Revolut card UK - fees, features and more

If you’re looking for a fuss-free current account with a debit card that you can manage on your smartphone, Revolut could be a great option for you.

It’s a digital financial company, which works in a similar way to a traditional bank even though it’s not one. Through Revolut, you can get a UK current account and a debit card for everyday spending. And you can manage it all through the Revolut app.

In this guide, we’re going to look at the Revolut card in particular, covering everything you need to know about features, fees and how to apply.

We’ll also touch on what the Revolut card UK is like for international spending, along with alternatives such as the Wise debit card. With low-fee international spending and the fairest exchange rates around, a Wise card could potentially save you money and be a much better fit.

Learn more

But more on that later. First, let’s look at the features of the Revolut card for different price plans.

Revolut card features - for Standard, Plus, Premium and Metal plans

Revolut offers a choice of price plans to new customers. These are Standard, Plus, Premium and the rather exciting-sounding Metal plan.

Each plan goes up a level in terms of price and features, and comes with a slightly different Revolut card.

Revolut Standard debit card¹

There’s no monthly cost to pay for this basic Revolut plan. Sign up for a free Standard plan and you’ll get a standard contactless Visa debit card with the following features:

• International spending
• Security controls, such as card freezing, setting spending limits and activating/deactivating contactless payments from within the Revolut app
• Up to £200 a month free ATM withdrawals
• Standard card design
• Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Revolut Plus debit card¹

Pay a little more for your Revolut plan and you’ll get a Plus contactless Visa debit card with the following features and benefits:

• International spending
• Security controls, such as card freezing, setting spending limits and activating/deactivating contactless payments from within the Revolut app
• Up to £200 a month free ATM withdrawals
• Customisable card design
• 24/7 priority customer support
• Up to £1,000 a year purchase protection
• Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Revolut Premium debit card¹

At the higher end of the Revolut price plan scale is Premium. For a higher monthly fee, you’ll get a rather stylish-looking contactless Visa debit card with the following features:

• Fee-free international spending
• Security controls, such as card freezing, setting spending limits and activating/deactivating contactless payments from within the Revolut app
• Up to £400 a month free ATM withdrawals
• Customisable card design, plus access to a range of exclusive card designs
• 24/7 priority customer support
• Up to £2,500 a year purchase protection
• Access to unlimited disposable virtual cards for safer online shopping
• No fee currency exchange
• Overseas medical insurance cover
• Delayed baggage and flight insurance
• Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Revolut Metal debit card¹

This is Revolut’s all-singing, all-dancing ‘rockstar’ account. Pay the top monthly price for a Metal account and you’ll get the brand’s iconic contactless Visa debit card. This has a full list of features and perks, including:

• Fee-free international spending
• Security controls, such as card freezing, setting spending limits and activating/deactivating contactless payments from within the Revolut app
• Up to £800 a month free ATM withdrawals
• Exclusive Revolut Metal card design
• Cashback on card payments (0.1% inside Europe, 1% outside Europe)
• 24/7 priority customer support
• Up to £10,000 a year purchase protection
• Access to unlimited disposable virtual cards for safer online shopping
• No fee currency exchange
• Overseas medical insurance cover
• Delayed baggage and flight insurance
• Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

How to apply for the Revolut card

It’s relatively quick and easy to get a Revolut card in the UK. All you need to do is:

1. Download the Revolut app
2. Register with your phone number, name, email address, home address and date of birth
3. Verify your identity using your passport, driving licence or other ID card - you can do all this through the app
4. Choose a Revolut price plan and card. You can also head to the ‘Cards’ tab on the app and order a physical card. Make sure to enter your delivery address carefully, to make sure your new card is sent to the right place
5. Once approved, you’ll receive your new Revolut card between 3-9 working days², depending whether you choose standard or express delivery.

To activate your new Revolut card, you’ll just need to make a chip and PIN payment at a physical shop or ATM.

Is there a Revolut credit card?

Revolut has recently launched its own credit card, but it’s not yet available to all customers in all countries³. It’s currently only being offered to a limited number of customers. Keep an eye on the Revolut UK site to see when credit cards will be available to all UK app users.

Fees and charges for Revolut card UK customers

We’ve looked at the different features of Revolut cards on all four price plans, but how much will it actually cost you to use your card? Let’s run through the main fees and charges you need to know about⁴:

How does the Revolut card work abroad?

The Revolut card is a popular choice with travellers, as you can use it to spend abroad with low or no transaction fees. It also offers the mid-market exchange rate on many currencies - although crucially, not all. Revolut sometimes adds a mark-up depending on how frequently a particular currency is traded⁴.

You can use it like any other debit card, tapping to pay wherever contactless payments are accepted.

But there is a catch. Revolut charges an extra 1% fee for exchanges⁴ carried out on weekends and bank holidays. This means that any weekend card payments you make in another currency could become more expensive. Safe to say, this isn’t ideal for travellers heading off on weekend mini breaks.

The Wise debit card - a money-saving alternative for international spending

If you’re worried about the weekend currency conversion fees with Revolut, get the Wise international debit card instead.

There’s no uncertainty about when and where you can spend with this handy contactless card and virtual card feature. You can spend with no transaction fees in 200+ countries, and only a tiny conversion fee if you don’t already have the currency in your account. You can even use mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay. Better still, you’ll always get the real, mid-market exchange rate.

Your Wise debit card is linked to your multi-currency account, from which you can hold 50+ currencies at one and send money all over the world with low fees. You can even manage your spending on the move using the handy Wise app.

Join Wise today

So, that’s pretty much it - everything you need to know about the Revolut card in the UK. We’ve covered the features and fees of different price plans, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and budget.

We’ve also looked at using the Revolut card abroad, and alternatives like Wise which could save you money - as well as offering more freedom. You should be all set to get your new debit card and start spending.

Sources used for this article:

Sources checked on 25 February 2021