Result is it's very cheap to use abroad. :)
£200 free allowance per month, 3% charge for withdrawals thereafter everywhere outside the UK
From here: https://monzo.com/blog/2017/09/13/atm-fees-abroad/
I would have just transparently passed on whatever the ATM charges rather than this weird 3% fee.
Can anyone comment on how Revolut compares? One pain point is that I always get asked if I want to pay in GBP or EUR, or even the cashier selects without asking me, in which case I get massively ripped off if they select GBP. With Revolut will the card look like a EUR card whilst travelling in the Eurozone?
You're also allowed to withdraw roughly £200/month worth of cash (any supported currency) without any fees. Beyond that there is a charge, I can't remember how much offhand but it's not too crazy.
The one problem I had with the card was at their petrol stations. Most are self-service and require the card to be pre-authed before the fuel will start being pumped. Revolut doesn't support this so I had to use another card or find stations where I could pay in store.
Monzo (After 18th December): £200/month, 3% thereafter (https://monzo.com/blog/2017/10/17/atm-limits-announcement/)
Revolut: £200/month (£400 with Premium), 2% thereafter
Starling: No charge
Not sure about any of the other challenger banks, I've only used Monzo on a regular basis.
Was your experience all within the inner city?
For sure many coffee shops and convenience stores accept card, but I definitely find myself having to pay cash quite often (just for instance, the laksa place on Hunter street).
There are plenty of cards in the UK that do not have a foreign transaction charge on purchases (nationwide, lloyds avios, for example).
It got to a point I had to open local bank accounts and do wire transfers from my UK bank account to local bank accounts and use the local debit card. I just couldn't get my TSB/Lloyds card to work anywhere except high end western shops like Apple Store.