Travelling Internationally: Options for Calls, Texts, Internet, Working Remotely, and Paying in Foreign Currency
Wow, it’s been almost a decade since I wrote these posts and a lot has changed!
Travel International Data: Tep Wireless vs. T-Mobile Unlimited Data vs. Verizon Global vs. Telestial
Should I Use My Credit Card Overseas? Credit Card vs. Amex Prepaid vs. Travelex
Now more than ever has being able to work remotely or stay connected while travelling been so important. It has to be seamless. Needing additional devices for data or having to rely on Wi-Fi sources for Internet access is impractical and unreliable.
Because I use so many Google services for my business and personal use, it seemed logical to switch to a Google device such as the Pixel smartphone. This has made upgrading to newer phones so simple and headache-free. But also paired with Google Fi, a no contract phone plan, it has made travelling and working abroad so much easier. Included in my plan, I am able to use the data in over 200 destinations for only $10/GB. This is capped at 6GB, after which data is free. Texts are already unlimited and not restricted when travelling outside the US. If I need to make any calls, I can easily hotspot my phone and use my laptop’s browser; otherwise, it is only 20¢/min for calls made directly on my phone. 5G is already pretty prevalent in Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean so Internet bandwidth isn’t a problem. Most Android and iPhone® devices work with Fi, so it is easy to use the phone you already love.
I still use my favorite credit card for purchases abroad since there are no foreign transaction fees and it has chip-and-pin technology, needed when using self-checkout in grocery stores, for example. Even though I hardly use cash in the U.S., when travelling there are instances where I need to have foreign currency available. This could be for small purchases from local street vendors or farmers markets. Or it is just piece of mind knowing that I can go to practically any ATM to withdraw cash in any currency. With the Wise account/card, I can make 2 withdrawals of up to 100 USD each month for free. The only fee would be what the ATM charges, if any, and it would be at the real exchange rate, not some other inflated bank rate.
They even have an international business account. You can effortlessly pay international invoices, vendors, and employees — with the real exchange rate, in 80 countries. And it is 6x cheaper than old-school banks, and 19x cheaper than PayPal. This is a win-win for companies in the US that need to pay workers in foreign countries. The transactions can easily be added to QuickBooks by turning on multi-currency and linking the account in Banking.
Should I Use My Credit Card Overseas? Credit Card vs. Amex Prepaid vs. Travelex
That is a good question. Of course, it depends. There are a number of credit cards out there that offer no foreign transactions fees, the normal 3% per transaction fee that most credit cards levy. Discover is one of them; however, it is not widely accepted around the world. I would have considered it for my recent trip to Paris if it could be used there, which it can't. Then I learned about the
, which doesn't have any fees. I tested this card out by loading a small amount of money from my bank account. Unfortunately, it took 5 business days in order for me to see the amount on the AMEX card! This is way too long to wait for funds, especially for a 10-day trip. The other disadvantage was that most merchants don't accept AMEX due to their higher merchant fees.
My next major issue involved convenience and security. Europe is way beyond the U.S. in regards to credit card security, as the
technology is ubiquitous there. This is not to be confused with the Chip and Signature technology now included in many U.S. credit cards. The Chip-and-PIN technology doesn't require any signature at all, as credit card transactions are processed reading the chip and having you enter a unique pin. This is the only way to process some transactions in Europe, such as at kiosques at train stations, toll booths, etc. Since I planned on taking the train from the airport upon my arrival and purchasing Metro tickets, I really wanted this type of credit card, as my whole goal is to avoid carrying any large amounts of cash.
That was when I discovered the
Travelex Cash Passport Prepaid Mastercard
, and boy was I happy I did! Not only could I load the card in Euros but it comes with Chip-and-PIN technology. And it is so quick and easy to load the card: all I had to do was go to their
, enter how much I want, and then use my own bank's debit card to process the transfer. The best part of all was that funds became available almost immediately! This was so convenient when I was in Paris and wanted to add more funds before my card ran out, which happened pretty quickly since I ended up using this card for
everything.
I never had to use cash, as even taxis accepted it. And forget about waiting in line. Since other tourists had no luck with their cards at the kiosques for the train and buying tickets at the Louvre, they would leave frustrated only to cut my wait short so that I could use my card with no issues at all. Another advantage was that all restaurants had hand held card readers, so my card never left my sight as the servers would bring the reader to my table, insert my card, I would enter my pin, and it would print a receipt. Talk about secure (not having to see a stranger walk away with your card like in the U.S.)! And speaking of, it was so easy to
and view my remaining balance, including recent authorizations, and they have a tricky secure way of confirming your login by confirming only certain digits of your password. On a final note, while there are no foreign transactions fees or other transaction fees, you will be subject to Travelex's exchange rate at the time of the conversion when adding new funds. Of course, this varies according to currency exchange fluctuations and I tend to think that the rate may be a little higher with Travelex, but let me tell, for the cost of convenience and security, it is totally worth it! I will definitely use this card when I return to Europe in the near future.