know the security features in the ANZ app and knowing how to contact ANZ if something happens.

Blocking your ANZ card if your card gets lost or stolen abroad

In the unexpected event you do end up losing your card, or it is stolen, ANZ has made managing access to your card easy. Here is how you can either temporarily block or permanently block your card.

1. Open the ANZ app
2. Log in
3. Choose your card or account
4. Click Manage and then Manage card
5. Tap which block option best suits your situation.

This is also where you can unblock your card if it was just misplaced. If you do suspect your card has been stolen, it's important to report this to ANZ immediately. You can do this through the ANZ App or calling the dedicated line for reporting stolen cards 1800 033 844 or +61 3 86996955 from abroad.¹¹

Contacting ANZ from overseas

On that note, if you do need to contact ANZ for any other enquiries, you can:

• Reach out via the ANZ App
• Call 13 13 14 from within Australia
• Call +61 3 9683 9999 from outside Australia

Travel with Wise

With a Wise Account you can hold money in over 40 currencies and spend it in over 160 countries. You can also order local account details in popular world currencies like AUD, NZD, USD, EUR, GBP to receive local and/or international payments like a local.

Whenever you exchange currencies it’s done using the mid-market rate with a conversion fee shown upfront.

To make everyday spending easier you can order a Wise Debit card for your Wise Account and generate virtual cards as needed. If you have the local currency in your Wise Account the Wise card will use it and charge no fees. If you don’t, it uses smart technology to auto-convert your money at the mid-market rate, for a conversion fee.

The Wise card may suit you better if you’re to spend money that you’ve stored in different currencies within an existing Wise Account, and benefit from 2 or less free cash withdrawals under $350 AU, or foreign equivalent, per month (keep in mind that ATM providers may charge their own fees). You can see our full fee breakdown for ATM withdrawals here.

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