Withdrawing money or paying with your card abroad will cost more this summer: this is the conclusion of a study by the comparator Panorabanques, published this week. Outside the European zone, these expenses are added to the budget anticipated by holidaymakers. And they have increased more than bank charges in general, around 1.2% on average this year.
Concretely, on a payment, there are now thirty cents of fixed commissions and 2.5% of variable commissions, according to the comparator. For a cash withdrawal, the cost increases to 3.10 euros in fixed commissions and 2.4% in variable commissions. For example, on an expenditure of 1000 euros abroad – by making five withdrawals of 100 euros, and two payments of 250 euros with a classic international card -, the customer will pay, on average, 41.50 euros in bank charges – 6.50 euros per payment, and 5.6 euros per withdrawal -, compared to 41.05 euros in 2022.
These sums, when combined, can considerably increase the budget of holidaymakers. “These fees are in most cases composed of a fixed commission and a variable commission on payments and withdrawals,” explains Basile Duval, spokesperson for Panorabanques. “If you’re not careful, it can blow up your bill on your trip,” he warns.
“To avoid such a situation, turning to an online bank like Boursorama Banque or Fortuneo can be a good solution,” suggests Basile Duval. At the same time, physical banks “offer paid options such as the Voyageur option at SG which can also be a very good solution to save money” according to the spokesperson. These options vary a lot in price and duration, but allow you to save money during a stay if you plan to make many withdrawals, which are charged more by banks.
