Beware holiday card charges

The pound's current weakness could prove a nasty shock to those visiting the Continent

But take the wrong card and you could come home to a nasty surprise.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Money warns that the vast majority of credit and debit cards will add a two or three per cent loading fee to all purchases.

These charges are rarely made explicit, so customers often assume they are just part of the foreign currency conversion.

Without loading fees

However, there are two cards which stand out from the pack when it comes to holiday spending.

Both Nationwide and the Post Office offer credit cards without loading fees.

Saga's card, for the over 50s, is also free from loading fees in Europe.

In common with other issuers, these cards still charge a cash advance fee for ATM withdrawals, meaning they are cheaper but not free.

The only plastic which can fairly claim to be entirely fee-free for oversees spending is actually a debit card.

Available to current account holders at Nationwide Building Society, the Flex Account debit card has neither a loading fee nor a cash advance fee.

Commission free

Martyn advises: "Make sure you take a sensible amount of foreign currency and that you don't rely entirely on the plastic.

"And if you do then don't get it at the airport as you'll almost certainly end up paying a 2% commission".

He suggests getting currency on the high street - M&S is one of many companies which offer commission free currency.

It can be worth letting your credit card provider know that you are planning a trip abroad as many firms are alert to suspicious foreign transactions and sometimes block cards as a safety measure.

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