Are there any travel cards for European Citizens?

Are there any travel cards for European Citizens? - Mountainous valley with evergreen forest against misty sky

I am a European Citizen from the Maltese island. I am going to Australia with a working holiday visa and then backpacking for a few months around SE Asia and a few other countries such as New Zealand.

I have been looking all over to search any possible travel cards that I can carry around with me that offer one of the following perks:

  • No ATM transaction fees (most important)
  • Points or reward system for spending money abroad or on flights

Are there any possible solution for me or do these exist only in USA?



Best Answer

Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered in its full generality. The majority of payment cards in the EU are offered only by banks and only to citizens of certain countries. Also, except for prepaid credit cards, a bank has to trust you to some extend in order to issue you a payment card. So without some credit history in a bank's country, this is rather difficult. There are some additional obstacles:

  • With a customer abroad, a bank may need to take care of additional legal questions (such as issuing an interest report for your tax office).
  • Mailing cards and letters abroad costs additional postage

So most banks from abroad will deny your application. Some state that they require citizenship or residence in a certain country upfront (e.g., the Aegean Airlines credit card allows you to collect miles, but you need a Greek tax ID), others are not so open about it (see here for reports in German on changes in the way in which the DKB bank handles foreign customers. They offers fee-free cash withdrawal worldwide with a Visa card ... but apparently nowadays only to people living in Germany, with some exceptions such as Germans living in the USA). British banks are known for requiring some kind of "recommendation letter" (such as a letter from a university for students or an proof of employment in the UK) for foreigners in order to allow opening a bank account with them, which in turn is needed to get a payment card.

Your best bet is probably to find a bank in Malta that gives you excellent conditions on some widely used payment card.




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Can EU citizens travel to UK with ID card?

You cannot use an EU , EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK unless you: have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man's settlement schemes.

Can UK citizens travel freely between EU member countries?

With ETIAS, British citizens can continue to visit Europe without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism and business. ETIAS will also be required to transit through an EU country.

Can European citizens travel around Europe?

EU members have agreed on a common approach to travel from non-EU countries to the European Union as set in a Council recommendation. On 22 February 2022, the Council updated the recommendation to further facilitate travel from outside the EU into the EU. Member States agreed to apply these updates as of 1 March 2022.

Can you travel with an Italian identity card?

The Italian state issues, to citizens of the European Union who are resident in Italy, national identity cards which are 'not valid for travel abroad'. This wording ('non valido per l'espatrio') is printed at the bottom of the document.



Rights of EU Citizens (That Many Somehow Don't know!)




More answers regarding are there any travel cards for European Citizens?

Answer 2

If by 'travel cards' you mean anonymous prepaid cards (i.e. cards that do not bear your name and are not connected to your bank account), then the European Union's recently-implemented 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive severely limits the possibilities. The maximum monthly amount that can be added to such cards is EUR 150.

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