ged 18, when I embarked on my first trip outside of Europe, it was traveller’s cheques I stuffed in my bag to get cash while on the road.
I was backpacking with two school friends and it was on this trip, while seeing ancient ruins in Cambodia, hiking in Laos and sampling street food in Thailand, that I truly caught the travel bug. It has subsequently led me all over the world and paved the way for my life as a freelance travel writer.
Much has changed since that time of Skype calls from internet cafés and arriving somewhere with no hostel booked and just a dusty old Lonely Planet for guidance. However, saving money and keeping it safe while I travel is still a priority everywhere I go, whether it’s for work or pleasure.
One of the biggest bugbears of going abroad is the high transaction fees and exchange rates when spending with a card from a traditional UK bank. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Revolut, the all-in-one finance app, not only works as a main account, but is designed to be used globally too. Whether you’re buying margaritas in Mexico or ramen in Japan, Revolut’s card offers great exchange rates in more than 150 currencies. Forget manually exchanging the money, you can convert currency on the spot in the app. After all, you want to focus on your holiday, not every payment (limits and fees apply).
Gone are the days of traveller’s cheques and Skype calls from internet cafés – as writer Elizabeth Bennett explains, seeing the world is far simpler than it used to be
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“It was on a trip to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand that
I first caught the travel bug”
Find out more about Revolut and how it can protect you at revolut.com
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Appy days No lengthy calls to freeze your card
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Beyond the nightmare of out-of-the-blue charges, we’ve all had that sinking feeling when you realise your card isn’t where you last saw it. Or perhaps, like me, you have made that mistake of leaving the card in the machine when the money comes out first, which happens with many foreign cashpoints. Worse still is when you get pickpocketed in a sightseeing crowd.
However, with the Revolut app you don’t need to run up a massive phone bill while listening to yet another round of terrible music on hold: you can immediately freeze your card in the app and it stops anyone spending money in an instant.
But just because your card is frozen it doesn’t mean your holiday has to be put on ice – just create a new virtual card and you can carry on spending with your phone via Apple or Google Pay. And if you realise your card was back at the hotel the whole time? Simply tap to unfreeze it and you’re back in action.
Either way, when you use Revolut, you know that your money is in good hands. Extra security measures on the app fight fraud to help put you in control. Your Revolut account is registered to your personal mobile device. This means if anyone tries to log into your account on a new device, Revolut will verify their identity. The firm also uses biometrics to ensure it’s really you when you’re logging in, and even has a dedicated computer vision team to help protect you from anyone who might try to get into your account using a deep fake. Plus, with Revolut’s AI technology, it is able to spot out of character transactions, so you’ll soon know if something seems off.
If you ever need help, whether you’re at home or abroad, getting things sorted is quick and easy. Forget queuing in stuffy branches, Revolut’s fully encrypted in-app chat facility, which is open 24/7 and operated by more than 2,000 people worldwide, picks up, on average, 90 per cent of customer service queries within just four minutes.
If you travel often, you probably don’t want to be faffing with travel insurance every time you book a trip. Instead, it’s easier to just have something sorted all year round. With Revolut, travel insurance can be part of the deal when you sign up to its Premium, Metal and Ultra paid plans. So you’ll always know what to do in case of travel delays or a lost suitcase (paid plan and insurance T&Cs apply).
Thinking more about the fun parts of travel, with Revolut, on its standard and paid plans, you also get some excellent deals on accommodation and activities – just book with Revolut and get up to 10 per cent cashback, depending on your plan type. What’s more, Ultra customers get unlimited airport lounge access and 3GB of global data to use across 100+ countries every month with eSim, recently launched to UK customers (paid plan and subscription fees apply).
Now that all the admin is sorted, the only question that remains is: where to go next?
Alongside switching between sterling and euros, you can use Revolut in over 150 currencies, including
AUSTRALIA (AUD)
CANADA (CAD)
SWITZERLAND (CHF)
DENMARK (DKK)
SINGAPORE (SGD)
THAILAND (THB)
MOROCCO (MAD)
JAPAN (JPY)
NEW ZEALAND (NZD)
USA (USD)
Down to a tea Revolut can be used in 150 currencies
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