Using your Bendigo debit card abroad. The lowdown

Are you a Bendigo Bank customer with an overseas trip on the horizon? This article is here to help you understand the fees and processes for using your Bendigo Bank debit card outside of Australia. We’ll also let you know about a couple of alternative cards that are tailored more towards travel.

Learn more about the
Wise Account and card

Can you use your Bendigo Bank debit card overseas?

It’s possible to use your Bendigo Bank Debit Mastercard overseas but the real question is, do you want to?

We’re going to look at what’s associated with using your Bendigo Bank card abroad, giving you the relevant facts and figures that can help you decide how you want to manage your money while you travel.

What to do before you travel abroad with your Bendigo Bank debit card

When travelling overseas there are some instances where a transaction might set off the security systems for your bank, resulting in the card being blocked or even cancelled due to suspicious foreign activity.

To prevent this from happening Bendigo Bank suggests that customers share their travel dates and location with the bank.¹ That way any abnormal activity that’s detected can be cross-referenced with the information you’ve provided. To notify Bendigo Bank of your travel plans, simply visit a branch or call them on 1300 236 344.

What are the fees to use your Bendigo Bank debit card abroad

Here are some of the fees Bendigo Bank charges for using your debit card outside of Australia. For context, we’ve added what Wise charges to give you a real world comparison.

As seen on 29 April 2024

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

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

On their website Bendigo Bank has a foreign exchange calculator you can use to know what exchange rate you’ll get when ordering foreign cash or sending money abroad. Here’s a comparison of what the recipient would get if you sent $100 AUD overseas to a USD bank account with Bendigo Bank and the non-bank Wise Debit card.

As seen on 2 May 2024

In this instance you get more value for money from Wise than Bendigo Bank. The difference in the two exchange rates could be explained if Bendigo Bank applies a margin to their rates.

Unfortunately Bendigo Bank does not share how they determine their debit card exchange rates on their website, or whether they or Mastercard set it. This makes it tricky to know if there’s a margin applied.

With Wise you get the mid market rate, which is the middle point between the buy and sell rate on the international currency exchange. It’s a fair way to work it out and can be checked anytime online on the Wise website or through the Wise app.

What are the card spending limits with Bendigo Bank debit card

There are some limits to be aware of when using your Bendigo Bank card.³

• Default daily maximum withdrawal limit for ATMs is $1000
• Purchases completed with a Debit Mastercard are limited to the balance of the account

If you’d like to raise your ATM withdrawal limit you can do it online or speak to a Bendigo Bank customer service representative.

Dedicated foreign currency travel cards from Bendigo Bank

Rather than using your normal Bendigo Bank debit card, you could use a dedicated travel money card to spend while abroad. Here’s a few examples of travel money cards that are available to Australian consumers.

• Bendigo Bank Cash Passport Platinum Mastercard
• Westpac Worldwide Wallet
• Travelex Travel Card
• Qantas Travel Card
• Travel Money Oz Currency Pass

Keep in mind before your travel

Here’s a few other things to keep in mind before you set off on your travels.

• It’s worth having a look at the current mid-market exchange rate so you have an idea of how the Australian dollar compares to the currency of the countries you’re visiting.
• Depending on the country it may be useful to have some cash in the local currency so you can pay for airport transfers or similar on arrival. There are a few ways to get cash, including ordering it in Australia, using an airport currency exchange service or withdrawing cash from a foreign ATM when you arrive at your destination.
• To help protect yourself and your finances it’s worth considering getting travel insurance. Travel insurance is there to protect you if the unexpected happens during your journey.

Blocking your Bendigo Bank card if your card gets lost or stolen abroad

If your Bendigo Bank card is compromised while you're overseas you can report it as lost or stolen over the phone or instantly via your e-banking.⁴ The overseas phone number to report a lost or stolen card is +61 3 5485 7872.

Placing a temporary block on your card

If you’ve lost your card and you think there’s a chance it might turn up again, you can temporarily block the card using your e-banking.

1. Login to e-banking or the Bendigo Bank app
2. Select “Cards”
3. Choose the card you want to block
4. Press “Temporarily block card”

When you want to unblock the card, navigate back to the same screen and tap the “Unblock card” option.

Reporting your card as lost or stolen

In the event that your card is lost or stolen, you can immediately act and report it online.

1. Login to e-banking or the Bendigo Bank app
2. Select “Cards”
3. Choose the card you need to report
4. Check that the postal address for the new card is correct
5. Tap “Report card lost or stolen” to confirm you want to proceed

Your old card will be cancelled and a new one issued.

Contacting Bendigo Bank from overseas

To contact Bendigo Bank while abroad you can call their international number, which is + 61 3 5445 0666. If you have a question before you depart their Australian number is 1300 236 344.

Travel with Wise

With a Wise Account you can hold money in 40+ currencies and spend it in 150+ 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 transparent 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. If you don’t have local currency converted, it uses smart technology to auto-convert your money at the mid-market rate, for a transparent 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.

Join over 16 million customers currently using Wise. It’ll only take a few minutes to register and see what’s inside.

Register your Wise account
in minutes

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Sources: