Pay by card or cash on holiday?

Created: 08/10/2022, 06:00

By: Janine Napirca

Should you pay by card on holiday or should you go with cash?

The best means of payment depends on a few factors.

Anyone who goes on holiday has to put a lot of money in their hands in advance: hotel rooms, flight tickets or fuel for the car, certain equipment and, if necessary, bookings for leisure activities.

But that's not the end of the holiday expenses.

Even if you book all-inclusive, you still have to spend money on one or the other on site.

That's why you should of course also think about how you want to pay the costs incurred in the holiday destination - is it better in cash or with a card?

What do I have to consider when making card payments abroad?

The

recommends that you find out before you start your trip whether it is normal or possible to pay by card at your holiday destination or not.

You should also find out whether you might need a credit card, because the Girocard is not always accepted abroad, especially if you are leaving the EU.

According to Bafin, the good thing about paying with the Girocard on vacation is that you don’t pay any fees within the EU.

Caution:

Monaco, Vatican and San Marino are not part of the EU, even if the common currency is the euro.

Have you already thought about how you want to pay on vacation?

Better in cash or with a card?

(symbol photo) © Westend61/Imago

If you leave the European Monetary Union on vacation, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority advises you to carry at least a small amount of cash in the relevant national currency with you.

You can use this to pay for a taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, for example.

You should not carry too much cash with you to avoid becoming a victim of theft.

If your wallet is stolen abroad, you can get 1,500 euros in emergency cash.

Giro or credit cards are often cheaper than cash when on holiday

According to a report by

, banks such as the DKB, N26, Barclays or comdirect offer credit cards with which you can now even withdraw money free of charge worldwide, i.e. even on vacation.

Changing your current account can therefore be worthwhile in certain cases.

According to the report, however, you should refrain from withdrawing money abroad with a credit card if there are fees for doing so – withdrawing money abroad with the Girocard is cheaper.

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You must take this into account when exchanging cash during your holiday

• Both at home and at your destination, exchanging cash for another currency is expensive.

• It is better to withdraw money with a free credit card or the Girocard while on vacation.

• Find out regularly about the usual exchange rates and compare.

Source: Finanzen.net

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The

recommends using

for currency conversions while on vacation .

This allows you to convert around 160 foreign currencies into euros and avoid potential pitfalls.

In any case, you can enjoy a stress-free vacation if you think about possible means of payment beforehand, then there will be no surprisingly high bills waiting for you as a nasty souvenir in your mailbox when you return from vacation.