The best travel credit cards in the UK today
When traveling outside the UK, using the right credit card can save you money on foreign transaction fees while offering great rewards. But with so many options, which is the best travel credit card UK travelers can rely on?
Instead of paying unnecessary charges with your regular card, a top travel credit card eliminates fees and offers perks like cashback, air miles, and hotel points. Plus, if you already have a credit card, you can use Curve to avoid foreign transaction fees without switching banks.
Let’s break down the best UK travel credit cards and how to maximize your savings while spending abroad.
Top Travel Credit Cards in the UK
These travel-friendly credit cards come with unique travel benefits and drawbacks. Here’s how they stack up:
1. Barclays Avios Travel Credit Card
Pros of a Barclays travel credit card
✔️ No monthly or annual fees
✔️ Earn 1 Avios point for every £1 spent
✔️ Welcome bonus: 5000 Avios point (if you spend £1000 in your first 3 months)
Cons of a Barclays travel credit card
❌ High foreign transaction fees (2.99% added to every purchase)
❌ 2.99% cash withdrawal fee (min. £2.99)
So, should you get a Barclays travel credit card?
The Barclays Avios travel credit card is a great option if you spend upwards of £20,000 a year and want travel rewards without paying an annual fee. You can redeem your Avios points for flights, hotels, upgrades, car hire and more. Generally speaking, you will need around 20,000 - 25,000 Avios for a return economy flight within Europe. That's a £20,000 spend, so it's worth weighing up how much you are likely to spend on the card before you can nab yourself a free flight.
You may prefer an upgrade from economy to business class with the British Airways cabin upgrade voucher. You will need to spend £20,000 in 12 months to get this reward – which could be worth thousands of pounds, so a great reward if you think you will reach the spending requirements. Bear in mind there are some conditions to the offer. You can only move up one class, and seats must be eligible for the reward so you will need to check the flight is eligible before redeeming your cabin upgrade voucher.
💡 Tip for using a Barclays travel credit card abroad
Add your Barclays Avios card to a Curve Wallet to avoid those foreign transaction fees, without sacrificing your Avios points. Curve is a digital wallet that combines your debit and credit cards into one, cutting FX fees from your cards.
2. Virgin Atlantic Travel Credit Card
✔️ No annual fee
✔️ No foreign exchange fees in Europe
✔️Earn 0.75 Virgin Points for every £1 spent, to be redeemed on Virgin Atlantic flights and related rewards
✔️ 3000 welcome points if you make a purchase in your first 3 months
✔️ Double points on every £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays.
❌ 2.99% foreign transaction fees outside the EEA
❌ Cash advance fees for withdrawing cash
❌ 26. 9% APR
So, should you get a Virgin travel credit card?
The Virgin Atlantic travel credit card is a great option if you like flying with Virgin airlines, spend over £20,000 a year, and don't want to pay an annual fee. The benefits are similar to the Barclays Avios credit card but will take longer to accumulate as you only get 0.75 points for every £1 spent. You can use your points on any flight, making the rewards much more flexible. And if you spend £20,000 you will earn a Flying Club voucher, which will enable you to get an upgrade to the next class up or a 2 for 1 companion voucher so you can fly with a friend for free.
💡 Tip for using a Virgin Atlantic travel credit card abroad:
Virgin Atlantic credit cards charge high foreign transaction fees outside Europe. Add your Virgin Atlantic travel credit card to Curve to remove foreign transaction fees and keep earning Virgin Points. You can even earn 1% cashback on all your spending outside Europe with any premium Curve plan, which start from just £5.99.
3. British Airways American Express Travel Credit Card
✔️ Earn Amex Membership Rewards points, with 1 point for every £1 spent, to use on partner flights and hotel providers like Marriott, Hilton and Radisson
✔️ 5000 bonus Avios if you spend £2000 in your first 3 months
✔️ No annual fee
❌ 2.99% foreign transaction fee
❌ 2.99% foreign ATM withdrawal fee
So, should you get an American Express travel credit card?
The American Express British Airways card is a good option if you want a companion voucher but won't quite hit the £20,000 spend required with a Barclays or Virgin Atlantic travel credit card. With a £15000 spend on the card over the course of the year, you will earn a companion voucher or a 50% discount on the Avios price you pay for a flight. Because you can't add American Express to a Curve Wallet, there is no way of avoiding the foreign transaction fees if using your Amex abroad so if you do a large amount of spending on your credit card, you might be better off getting a fee-free travel credit card or adding a Mastercard, Visa or Discover credit card to Curve and avoid the fees abroad.
4. Yonder Travel Credit Card
✔️ No foreign transaction fees
✔️ Use points on any airline
✔️ Travel insurance
✔️Welcome bonus: First month free and 10,000 points
❌ Very High APR (66.3%)
❌ Rewards focus on London-based partners
So, should you get a Yonder travel credit card?
Yonder is a relative newcomer on the credit card market, positioning itself against American Express with "rewards you'll actually use". Unlike most credit cards, Yonder doesn't charge foreign exchange fees so you can spend freely abroad while earning points on your card. It also has travel insurance and rewards on restaurants, theatre, experiences and retail brands. However, to get the best rewards, you will pay £15 monthly fee so it's worth weighing up the value of the rewards to you. It's worh noting many of the monthly rewards are city-based so if you don't live in one of the major cities in the UK, you might find that you can't redeem a lot of the rewards on offer.
5. NatWest Travel Reward Credit Card
✔️ No foreign transaction fees
✔️ No annual fees
✔️ 1% back on eligible travel spending on planes, trains, car rental, ferries, buses, hotels and more
❌ 3% fee on overseas cash withdrawals
❌ 27.9% APR
So, should you get a NatWest travel credit card?
The NatWest Travel Reward card is a good cheap option if you simply want to avoid foreign transaction fees abroad. But if you're looking for free flights, travel insurance or airport lounge access – NatWest is limited in its offering.
💡 Tip: Add your NatWest travel credit card to a Curve Wallet to boost your travel rewards with an additional 1% cashback outside Europe.
6. Curve Flex Travel Credit Card
✔️ No foreign transaction fees
✔️ No annual fees
✔️ 1% casback outside Europe
✔️ 1% casback at up to 12 retailers of your choice
✔️ Discounted aurport lounge access
✔️ Low interest (from 10% APR)
❌ Fee-free spending limits depending on tier
So, should you get a Curve Flex travel credit card?
Curve Flex is unlike any other travel credit card. It's a digital credit card that lives in your Curve Wallet. Curve combines your cards into one, with a 16-digit card number, CVV and expiry so you can spend globally with all your cards in one fee-free travel card. The Curve Pay plan is free but to maximise your travel benefits, you might want to consider a premium plan. The Curve Pay Pro+ plan has the most travel rewards:
- Fee-free foreign spending up to £100,000/month
- Free foreign ATM withdrawals up to £1000/month
- 1% cashback on all spend outside EUR and GBP
- 1% cashback at 12 retailers of your choice (including travel giants like EasyJet, Trainline, TFL, and Uber)
- Discounted airport lounge access
How to Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees on Any Card
There are two ways to dodge high fees when spending abroad:
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Get a dedicated travel credit card with zero foreign transaction fees.
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Use Curve to avoid these fees on your existing credit cards—without switching banks.
Regular UK credit cards often charge an extra 3% on every foreign purchase. That means spending £1,000 abroad could cost you an extra £30. Many cards also charge cash withdrawal fees (around 3%) and flat fees per purchase (50p–£1.50) on debit cards.
With Curve, you keep your usual credit cards and avoid these fees altogether. It’s the easiest way to save money abroad while still earning your usual rewards.
Why Choose a Travel Credit Card or Curve?
A good travel credit card lets you spend internationally without extra costs, while also offering perks like: ✔️ No foreign transaction fees
✔️ Low (or no) cash withdrawal fees
✔️ Rewards like cashback, air miles & hotel points
✔️ Peace of mind with fair exchange rates
✔️ Section 75 protection on purchases over £100
However, not all travel credit cards cover every benefit. Some charge annual fees, have limited rewards, or only remove foreign transaction fees in certain countries.
With Curve, you get the best of both worlds: keep using your current credit cards and remove all the overseas fees. Plus, if you sign up for Curve premium plans (from £5.99/month), you’ll earn 1% cashback on foreign purchases outside EUR & USD zones.
The Smartest Way to Spend Abroad
Whether you’re traveling for business or leisure, saving money on card fees should be a priority. Instead of switching to a new bank or juggling multiple travel credit cards, use Curve to eliminate foreign transaction fees and keep earning rewards on your existing cards.
With Curve, you can: ✅ Spend abroad fee-free
✅ Earn extra cashback and rewards
✅ Use your favorite cards anywhere in the world
✅ Travel with confidence and peace of mind
Ready to save money on your next trip? Pick the best travel credit card UK travelers love—or simply add your existing card to Curve today!
