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I’ve been traveling for almost 20 years, and until this year I hadn’t found a good spending solution.

I’m sure the stress (before I heard of Revolut) sounds familiar. For 20 years I went back and forth with:

Should I exchange money at the airport, or take money out from an ATM?

Why tf is my bank charging me so much more in exchange rate fees?

Wait, the bank charges a conversion fee AND an international transaction fee?!

I’d come to the conclusion that this was what it meant to be privledged to travel overseas – that you had to suck it up and eat the bank fees.

This past year though, I’ve traveled with Revolut in my wallet (both my phsical wallet, and my Apple wallet). And it’s saved me serious money.

Revolut is financial website and digital app used by 35+ million people, with the tools you need to easily spend, transfer, and protect your money overseas. You can set up accounts in multiple currencies, get a debit card for travel, and you can do it for no monthly fee on the Standard plan.

It’s quick to sign up for a standard account, and there is no monthly fee. If you click here you get a 3 month trial of Revolut premium (higher limits on ATM withdrawrals & currency exchange).

There are already a million Revolut reviews (spoiler – it’s trusted), so why bother writing another? Because the look of that sexy black metal card in my wallet ACTUALLY excites me.

So read on to get excited with me – Revolut is now the only way I spend my money. 

Revolut Travel Card Review: Why I Only Spend Money With Revolut

I’m so Happy EXCITED using Revolut

All photos in this post are of the metal card, only available on the Metal plan

I didn’t want to write about ‘just another travel card’ until I had very thoroughly tested it and finally found a permanent solution. So since May I have used my Revolut card in the UK, Greece, Spain, Australia, and Morocco.

It’s the best travel card I’ve had, has changed the way I spend money, and I do get a mini adrenalin kick whenever I see the exchange rate they charge me, and realize that I’ve just beaten the banks.

Though I do wonder if it really counts as saving if I buy another mojito with the extra cash?!

Here are 10 quick reasons to love Revolut before jumping into the full details:

• No monthly fee on Standard plan, paid plans available
• Can top-up and hold accounts in several currencies
• Make payments in 150+ countries
• Phsyical debit card
• Withdrawals at over 55,000 ATMs worldwide (Up to plan’s limits)
• Track your spending in the Revolut app
• Quick currency conversions for 30+ currencies
• Great value with the Revolut exchange rate
• Compatible with Google Pay and Apple Pay
• Fantastic security features for travelers

Who are Revolut?

Revolut is a British financial technology company who have built an amazing reputation since starting in 2015.

They offer banking and travel cards, with accounts for multiple currencies, and while these work the same as opening an account with a linked debit card with any other traditional bank, Revolut was specifically created to help you make the most of your money.

They have great features like instant accounts, and virtual cards, unlimited foreign exchange (fees may apply outside of plan allowance), and cashback on specific purchases. You can convert currencies in an instant and load up to 30+ currencies on your travel money card, without having to exchange money at the airport again.

I’ve made cash withdrawrals in both Morocco, the UK, and Greece, on amazing exchange rates, basically as if my account was local.

After having put it to the test over the course of 6 months, Revolut has saved me a lot of money.

Withdrawing Money from ATMs

Spoiler: No Fee Withdrawals / Great Rates / Find ATMs in the App

When you open an account with Revolut, you instantly get access to virtual cards, which I linked to my Apple Wallet and was using to pay for things the next day (good reason to go through McDonalds for coffee – I needed to test Revolut!).

And I’ve paid for most things using my virtual Revolut card, including the London Tube, which I was incredibly impressed when I found I could just tap my phone on either end without having to fight with a ticket machine.

But despite most of the world being cash free, I still always stop by an ATM.

I’ve always found I need cash at some point when I’m traveling. There’s always amazing street food, or someone to tip, or your phone battery dies because you’re using it 10 times more than at home, from taking 1,000 selfies, to constantly running Google maps.

And in many countries still, cash is king.

Withdrawing money from overseas ATMs can be expensive using a home bank card, and cost you a lot of money in fees.

But Revolut allows you to withdraw money from ATMs overseas without fees, within limits per month depending on the plan you’re on. I’ve taken money out in both Greece and Morocco, and it was stupidly easy.

Make sure you activate your card, set up your pin number, and turn ATM withdrawrals ON within the mobile app. If you don’t want to make ATM withdrawrals, you can turn this off, which is extra security in case your card is lost.

Pro tip: Within the mobile app is an ATM locator, which allows you to share your locaiton and it will find ATMs nearby.

Fees may apply outside of your plan allowance and ATM operator may charge their own fees.

Best Currency Exchange Rate

Spoiler: It beat the Google exchange rate for me

Revolut offers one of the best exchange rates around which is why they’re one of the most popular options for travel cards.

There’s even a currency converter on their website (and in the app) where you can check the real exchange rate at that moment in time.

If you really want to get the most out of your money, you can set up multiple currency accounts, and convert your money to the local currency you plan to use when the exhange rate is at it’s best. This is called locking in your exchange rate.

Or, if you know it doesn’t really fluctuate too much, you can keep your money in your home currency account (AUD for me), and when you spend on Revolut, it converts your money based on the exchange rate of the day.

I personally leave my money in AUD because I find it simpler. Market exchange rates are changing all the time, almost every day, and I personally don’t find value in spending my time keeping an eye on the rates to decide when I’ll get the most of an exchange.

You can definitely do this, but I found I saved money all the same.

If you’re a digital nomad and you’re recieving payments in multiple currencies, Revolut accounts are also a great way to recieve money in foreign currencies without the crazy foreign currency fees, or PayPal exchange rates.

There is a weekend markup on exchange rates, so keep this in mind.

Track Your Spending in the Revolut App

The Revolut app is seriously good, and it’s very easy to track your spending, and do everything you need to do from your phone.

Keeping in mind that there is no traditional phone or in-branch banking with Revolut, everything is based off the app. Which is fortunately one of the easiest, most well thought-out and use intuitive apps I’ve used.

Through the app, you can see all of your individual transactions, and there are also instant spending notifications – alerts for transactions in and out of your account.

You can add money to your accounts, add new and exchange money between your currency accounts, access your currency converter, pull up your statements, set a monthly budget, set a spending limit on your cards.

If you’re spending one currency, and pulling it from your base currency account (ie me spending Euro in Europe, without having converted my AUD), each transaction shows you both the amount you spent in your currency, and the amount you spent in the foreign.

Choosing the Right Plan for You

Revolut Standard – No Fee

The Revolut standard plan is fantastic, and doesn’t have monthly account fees. There are no fees for ATM withdrawals ($350/m limit), it comes with one debit card, and there are no currency exchange fees from Monday to Friday, to a $2,000 per month limit.

• Account fee – $0
• Australian ATM fee – $0 (up to $350/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that
• Foreign transaction fee – 0%- 1.5% (depending on amount and when the transfer is made)
• Overseas ATM fee – $0 (up to $350/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that

This is an account and card you can use at both home and abroad, with no catches or hidden fees if you use it within the above limits. 

It comes with a Revolut Visa card that connects to their app and your digital wallets, and you can spend money in over 150+ countries.

Honestly, this has everything you need if you want a basic no fills spending solution. But there are also paid plans you can consider, with some great extra features if they better suit your lifestyle.

Revolut Premium – Click here for a 3 month trial

• Account fee: $9.99/month
• Australian ATM fee: $0 (up to $700/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that
• Foreign transaction fee: 0%- 1.5% (depending on amount and when the transfer is made)
• Overseas ATM fee: $0 (up to $700/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that

With the Premium Revolut account, you pay a $9.99 AUD monthly account fee, and have benefits you don’t get with the standard account.

Premium users have transfers in 30+ major currencies up to a $20,000 monthly limit (Monday to Friday, otherwise an additional 1% fee is charged). The no-fee ATM withdrawal limit is also raised to $700 AUD.

You can choose the color of your Visa card, get priority customer support with the app, and can access disposable virtual cards for greater online security (these cards regenerate after every transaction keeping your card details safe).

You also get discounts to LoungeKey Passes which offer access to over 1,000 airport lounges around the world and can buy these within the app.

Click this link to get a 3 month trial of their premium account.

Revolut Metal – The Plan I’m On Personally

• Account fee: $24.99/month
• Australian ATM fee: $0 (up to $1,400/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that
• Foreign transaction fee: 0%-1% (depending on when the transfer is made)
• Overseas ATM fee: $0 (up to $1,400/month) and 2% of withdrawal amount after that

The Revolut Metal account has everything the Premium tier has to offer, but it does also come with a fancy Revolut Metal card. This is the plan I am personally on, and the Metal card is the card you see in my photos.

Metal users are also the only customers able to take advantage of the Revolut’s cashback feature. That includes 1% cashback for card payments made outside of Australia and 0.1% cashback for those made within Australia.

There is a cashback limit for metal plan, up to the cost of the plan.

Comparison of Revolut Account Plans

My travel spending and lifestyle might not be the same as yours, so do make your own decision about the plan which is right for you.

My recommendation: Check out the standard account for yourself (or take advantage of the premium trial while it lasts) and then check out the paid options if you think an upgrade aligns with what you need.

This table is correct as of December 2023, but before deciding which account is right for you, I recommend you go to the Revolut website to check if anything has changed.

 

Security

I’ve been seriously impressed with Revolut’s security features, and this is not something I found mentioned in other online reviews, so I think it’s well worth writing about.

The Revolut mobile app is full of security you can tailor to your needs. While I open my online account on my browser with my passcode, I open the phone app using FaceID for extra security.

Their offer of disposable virtual cards for premium account users is fantastic. This is a single use virtual card for online shopping, which is good for one use, and then expires.

If you’re worried about entering your card details into a foreign computer while you’re traveling, or perhaps you’re forced to use public WiFi to buy something, you can use this disposable virtual card and not have to worry about exposing the main.

You can lock or freeze any cards whenever you need. And within each card settings, you have the option to tailor your card security to your needs, turning features on and off like online shopping, swipe payments, ATM withdrawrals, and contactless payments.

These security features do work, as the first time I tried to use my Revolut card, it declined my attempt at a contactless payment. I went into the settings, toggled contactless payments ON, and the payment then worked (check your card settings before you use).

I’ve also never had my account frozen or locked because I was spending in a foreign country, as most banks tend to do. That said, spending money overseas is the whole point of Revolut!

How to Sign Up

Offering an efficient foreign currency exchange service, no-fee ATM withdrawals, and no hidden fees when it comes to transfers, Revolut is baggage free!

Signing up to Revolut is all done via their app.

Click here and then you’ll provide your mobile number, name, address, and payment details (if you’re signing up for a Premium or Metal account).

Opening an account is instant, and you can then add money with your account details as you would by making any other domestic transfer.

Revolut will send the corresponding debit card to your given address, which you can then activate (remember to set up your security features) in the app before you start using it.

It’s that simple and easy!

Summary

So now I exclusively travel with Revolut in my wallet.

Check out Revolut’s website to find out more and see if it’s right for you.

I’m home from my last trip and still have $62.07 sitting in my Revolut account. If I had come home with that in cash, I would have lost it to my jars of leftover foreign currency.

While I could transfer it back to my main bank, I’ll leave it sitting there knowing I’m using Revolut again, the next time I travel.