Personal Finance

Revolut foreign transaction fees & how to avoid them

Abbey Simmons

06.07.26

Read time 4 minutes

A foreign transaction fee is a charge that your card provider adds when you spend or withdraw money in another currency. Most traditional cards apply a flat percentage to everything you buy abroad or in a foreign currency online.

If you use Revolut, or you're weighing it up for travel and international spending, you're probably wondering whether it charges these fees too. However, Revolut works differently from a typical bank card, so here's everything you need to know.

We'll also introduce the Wise account, which allows you to send, spend, and receive your money across the globe in over 40 currencies – all at the fair mid-market rate.

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Does Revolut charge foreign transaction fees?

Revolut doesn't charge a flat foreign transaction fee on card purchases, but it does apply small fees once you go over your plan's monthly exchange limit or make exchanges on the weekend.¹

Instead of adding one flat fee to every foreign purchase, Revolut gives you a monthly allowance of fee-free currency exchange.

If you spend within that allowance on a weekday, you'll pay nothing. But if you go over it or exchange money on the weekend, then a small percentage fee will apply.

Here's what to expect based on your plan:

Plan¹	Monthly fee	Fee-free exchange each month	Fee over the limit	Weekend fee
Standard	0 USD	1,000 USD	0.5%	1%
Premium	9.99 USD/mo	10,000 USD	0.5%	None
Metal	16.99 USD/mo	Unlimited	None	None

The plans with bigger allowances and no weekend fees are Premium and Metal, and they come at a cost. You'll pay a monthly subscription for them, so while you'll be losing less money on fees, you'll still lose money in another way.

Here's how Revolut's system works out across the situations you're most likely to run into, using the Standard plan as the example:

What you’re doing	Standard plan fee¹
Paying in a foreign currency on a weekday, within your limit	No fee
Exchanging more than your monthly limit	0.5% on the amount above 1,000 USD
Exchanging on the weekend (5 pm Friday to 6 pm Sunday ET)	1%
Withdrawing cash at an in-network ATM	No fee from Revolut
Withdrawing cash at an out-of-network ATM	2%, plus any fee from the ATM operator

On the Standard plan, you'll mainly run into fees in three situations: exchanging more than 1,000 USD in a month, spending or exchanging over the weekend, or pulling cash from an ATM outside the network.

How the Revolut exchange rate works

The foreign transaction fee on your statement is only half the story.

Most cards add a small markup to the exchange rate, often 1% or 2%, and build it into the rate you get. You never see it as a separate charge, but you walk away with less money for your USD.

Revolut works a little differently when it comes to this.

During standard market hours, it converts your money using the live foreign exchange market rate, which is the same rate banks use when they trade with each other.

Outside those hours, from 5 pm Friday to 6 pm Sunday ET, it adds a markup to that rate. On the Standard plan, that markup is 1%.¹

Also, when you tap your card in a foreign currency, Visa or Mastercard handles the conversion, and Revolut's terms allow for a small adjustment to that rate.

Wise can help you get a better deal on currency conversion in over 40 currencies, with the mid-market exchange rate and low fees from 0.41%*.

Open a free personal Wise account online or in the Wise app, and order a linked multi-currency card for spending and withdrawals in 145+ countries.

There’s no fee to spend any currency you hold, and no foreign transaction fee to worry about.

Use your account when you travel or shop online in foreign currencies, send payments to 40+ currencies, and get your own local account details to get paid from 145+ countries.

Say goodbye to overcomplicated currency exchange.

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*Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Other Revolut card fees to watch out for

Foreign transaction fees aren't the only costs that come with international spending. A few other Revolut fees can affect you when you travel or move money abroad, including:

Fee	Standard plan cost¹
Out-of-network ATM withdrawal	2%, plus any fee from the ATM operator
International transfer (local currency)	0.15%, minimum 0.75 USD
International transfer (foreign currency)	Up to 6 USD
US domestic wire (incoming or outgoing)	10 USD
Loading your account with a credit card	Up to 3%

ATM withdrawals abroad can especially add up.

Revolut charges 2% for withdrawals outside the Allpoint network, and the local ATM operator often adds a fee of its own on top. Withdrawing larger amounts less often keeps these costs down.

How to avoid foreign transaction fees when spending internationally

You can keep most of the Revolut fees low with a few simple habits:

Stay within your monthly exchange allowance so you avoid the over-limit fee

Make your exchanges on weekdays to skip the weekend markup

Withdraw cash from in-network ATMs whenever you can

Take out larger amounts less often to spread out ATM fees

Always pay in the local currency, not in USD, when a card machine gives you the choice

When you pay abroad, the card machine or ATM will sometimes ask if you want to be charged in USD instead of the local currency. This is called Dynamic Currency Conversion, and it sounds convenient, but the merchant sets the exchange rate and usually marks it up well above what your card would charge.

Paying in the local currency lets your own provider handle the conversion, which almost always works out cheaper.

Revolut doesn't charge a traditional flat foreign transaction fee, but it isn't completely free either.

To keep your costs down, you'll need to exchange only on weekdays, keep an eye on your monthly allowance, and stick to in-network ATMs. That's manageable, but it's often inconvenient, especially when you're traveling.

If you move money internationally or go abroad often, it's worth comparing your options.

For example, consider Wise.

Wise can help you get a better deal on currency conversion. You can convert over 40 currencies at the standard mid-market exchange rate, and we'll show you the fees upfront so you know exactly how much you're paying.

Get a Wise Account
in minutes 💰

Sources

Revolut - Revolut Prepaid Visa® and Revolut Prepaid Mastercard® Cardholder Agreement

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.