You've budgeted your trip down to the last cent — accommodation, sights, meals — and yet, once home, your bank statement shows a line of fees you never saw coming. A currency conversion commission, a withdrawal charge, an exchange rate noticeably worse than the one your phone showed the night before: these small deductions, invisible in the moment, can add up to €30-50 on a single weekend away. The good news is that almost all of them are avoidable, once you know three or four simple reflexes.
Trap number one: dynamic currency conversion (DCC)
This is by far the most common trick, and the most discreet one. When you pay by card or withdraw cash at an ATM, a question suddenly pops up on screen: “Would you like to pay in euros or in the local currency?” The natural instinct is to pick your own currency, to “understand the amount”. That's exactly the trap: this service, called dynamic currency conversion (DCC), applies an exchange rate set by the merchant or the ATM operator — almost always 3 to 10% worse than your bank's own rate.
Eurozone or not: the first thing to check before you leave
Not all of Europe uses the euro, and forgetting that can get expensive. Before a city trip, a quick check of the local currency saves plenty of surprises: pounds sterling in London, the Czech koruna in Prague, the forint in Budapest, or the Swiss franc in Zurich and Geneva. Paying by card works exactly the same as in the eurozone, but every payment or withdrawal triggers a conversion — and that's exactly where dynamic currency conversion and exchange commissions sneak in if you're not paying attention.
Which card to use to pay with (almost) no fees
Standard cards from traditional banks generally charge a 2-3% currency conversion fee on every payment or withdrawal outside the eurozone, sometimes on top of a flat ATM fee. Over a weekend, the bill adds up fast. By contrast, several online banks and neobanks (Boursobank, Fortuneo, Revolut, Wise or N26, among others) offer fee-free currency conversion, or even refunded withdrawals up to a monthly limit — a real plus for anyone who city-trips regularly.
You don't need to switch banks to benefit: opening a free neobank account a few days before you leave, just for travel use, is more than enough. Many travellers keep their usual card as a backup and use their “travel” card as the main payment method on the ground.
Withdrawing cash without getting fleeced
- Favour ATMs attached to a bank branch, which are more reliable and often cheaper than standalone machines in tourist areas, which sometimes stack flat fees with aggressive DCC.
- Always decline the euro conversion offered on screen: always choose the local currency.
- Withdraw less often but larger amounts if your card charges a flat fee per withdrawal, rather than making several small ones.
- Check your withdrawal and payment limits before you leave — nothing worse than hitting them on a night out abroad.
What to do before you leave
A few minutes of preparation are enough to travel with peace of mind on the money side:
- Check your card won't expire during your trip, and note the emergency number to block it in case of loss or theft.
- Bring a backup card on a different network (Visa and Mastercard, for instance), stored separately from your main one.
- If you're leaving the European Union, a quick check on your banking app confirms no automatic block will hit your foreign payments.
- Always keep a little local cash on you — tips, small markets or pay-per-use toilets don't always take card.
To plan a city trip that also accounts for your budget without any bad surprises, our guide on how much a city trip in Europe costs pairs perfectly with these tips. And to make sure nothing else is forgotten before you pack, our complete pre-departure checklist remains the best insurance.
All that's left is to enjoy the trip: let the CityPlanner app put together your day-by-day itinerary and spot the best activities around you.
