Using Debit Card Abroad | Spending Abroad

HSBC UK
International Services
Using your card abroad

Take the perfect travel companion with you

Heading somewhere nice this year? You can use your HSBC debit and credit cards easily outside the UK, the same way you would at home.

At a glance

Enjoy flexibility and convenience

You can use your debit or credit card at shops, restaurants and cash machines while you’re away. Plus you can use contactless* wherever it’s accepted.
Keep track of your holiday spends

Use our mobile banking app or online banking to keep track of your spending outside the UK. That way, you’ll have no nasty surprises on your statement when you arrive back home.
Relax knowing you can block your card

If you think your card’s been lost or stolen, you can freeze or block it with our online or mobile banking – and unblock it if it turns up again.

*Fees apply when using your card outside the UK. Please see our frequently asked questions for full details.

Top tip – it pays to go local

If you’re using your card outside the UK and are given the choice of paying in pounds or local currency, consider choosing local currency. By selecting this option, you’ll avoid dynamic currency conversion fees and in most cases will get a better exchange rate.

How much will it cost to use my HSBC debit card in restaurants and shops?

If you pay using your HSBC debit card while you’re away you’ll be charged a 2.75% 'non-sterling transaction fee’. Here’s how much you’d be charged for purchases in shops and restaurants etc.
If you spend	You will pay a fee of
£10	28p
£25	69p
£40	£1.10
£50	£1.38
£75	£2.06
£100	£2.75

How much will it cost to use my HSBC debit card in restaurants and shops?

If you pay using your HSBC debit card while you’re away you’ll be charged a 2.75% 'non-sterling transaction fee’. Here’s how much you’d be charged for purchases in shops and restaurants etc.
If you spend	£10
You will pay a fee of	28p

If you spend	£25
You will pay a fee of	69p

If you spend	£40
You will pay a fee of	£1.10

If you spend	£50
You will pay a fee of	£1.38

If you spend	£75
You will pay a fee of	£2.06

If you spend	£100
You will pay a fee of	£2.75

Credit card charges are slightly different. For details, please see our frequently asked questions, below.

Visa converts transactions into sterling using the Visa Exchange Rate applicable on the day it processes the transaction (the rates are provided by Visa and subject to change). This date may be different to the day on which the transaction took place. Historic exchange rate information is available at www.visaeurope.com

How much will it cost to withdraw money from an ATM with my HSBC debit card?

A non-sterling transaction fee of 2.75% applies to conversion on foreign exchange transactions for all HSBC account holders.

HSBC Bank Account holders are charged a non-sterling cash fee of 2% (minimum £1.75, maximum £5.00) when withdrawing non-sterling cash. However, there is no non-sterling cash fee for HSBC Premier, HSBC Premier MyAccount or HSBC Advance customers when using ATMs.

Credit card charges are slightly different. See our frequently asked questions, below, for details.

Making payments in Europe

If you live in Europe or you're travelling to another European country soon, it's worth knowing about rules designed to make payments safer.

New EU legislation, such as the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2), has been introduced to enable better security, easier payments away from home and fairer rules around pricing and charges. This leaflet gives you more information on these rules and how they affect your rights when making payments in Europe.

Your rights when making payments in Europe This link will open in a new window

We’re aware this document may not be fully accessible using assistive technologies such as a screen reader. If you would like this information in a different format, please call us on 03457 404 404 and request the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, BSL or large print.

Lines are open 08:00 - 20:00 every day. From outside the UK, call +44 1226 261 010

You can also request a physical copy of the leaflet at one of our branches.

Heading off on your travels?

Travel with confidence, knowing we’ll look out for any unusual spending on your accounts - just as we do when you’re at home.

Please make sure your contact details are up to date.

That means we can get in touch if and when we need to. We’ll also be able to tell you about our latest travel products and services. Updating your contact details doesn’t affect your marketing preferences.

How to let us know

1. Log on to online banking.

2. Select ‘Notify us of travel’ in the ‘My banking’ section.

3. Go to ‘Create new travel plan’ and complete the form.

4. Select ‘Back to my accounts’.

To check your personal details after completing the travel form:

1. Select ‘Personal and address details’ in the ‘My banking’ section.

2. Update your mobile phone number and email address.

We don’t use the mobile number you give in the form to contact you if any fraud is suspected, only for travel notifications and offers.

We’ll use the phone number you give under ‘Personal and address details’ if we need to contact you urgently.

Log on to online banking to let us know you're travelling This link will open in a new window Register for online banking This link will open in a new window

Frequently Asked Questions

Using your cards outside the UK, in combination with your travel money, gives you more flexibility when managing your holiday money.

A debit card allows you to withdraw cash at ATMs and pay for purchases plus keep a track of your spending via online, mobile or telephone banking.

Credit cards can be useful when purchasing more expensive items because of your rights under the Consumer Credit Act 1975. However, please note fees and charges apply.

Debit card fees abroad
	Purchases	Withdrawals
HSBC Premier	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75%	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75%
HSBC Advance	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75%	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75%
Other HSBC accounts	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75%	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.75% Cash Fee 2% (Minimum £1.75, maximum £5.00)

When making a payment or withdrawing cash in a foreign currency (non-sterling) you may be asked if you want to pay in Sterling or the local currency. By selecting to pay in the local currency, HSBC will make the conversion using the relevant payment scheme exchange rate applied on the day the conversion is made.

Where you choose to make the payment / withdrawal in sterling, then HSBC will not make any conversion and this will be done by either the retailer or self-service machine owner. Some cash machine owners may apply an additional charge for withdrawals and this will be advised at the time of the withdrawal.

Credit card fees outside the UK
	Purchases	Withdrawals	More information
HSBC Credit Card	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Cash Fee 2.99% (minimum £3.00) Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Find out more
HSBC Premier Credit Card	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Cash Fee 2.99% (minimum £3.00) Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Find out more
HSBC Student Credit Card	Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Cash Fee 2.99% (minimum £3.00) Non-Sterling transaction fee 2.99%	Find out more

Travelling in the European Economic Area (EEA)?¹ See how paying in local currency on your HSBC credit or debit card compares to the European Central Bank (ECB)’s latest reference rates here.

This shows the percentage difference between the ECB reference rate and your HSBC card rates, depending on how you pay. You can find out more about these fees above.

^{1_{European Economic Area where you can pay in currency includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.}}

Using your card outside the UK

Take the perfect travel companion with you

At a glance

Top tip – it pays to go local

How much will it cost to use my HSBC debit card in restaurants and shops?

How much will it cost to use my HSBC debit card in restaurants and shops?

How much will it cost to withdraw money from an ATM with my HSBC debit card?

Making payments in Europe

Heading off on your travels?

How to let us know

To check your personal details after completing the travel form:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose which cards to take with me?

What are the debit card fees outside the UK?

What are the credit card fees abroad?

How much will I be charged paying in local currency in the European Economic Area (EEA)?

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