Using Starling Bank abroad: fees, rates and more

Have a holiday planned? If you’re planning to go overseas, you’ll need to sort out your spending. Using your everyday bank card can sometimes be expensive, as UK banks tend to charge high foreign transaction fees.

But how does it work with digital provider Starling Bank? In this helpful guide, we’ll take you through all the info you need about using Starling Bank abroad.

This includes fees for using your card outside the UK, exchange rates for currency conversion and international transfers too.

We’ll also show you an alternative - Wise, a powerful multi-currency account and card perfect for travel.

Does the Starling Bank card work abroad?

Yes, if you have a Starling Bank debit card, you can use it to spend money outside the UK.

You can use your card just like you would at home, paying for purchases in shops, restaurants and everywhere else that Mastercard and Visa payments are accepted.

You can also use your Starling Bank card to withdraw cash from foreign ATMs. Starling won’t charge you anything for this, but you’ll just need to watch out for ATM operators charging their own fees.

Fees for using Starling Bank cards abroad

Unlike some other banks, Starling Bank doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees for using your card overseas.¹

So, you can spend freely and withdraw cash whenever you need to, wherever you are in the world.

There’s also no fee for opening or maintaining the Starling Bank current account, or to get a debit card. Although replacement debit cards are £5 each (£10 if you’re overseas), so try your best not to lose yours. ¹

Are there any limits?

Banks usually have limits on how much you can spend or withdraw per day, especially for overseas transactions.

Here are the limits you need to know about with Starling Bank cards:²

Sending international payments with Starling Bank

You might also want to use your Starling Bank account to send and receive international payments. This service is available, but fees do apply.

Here’s the full list of fees for international transfers with Starling Bank:

What exchange rates does Starling Bank use to convert currency?

It’s just as important to check exchange rates as well as fees when researching how to use your UK-issued card abroad. This is the rate that currency will be converted at, so it has a big impact on how far your holiday spending money goes.

When you use your Starling Bank card to spend or withdraw in other currencies, the exchange rate used will be set by Mastercard. This rate is usually quite competitive, with not much of a mark-up on the mid-market exchange rate.

For info, this is the rate that banks use when trading currency with each other, and is considered to be one of the fairest you can get. Wise always uses the mid-market rate.

So what about international payments? When you send money abroad with your Starling Bank current account, the bank chooses the rate.

The good news is that Starling uses the mid-market exchange rate for currency conversions. Although it does add a small fee for currency conversion (0.4%) along with a fixed delivery fee of £5.50.³

You can check Starling’s exchange rates and fees for your chosen transfer in advance here on the bank’s website.

What you need to know before using your Starling Bank debit card abroad

You’ll be getting all excited for your upcoming holiday by now. But before you jet off on your holidays, there’s some information it could be useful to know about using your Starling Bank debit card outside the UK:

• You don’t need to notify Starling Bank in advance that you’ll be going abroad
• You can manage card security in the Starling Bank app while you’re away - this includes freezing your card if you lose it.
• You should always pay in the local currency when spending and withdrawing cash at an ATM. If you pay in the local currency, you’ll know what exchange rate is being used (usually the network provider’s rate, such as Mastercard in Starling’s case). But if you let the merchant or ATM provider do the conversion, they’ll choose their own rate and it’s unlikely to be favourable for you.

Spend worldwide for low fees and great rates with the Wise card

Of course, your bank’s debit card isn’t the only option for spending overseas. It’s always a good idea to compare what else is out there, as another card could suit your needs better.

The Wise card is the perfect holiday companion, as it’s contactless, works worldwide and is compatible with mobile wallets. Best of all, it has no foreign transaction fees.

Your Wise card can be used for spending and cash withdrawals in a whopping 40 currencies, in 150+ countries. This means that there’s no need for separate cards for multi-destination trips - you can do it all with just the one card.

Here are all the advantages at-a-glance:

• Open a Wise account online for free
• Get a Wise card for a one-time cost of just £7
• No monthly fees
• No foreign transaction fees
• Automatically converts currency at mid-market exchange rates
• Works worldwide, wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
• Withdraw up to £200 a month (max. 2 withdrawals) for free. Fee of 1.75% + 0.50 for withdrawals over this limit.

Wise is a money service business, offering a multi-currency account, international money transfer services and a debit card.

You can manage your card and account in the handy Wise app, wherever you are in the world. This includes options to freeze your card if you lose it.

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

And that’s it - everything you need to know about using Starling Bank abroad. We’ve covered all the main fees, plus exchange rate info.

It’s great that Starling Bank doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, making it a decent option for holiday spending. But if you’re after potentially better exchange rates, consider an alternative such as the Wise card instead.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 05-Aug-2023