You’re going to a country outside the euro zone. So you need to think about how you’re going to pay when you get there. Will you withdraw money from an ATM? Will you change euros at a bureau de change? Will you use your standard credit card?
From our point of view, the most important thing to consider is the exchange rate and exchange fees. The solution we’ve found is the N26 MasterCard, provided by a mobile bank based in Europe, Germany to be precise.
Here’s a concrete example involving a small purchase in a supermarket in the USA.
Receipt: 103,36$
Miami janvier 2022
If paying by Visa Classic card 96,22€
If payment is made with a N26 card in $, after processing it looks like this 91,49€
It’s up to you to calculate all your expenses, hotels, restaurants, activities, etc.
What is the N26 card?
A pre-loaded MasterCard credit card, so there’s no cash reserve. It’s your money that you need to have sent to your N26 account.
The best thing about this card is that there are no transaction fees and you benefit from the best current exchange rate; N26 applies the real MasterCard exchange rate to your foreign currency transactions, with no surcharge.
How do I get this MastreCard?
Download the App and follow the instructions. If you have your passport to hand, this will be easier. As soon as your account is created, you can send money to the account and you’ll be able to apply for your card.
How do I use the N26 card?
It’s a card like any other bank card.
Also, you can pay with contactless payment or with the Apple Pay and Google Pay applications.
You can also link this card to your Paypal account.
A few notes
- There are other 100% mobile online banks, such as Revolut, but we’ve chosen a European bank, for its security and transparency with the state; it’s a declared account.
- Don’t forget to declare your account, as its purpose is not to launder money, and the state needs to know about it.
- If you would like to receive €25, please use our referral code matthieg8919.
