Using your NAB debit card abroad. The lowdown

Preparing for your travels is more than just packing your suitcase and making it to the airport. How you are going to access your money abroad is something that can go overlooked if you haven’t travelled before. If you bank with the National Australia Bank or NAB as it's more recognised by, then you’ll need to understand if and how your debit card is going to work overseas. We’ll answer this and go through some of the fees and things to keep in mind when spending your money abroad.

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Can you use your NAB debit card overseas?

Yes, you can use your NAB debit card overseas. In fact, you can use it anywhere Visa cards are accepted. You’ll also be able to withdraw money from ATMs just like in Australia.¹ However, using your card abroad can be a bit different than using it here in Australia and can come with extra fees and security considerations.

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

Sometimes using your card abroad for the first time can be flagged as suspicious foreign activity in NAB’s fraud monitoring system. When this happens, your card can be blocked. To avoid this happening and leaving you stranded you should²:

• Tell NAB your travel plans before you go
• Check your accounts and cards are travel enabled
• Learn about the security features in your NAB app
• Get to know how to contact NAB in an emergency.

One key thing to do is to research your destination and get to know what kind of payment methods are most accepted to help you prepare.

What are the fees to use your NAB debit card abroad

NAB offers two types of debit cards that are linked with their everyday account. These are the NAB Visa debit card and the NAB platinum Visa debit card. Here’s a breakdown of some of the common fees to use each card abroad.

As seen on 23 September, 2023

As you can see, if you choose to upgrade to the NAB Platinum Visa debit card and pay a monthly account fee, you can save on foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases.

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

When a transaction requires a conversion from using your card, it will be exchanged using the current Visa exchange rate at the time of the purchase.⁵ NAB does not state whether a further margin is added by Visa, so we’ll create an example transaction using their online tool.

We’ll compare a USD transaction using the available debit cards.⁶

These rates are current as of the 23rd September, 2023

As you can see, there is a slight margin incorporated into the conversion fee offered by Visa outside of any NAB specific fees.⁶

What are the card spending limits with NAB debit card

When it comes to making purchases on your NAB debit card, whatever is available in your account is what can be spent. However, there is a $2000 daily limit on ATM withdrawals which cannot be changed.¹

Dedicated foreign currency travel cards from NAB

There are no dedicated foreign currency travel cards available from NAB. The NAB Platinum Visa debit card is recommended by NAB for taking overseas.⁷

Keep in mind before your travel

Don’t add any unnecessary stress to your trip. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make your journey as stress free as possible.

• Take out International travel insurance
• Check your card expiry and change pin number where needed²
• Bring along extra payment methods
• Try and stick to a travel budget
• Have ways to your cards and cash safe
• Learn about the security features within the NAB app
• Only use reputable cash exchange or ATM machines
• Organise an international data roaming plan or a local sim on arrival

This list is not exhaustive, so it is recommended to take your own due diligence before you leave.

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

If you do run into an emergency and your card goes missing, here is how you can quickly block your card before your funds are completely drawn down.⁸

1. Login in to your NAB app
2. Click on the card icon in the bottom panel
3. Choose the card you want to block
4. Click through the prompts to temporarily block your card

This feature within the NAB app can be reversed using the same steps. If you do need a new card as it’s been stolen rather than misplaced, you should report this to NAB immediately. You can do this through the NAB app or by giving the NAB support line a call.

Contacting NAB from overseas

If you need to contact NAB for any reason to do with your debit card, you can:

• Reach out to their support team through the NAB app
• Call from within Australia on 13 22 65
• Call from overseas on +61 3 8641 9083

These numbers can be reached anytime Monday to Friday between 8 am to 7 pm (AEST) or on Saturday and Sunday between 9 am to 6 pm (AEST).

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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