Doc Holiday: What travel money card is best?

Travel Money cards have their advantages and disadvantages, but what is the best option in 2025?

Escape's Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, answers your travel-related questions.

For many years I have used CommBank Travel Money card without any problems, but I’m thinking better options may be available. Can you recommend any alternatives?

I receive a lot of emails about travel money cards, so it’s probably best if I start by addressing some of their key pros and cons. Avoiding exchange rate fluctuations during your travels is a major benefit, since you effectively “lock in” your money before you depart Australia (helpful when the Aussie dollar is falling faster than the Ozempic supply).

Depending on the card you choose, you can have easy access to multiple currencies on the same card and you don’t have to risk using a card that’s linked to your Australian bank account while you’re travelling overseas. It also means you avoid multiple currency conversion fees and you don’t have to carry large amounts of cash.

Of course, the disadvantages of travel money cards are nothing to sniff at. Some merchants may not accept travel money cards, or the currency of the country you’re visiting may not be supported. There are plenty of fees associated with using a travel money card (everything from opening and reloading the card to ATM withdrawals and cashing out the balance of the card), lengthy load times where you will not have access to your cash, and limits on pre-authorisations. Comparison sites such as Canstar look at the pros and cons of using a travel money card compared with credit and debit cards and I’d urge every reader intent on travelling overseas to read through their options.

Some merchants may not accept travel money cards, or the currency of the country you’re visiting may not be supported.

For your specific situation, I will say that Choice, too, compared travel money cards recently and found the CommBank Travel Money Card is one of the better options, particularly since it only charges users in one instance ($3.50 for ATM withdrawals overseas).

If you were to compare this product with any other, I’d recommend looking at the Wise Travel Card, which lets you hold, spend in and convert 40 currencies – significantly more than the 16 currencies your current card holds.

One thing to watch here, however, is that while free ATM withdrawals are advertised, it’s only up to $350 a month, before you start attracting charges. You may also wish to look at Revolut Travel Card, which holds 30-plus currencies and remains a popular choice.

Airlines such as Qantas are working with banks to find a solution.

We booked our family holiday and found we were charged twice by the airline, with the second amount (later cancelled) showing as a “pending charge”, which caused our account to be overdrawn. How common is this practice?

I’ve had this happen to me and it’s incredibly frustrating (not to mention anxiety-inducing). Having had a chat with various airlines about “the double dip”, it seems that they’re just as frustrated by what is a banking issue that is largely out of their control. Essentially, this happens when the authorisation doesn’t drop off at the time of the payment being captured.

Airlines such as Qantas are working with banks to find a solution, but in the meantime, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your account balance any time you book a holiday and to contact your bank immediately should you notice an authorisation set to cause financial chaos. You can explain the situation to your bank and ask them to remove it immediately.

While banks have varying policies regarding how they go about this, and whether they’ll need clarification from the travel provider, you should be able to get this sorted fairly easily. I find pleasantries and a cheerful manner go a long way to getting what you want. Good luck!

I arrived in Mongolia a carnivore yet swiftly became a born-again vegetarian.

I’m interested in a tour to Mongolia. Would you recommend it for vegetarians?

I arrived in Mongolia a carnivore yet swiftly became a born-again vegetarian for the duration of my trip (it turns out that boiled and fried sheep tail is not for everyone) so yes, it can be done. I did it on the fly, popping into supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar and stocking up on canned vegetables and noodles, but it’s best to let your tour leader know when you first book that you have dietary restrictions. Where possible, they will call ahead to find vegetarian alternatives to traditional khuushuur, tsuivan and buuz at any stops you make.

The one thing that will mean the difference between a digestible meal and one that might even be enjoyable? A bottle of sriracha (or any other sauce you prefer), which you can apply liberally to anything that’s placed before you. Mongols might be among some of the warmest people I’ve encountered on my travels, but they are not known for their love of seasoning.

Need help?

Doc Holiday is on duty to answer your travel questions. Email [e-mail]. Personal replies are unfortunately not possible.

Originally published as Doc Holiday: What travel money card is best?