NatWest travel credit cards: comparison and review

Planning a getaway or a longer vacation anytime soon? Wherever it is that you’ll be travelling to, you’ll need to think about how you’ll be spending while you’re away.

Using your main credit card outside the UK can sometimes be a large additional expense, so it’s a good idea to consider travel credit cards. Also, the rewards that come with them might help you cover part of your trip. In this guide, we’ll tell you all about the NatWest travel credit card and how it can help you save money while travelling.

We’ll also show you an alternative for spending abroad – the Wise card from the money services provider Wise. It’s designed for travel, letting you spend in the local currency in 150+ countries worldwide for low, transparent fees* and mid-market exchange rates.

Learn more about the Wise card 💳

What is the NatWest travel credit card?

NatWest’s signature travel credit card is called the Travel Reward card. Each time you use it to spend, you get rewards and discounts, so your trips end up being cheaper. When you earn 5 rewards worth only £5, you can start using them.¹

Don’t confuse this with the NatWest Reward credit card, since they are two completely separate cards with different features. If you’re looking for a card that you could use abroad, the Reward credit card is not the ideal choice. It has foreign transaction fees which can grow to be quite an expense when travelling and there’s also an annual fee.²

NatWest travel credit card’s benefits

One of the most important benefit is that there are no foreign transaction fees on any purchases you make abroad. Foreign transaction fees seem small, but once you add them up, you see that they can become a big part of your travel budget. If you use this card while travelling, you’ll be left with money to spend somewhere else.¹

The rewards you get when using your NatWest travel money credit card are its main selling point. You get 0.1% cashback whenever you spend and 1% if you pay for certain travel expenses. This includes planes, car rental and hotels.¹

You can also earn from 1% to 15% in rewards when spending with NatWest partner retailers. This includes Booking, National Express and many more. You can see the full list in the NatWest app.¹

And lastly, since this is a Visa card, you’ll be able to use it anywhere where you see a Visa logo.

Does the NatWest credit card have travel insurance?

No, NatWest doesn’t have any credit cards with travel insurance included, so you’ll need to take care of that separately.³

NatWest travel credit card

Here’s a quick overview of the NatWest travel credit card:

Next, let’s have a closer look at the card’s features

NatWest Travel Reward

The NatWest travel credit card offers many perks that will help you enjoy your travels even more and save money while doing so.

Each time you tap your card, you get 0.1% of the amount spent back into your account. What’s more, when you spend on select travel expenses, you earn 1% back. This includes various transportation methods such as flights, trains, ferries, buses and car rental, but also hotels, travel agents, cruises and much more.¹

Besides this, you can earn 1% in rewards for spending with selected NatWest partner retailers. This includes Booking, Enterprise, National Express and others. There will also be personalised offers that could help you save up to 15%.¹

Once you get your rewards, you can choose what you want to do with them. One option is turning them into cash or into e-codes which you can use with NatWest partner retailers. However, you can also choose to donate to charity.¹

The representative APR and the purchase rate are both 27.9%. This is based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200.¹

This card is only available to UK residents over 18. The minimum annual income requirement is £10,000.¹

NatWest Travel Reward travel credit card’s fees

Last but not least, let’s look at NatWest travel credit card fees.

The NatWest travel credit card doesn’t have any monthly or annual fees. When you make purchases abroad, you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees either, which makes it a great travel companion.¹

However, if you want to use the NatWest travel credit card to withdraw money, you can expect a 3% fee with a £3 minimum. That’s why it’s best to avoid foreign ATM withdrawals whenever you can and get the necessary amount of cash back home.

The 3% handling fee also applies to all other advances. When it comes to instalment plan fees, they exist but they’re not specified, so you might want to ask about them directly.

There’s a minimum monthly repayment for this card which can be either:

• £5 (or the full balance if it’s less than this)
• Interest + default charges + 1/12th of the annual fee + 1% of the remaining balance
• Double the amount of that month’s interest + default charges + instalment plan fee + £1.

Whichever of these three is the greatest will end up being the monthly repayment charge.⁴

A great alternative for low-cost spending abroad - the Wise card

Looking to do some travelling and need a convenient and cost-effective card?

Get yourself a Wise card and you can spend at the mid-market exchange rate in 150+ countries, whenever you want.

Open a Wise account online and you can get a Wise card for a one-time cost of just £7. Your card automatically converts currency whenever you spend, so you don’t need to worry about preloading foreign currency to your account or converting cash. There’s only a small conversion fee* to pay.

And if you need cash, your Wise card has you covered. You can withdraw up to £200 a month (max 2 withdrawals) from ATMs for free (although double-check that the ATM operator doesn’t charge its own fee).

Sign up with Wise today 💰

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 06-Sep-2024