Using your card abroad

You don't need to tell us if you're going away 🛫 
We won’t block your card if we see you using it in a different country. Instead, we'll tell you the local exchange rate when you arrive, and send you a spending summary of your trip when you get home.

We don't charge any fees for paying by card when abroad 🙅‍♂️
We also don’t mark up the exchange rate, so you’re always getting the best possible deal. Some card machines ask if you want to pay in pounds instead, so make sure you pick the local currency for the best exchange rate.

Understand your overseas ATM cash withdrawal fees 
There is a fee of 3% for withdrawing cash over your ATM limits.

Those who meet the criteria for higher allowances get unlimited fee-free cash withdrawals in the UK and EEA, and fee-free withdrawals on up to £200 everywhere else.

Those who have Monzo Plus get unlimited fee-free cash withdrawals in the UK and EEA, and fee-free withdrawals on up to £400 everywhere else.

Monzo Premium users get unlimited fee-free cash withdrawals in the UK and EEA, and fee-free withdrawals on up to £600 everywhere else.

You can read more about this in the Fees & Allowances home, or by visiting ‘ATM Allowances’ in the 'Manage' tab of your Monzo Account.

The 30-day period for allowances resets exactly 30 days after your first withdrawal, rather than at the start of a new month. Your allowances are shared across any accounts you have. So if you have a joint account, your allowance is split across that account and your personal account: - For example, if you take out £150 on the 2nd of the month and £50 on the 5th, your allowance would reset on the 2nd and 5th day of the next month - If you made a third withdrawal before those dates, then we'd charge the withdrawal fee.

Just be aware that some ATMs will charge you a fee for taking out cash (which we don’t receive), so we recommend using a free machine whenever you can.

You may also need to activate your magstripe to use some foreign ATMs

If an ATM or card machine asks which account you'd like to use, we suggest picking 'credit', as it's usually the most reliable.

Take a spare card, just in case

Your Monzo card should work anywhere that accepts Mastercard, and it does work in the vast majority of cases, but some customers do report occasional issues. It's always a good idea to have a back-up, just in case. The Community Forum is the best place to ask questions about specific locations – and there are lots of travel tips there, too.