Result is it's very cheap to use abroad. :)
£200 free allowance per month, 3% charge for withdrawals thereafter everywhere outside the UK
From here: https://monzo.com/blog/2017/09/13/atm-fees-abroad/
I would have just transparently passed on whatever the ATM charges rather than this weird 3% fee.
Can anyone comment on how Revolut compares? One pain point is that I always get asked if I want to pay in GBP or EUR, or even the cashier selects without asking me, in which case I get massively ripped off if they select GBP. With Revolut will the card look like a EUR card whilst travelling in the Eurozone?
Monzo (After 18th December): £200/month, 3% thereafter (https://monzo.com/blog/2017/10/17/atm-limits-announcement/)
Revolut: £200/month (£400 with Premium), 2% thereafter
Starling: No charge
Not sure about any of the other challenger banks, I've only used Monzo on a regular basis.
You're also allowed to withdraw roughly £200/month worth of cash (any supported currency) without any fees. Beyond that there is a charge, I can't remember how much offhand but it's not too crazy.
The one problem I had with the card was at their petrol stations. Most are self-service and require the card to be pre-authed before the fuel will start being pumped. Revolut doesn't support this so I had to use another card or find stations where I could pay in store.
There are plenty of cards in the UK that do not have a foreign transaction charge on purchases (nationwide, lloyds avios, for example).
It got to a point I had to open local bank accounts and do wire transfers from my UK bank account to local bank accounts and use the local debit card. I just couldn't get my TSB/Lloyds card to work anywhere except high end western shops like Apple Store.
Was your experience all within the inner city?
For sure many coffee shops and convenience stores accept card, but I definitely find myself having to pay cash quite often (just for instance, the laksa place on Hunter street).