Credit cards are there in the purse or wallet and are an easy way of purchasing goods. That is fine and dandy when you are using them here, but using them abroad can come with a bit of an unexpected sting.

When you need some cash and you use your credit card to do this, you know that you are going to incur a charge even here, never mind abroad but the extra charges that you might not be expecting when using it abroad is where the sting is a bit more painful than the mosquito bite that you normally get.

Some are more expensive to use than others, with card issuers such as Nationwide, charging 1.5% with a minimum of £1.50, which is bad enough, until you price, it against the CITI Classic Plus card that has a minimum charge of a wallet busting £5, and it is not over there, because when you use your credit card for this type of transaction then the interest kicks in straight away, meaning if you have used your card for a cash withdrawal when you first reach your destination, then the interest charged on top of the initial fee wont make for good memories of your trip when you get home.

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If you are thinking that you will stay away from the ATM’s when you are abroad and will just use the credit card to make purchases, just be careful of that one as well, as banks will introduce a “Loading Fee” to anything bought out-with the great British pound, this will be termed as a “Forex” payment on the statement you receive on your return.

So what should you try to avoid for use on a trip or holiday?

Well Lloyd’s TSB is the highest with a withdrawal fee of 2% with a minimum of £2.50 with a withdrawal limit of £500 and a charge of 2.75% for using it abroad, they are closely followed by MBNA and Barclaycard who are basically the same, except that they have a lower £2 minimum charge for cash withdrawals.

So what credit card can you take on holiday without being charged? Well that’s an answer you probably won’t want to here, in one word no though some are a little less hard on the pocket. They do all charge for cash withdrawals, though some have a lower percentage and minimum fee for this, but the best deal is that some credit card issuers don’t charge for the usage abroad, some of these cards include Nationwide BS, Lombard Direct and Comic Relief and some have a low charge that can be between 0-1%.

Another tip is if you have to use your cards abroad, then try and use a debit card instead if you have one as you will not have to pay interest on any purchases straight away, saving you a few weeks of interest charges. Other than that stick to good old travellers cheques, though you wont get as good a exchange rate, at least you will know that once you have used it, you will still not be paying for it afterwards