A brand-new fintech company which I was presented to previously this year. What’s A Currensea Card…

It has actually won a few awards over recent months for what it does (providing you a low-cost way to invest abroad) however what I like about  is that it is basic as hell. This is a good thing.

is, efficiently, a direct debit travel card. You merely spend as you would on a regular debit card and the money is taken from your current account– just without the typical 3% cost.

Oh, and  is totally free to get, which also assists.

There are also some interesting travel benefits if you choose a paid plan, but the complimentary plan works fine. You can apply here.

There is a business design in fintech which Curve, Revolut, Monzo and so on have all followed:

launch by doing one thing well, and free of charge or less expensive than the competition
add more and more features which your existing clients don’t truly desire or need

include limitations, fees or charges to the feature that made people get your product in the first place, removing any competitive advantage
is currently still in Phase 1 of this process and will ideally stay there. Revolut, curve and monzo are already in Phase 3 …
is simple enough that it passes my ‘Can you discuss it to your mate in the club in 30 seconds?’ test:

What countries can I use Currensea? What’s A Currensea Card

It is a complimentary direct debit card to use abroad and which immediately charges all purchases to your existing current account in Sterling, less a little 0.5% cost.

That’s it.

You don’t (yet …) make any airline company miles or points for using it.

Why would I wish to get a card?
If you have a credit card offering 0% forex charges, then you don’t require a  card, unless you desire totally free ATM withdrawals. You can stop checking out now.

However, charge card which use benefits and charge 0% FX fees are scarce. The only ‘miles and points’ alternatives which offer a partial service are the Virgin Atlantic credit cards which have 0% FX charges in the Euro zone.

IS perhaps for you if:

you do not have a credit card offering 0% FX fees and do not wish to affect your credit report by getting another credit card specifically to utilize abroad
you desire a product which permits you to make �,� 500 of foreign currency ATM withdrawals each month without any costs and just a minimal FX mark-up (there is a little fee beyond �,� 500).
you desire an item for you, your adult children, parents, partner or anyone else in your life who requires a basic, easy to understand payment card that will save them cash when travelling.

How does  work in practice?
It is, as I stated earlier, an extremely simple process. You use your Currensea card in the same way as your existing debit card.

You make your purchase in regional currency (any currency, internationally).
Your current account bank immediately confirms that you have enough money in your account and authorises the deal.
The deal goes through at either the interbank rate or the Mastercard rate, depending on the currency. includes a 0.5% charge if you have the complimentary card. There are no charges if you have among their paid cards.
You get an automated spend notification through the app, if you pick to install it.
The money is taken from your current account a couple of days later on.
Here is an example. Without any foreign travel in the diary, I decided to splash out and purchase 1,000 MeliaRewards points for EUR5.

This is what you see in the Currensea app, which shows �,� 4.33 arranged to leave my HSBC account a couple of days later:.

However converting pounds was expensive.

A pet peeve of mine is when ATMs forewarn you about the daytime burglary that is practically to take place (typically in a different language) while not telling you about the outrageous currency conversion charges occurring in the background. Do not get me began. Anyway back to the positives for a bit anyhow.

In recent years a handful of terrific travel debit cards have actually popped onto the scene … and like other fantastic cards Currensea promises huge savings (85%) and a great app.

I think the finest bit might be what no other card does: connects to your existing high street bank account.

What this suggests is you can invest money you have in your existing bank account with less fret about running out of cash and the additional action. But that does not mean it is perfect.

In this Currensea review is the good, the bad, the ugly and the options, so that you can choose.

FX markup.
While our premium plans have no FX markup, we charge a small FX markup on our Necessary Strategy of 0.5% per transaction, permitting us to make earnings from our Necessary Plan whilst staying much cheaper than other prepaid cards and high-street debit cards. We also charge an FX markup on ATM usage over the totally free quantity on all our strategies, full details can be discovered on our pricing strategies.

Subscription costs.
We charge an annual membership cost of �,� 25 for our Premium Strategy, and �,� 120 for our Elite Strategy. The subscription charge likewise eliminates all FX markup on deals.

Interchange.
Whenever you invest with your card we receive a little % of the deal, called interchange, this comes directly from the merchant and will not be charged to you. What’s A Currensea Card

A brand-new fintech business which I was introduced to earlier this year. Whats A Currensea Card…

It has actually won a few awards over current months for what it does (offering you an affordable way to invest abroad) but what I like about  is that it is easy as hell. This is a good thing.

is, efficiently, a direct debit travel card. It is a Mastercard which sits between you and your existing current account. There is nothing to top-up or prepay. You merely spend as you would on a normal debit card and the money is taken from your bank account– just without the normal 3% charge.

Oh, and  is free to get, which likewise assists.

There are also some fascinating travel advantages if you choose a paid strategy, however the complimentary strategy works fine. You can use here.

There is a company design in fintech which Curve, Revolut, Monzo and so on have all followed:

launch by doing something well, and for free or less expensive than the competition
add more and more functions which your existing consumers do not truly need or desire

add costs, charges or constraints to the feature that made people get your product in the first place, removing any competitive advantage
is currently still in Phase 1 of this procedure and will ideally stay there. Revolut, curve and monzo are already in Phase 3 …
is easy enough that it passes my ‘Can you describe it to your mate in the bar in 30 seconds?’ test:

What countries can I use Currensea? Whats A Currensea Card

It is a totally free direct debit card to utilize abroad and which immediately recharges all purchases to your existing bank account in Sterling, less a little 0.5% cost.

That’s it.

You don’t (yet …) make any airline miles or points for utilizing it.

Why would I wish to get a card?
If you have a charge card offering 0% foreign exchange costs, then you don’t need a  card, unless you want complimentary ATM withdrawals. You can stop checking out now.

Credit cards which provide rewards and charge 0% FX costs are few and far between. The only ‘miles and points’ alternatives which provide a partial solution are the Virgin Atlantic credit cards which have 0% FX fees in the Euro zone.

IS possibly for you if:

you don’t have a credit card offering 0% FX fees and do not wish to impact your credit report by getting another charge card particularly to use abroad
you want a product which enables you to make �,� 500 of foreign currency ATM withdrawals monthly without any costs and just a very little FX mark-up (there is a small charge beyond �,� 500).
you desire a product for you, your adult kids, parents, partner or anyone else in your life who requires an easy, easy to understand payment card that will conserve them cash when travelling.

How does  work in practice?
It is, as I said earlier, an extremely easy process. You utilize your Currensea card in the same way as your existing debit card.

You make your purchase in regional currency (any currency, globally).
Your current account bank automatically verifies that you have enough money in your account and authorises the transaction.
The deal goes through at either the interbank rate or the Mastercard rate, depending upon the currency. adds a 0.5% cost if you have the free card. There are no fees if you have among their paid cards.
You get an automated invest alert via the app, if you select to install it.
The money is taken from your bank account a few days later.
Here is an example. With no foreign travel in the journal, I decided to sprinkle out and buy 1,000 MeliaRewards points for EUR5.

This is what you see in the Currensea app, which reveals �,� 4.33 arranged to leave my HSBC account a few days later:.

But converting pounds was pricey.

A pet peeve of mine is when ATMs forewarn you about the daytime robbery that is just about to occur (typically in a various language) while not telling you about the inflated currency conversion fees happening in the background. Don’t get me started. Anyhow back to the positives for a bit anyhow.

Thankfully in recent years a handful of terrific travel debit cards have popped onto the scene … and like other fantastic cards  assures huge cost savings (85%) and a terrific app.

But I think the very best bit might be what no other card does: links to your existing high street checking account.

What this means is you can spend money you have in your existing bank account with less fret about running out of money and the extra action. That does not imply it is perfect.

In this Currensea review is the great, the bad, the ugly and the options, so that you can choose.

FX markup.
While our premium strategies have no FX markup, we charge a small FX markup on our Essential Strategy of 0.5% per deal, permitting us to make profits from our Necessary Strategy whilst remaining more affordable than other prepaid cards and high-street debit cards. We also charge an FX markup on ATM usage over the free amount on all our strategies, full details can be discovered on our pricing strategies.

Subscription fees.
We charge a yearly subscription fee of �,� 25 for our Premium Plan, and �,� 120 for our Elite Strategy. The subscription cost likewise eliminates all FX markup on deals.

Interchange.
Each time you invest with your card we receive a small % of the transaction, called interchange, this comes straight from the merchant and will not be charged to you. Whats A Currensea Card