Using your St.George debit card abroad. The lowdown

If you’re preparing to head overseas, whether for the first time or as a traveller with plenty of experience, ensuring you have easy, reliable access to your funds is paramount.

If you’re a St.George customer that is hoping to use your debit card while overseas, there are a few details worth familiarising yourself with before you depart.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at any associated fees for using your debit card outside Australia including how exchange rates factor in, ways to keep your money secure while travelling and other important details.

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Can you use your St.George debit card overseas?

Yes, St.George does permit its customers to use their debit cards overseas to make payments or withdraw funds from an ATM.¹

However, there are different usage conditions and added fees for using your card abroad compared with using it in Australia.

While St.George offers a variety of debit cards, in this guide, we will focus on their everyday Complete Freedom account and linked Visa debit card.

What to do before you travel abroad with your St.George debit card

To ensure you are ready for any eventuality, there are a few key steps you should take before departing regarding your St.George debit card.

Firstly, as a protective measure, banks and other financial institutions monitor your account for unusual activity. As a result, any unexpected overseas transactions may cause your account to be blocked or suspended.

To avoid this, you must alert St.George about your travel plans in advance. This usually means advising them about your travel dates and countries you will visit while away.

St.George directs its customers to do this in one of two ways¹:

1. Via the St.George Mobile Banking App or
2. Online through the St.George Internet Banking platform

Additionally, as contactless payments are not always offered outside of Australia, it is also a good idea to reconfirm your PIN and commit it to memory.

What are the fees to use your St.George debit card abroad

St.George allows its debit card holders to make payments or withdraw money at any ATM or EFTPOS terminal that is part of the Global ATM alliance or that features the Visa logo. ¹

The fees and charges for this are outlined in the below table.

As seen on 08 April 2024

What exchange rate does St.George use for your overseas foreign currency payments?

All purchases or withdrawals made overseas using your St.George debit card will be converted to Australian Dollars (AUD) by Visa.

The rate applied is either a wholesale market rate selected by Visa or a government-mandated rate.³

For instance, Visa’s currency converter at the time of writing places USD$1 equivalent to AUD$1.527182. This includes a mark-up over the European Central Bank Rate of 0.58%.⁴

This means that should you withdraw USD$100 from your account using your Suncorp Everyday Options debit card while in the US, you can expect to receive around AUD$152.718235.

Any ATM service fees or St.George withdrawal fees will also apply, plus the 3% currency conversion fee levied by St.George.²

What are the card spending limits with the St.George debit card

The daily spending limits for your St.George debit card are as follows³:

• AUD$1000 for cash withdrawals made via an ATM or EFTPOS facility
• AUD$8000 for purchases made using the card via EFTPOS, over the phone, or online

The cash withdrawal limit can be raised to AUD$2000 daily through Internet Banking, Phone Banking or visiting a St.George Branch.

For changes to your purchase limit, this can only be done via Phone Banking or by visiting a St.George branch.

As these limits apply in AUD, it is wise to consider how currency exchange rates may influence how quickly you reach these limits.

Dedicated foreign currency travel cards from St.George

St.George also offers a dedicated travel money card. This is a prepaid Mastercard called Worldwide Wallet.⁵

Using a travel money card in place of a debit card can help you save on fees and charges, secure a more favourable exchange rate and reduce the security risks to your account when overseas.

Other alternatives for dedicated travel money cards include options from:

• Wise
• Travelex
• Westpac
• Commbank

Keep in mind before your travel

No matter where you’re travelling to, this checklist can help you be as prepared as possible concerning your money.

• Always advise your bank of your travel plans and ensure all card expiry dates are okay
• If possible, travel with a mix of foreign currency, bank-issued debit or credit cards and a dedicated travel money card. This will ensure you’re prepared for anything.
• Invest in a comprehensive travel insurance policy to cover any emergency medical bills, thefts, luggage or other unexpected costs.

Blocking your St.George card if your card gets lost or stolen abroad

If your card is lost or stolen while overseas, you must quickly take steps to protect your account.

St.George advises this is best done via their app. Through it, you can either report your card as lost using the self-serve features or call a St.George representative. ¹

Contacting St.George from overseas

To contact St.George about using your debit card in Australia or overseas, you can do so via:

• 133 800 within Australia
• +61 2 9155 7818 from overseas

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.

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