5 Best International Prepaid Debit Cards (Reviewed in 2024)

Last Updated on October, 2024

You’re already on the right path if you’re considering best international prepaid debit cards. 

The problem is that there are so many.

Now you’re facing the question, ‘what should I choose?’

Not to worry — I have the full answer.

I have discussed the five best solutions, evaluating everything you need to know, from features to fees to limits.

All you need to do is read through and choose.

Why Trust Me?

I have extensive experience with the top two cards, having used them for several years. Additionally, I’ve used the remaining three cards sufficiently to provide informed recommendations.

I also dove deep into several online reviews, contacted customer support, and read through several real customer reviews on reliable platforms like Trustpilot.

My research on social media platforms like Reddit and Quora was the cherry on top.

That’s why what you find here is critically important for your decision.

Without further ado, let’s start with the best; the Wise card.

5 of the Best Internationally Working Prepaid Debit Cards

1. Wise Card

Wise is branded as the world’s most international debit card.

Let’s see what entitles Wise for that.

Everything is so much easier as you can operate using the user-friendly Wise app which is secured across multiple encryption and other security layers. 

This prepaid visa card allows you to hold and exchange 40+ currencies. That’s why you can shop and make any payment internationally. 

Best thing? You can 

You can also make low-fee withdrawals in 3 million ATMs worldwide. A wise card is recommended for sending and receiving money, too.

Now, you might have a question: does the card always work in USD in all these countries? Absolutely not.

In fact, dynamic currency conversion is one of their key features.

The cherry on top is the auto-covert feature that automatically converts currencies with the lowest foreign transaction fees with no hidden markup.

All you need to do is make a Wise account, verify your identity, and order your card. It comes as a physical card for just $9. Don’t worry — there are no ongoing account fees.

Wise, however, doesn’t offer a virtual yet, although it’s just a matter of time until it’s available in the US.

Wise imposes reasonable daily limits on its card transactions. For ATM withdrawals, users can access up to $1,000 per day. Contactless payments are also capped at $1000 daily, while magnetic stripe transactions allow up to $1,500. Chip & PIN transactions have the highest daily limit at $2,000.

However, the Wise card also doesn’t work in some Asian and African countries including Bolivia, Pakistan, Iraq, Korea, Sudan, and Yemen.

As long as you’re inside the eligible countries, this prepaid Visa card works for businesses too. You can also earn 0.5% cash back for eligible transactions with several business-oriented features, including but not limited to payrolls and employee expense cards.

All things considered, Wise card really is the best international prepaid debit card.

I want you to take a look at my complete Wise Card review if you want to learn more about it.

---

2. Revolut Card

If not for Wise, the best alternative is Revolut.

Revolut is basically an app-based banking alternative whose primary translation medium is the Revolut card. 

Since the inception in 2015 of this service provider in the UK, Revolut has been able to handle 140+ currencies. International spending is possible in 35+ countries, including Australia, EEA countries, Singapore, Australia, Japan, and the US.

As prepaid debit travel cards, you have to top up your Revolut card, and you can easily do this in USD within the app.

This is where Wise-like operations come into the picture. 

ATM withdrawals are possible with Revolut cards, and the fees apply based on your subscription plan. The free Standard plan allows withdrawals up to $400/month for no fee, and a 2% fee afterward.

A big difference between Wise and Revolut is that Revolut works on subscriptions. 

Revolut also offers more bank-like features, such as joint accounts and free <18 accounts.

Although Wise doesn’t offer one, Revolut offers virtual cards; yes, plural. 

Revolut, as the card issuer, allows as many virtual cards as you’d like and they all will have a different card number from your physical Revolut cards. 

You can use Revolut virtual cards to make quick purchases and dispose of them, ensuring your money is safe even in the worst-case scenario.

Additionally, Revolut cards are embedded in convenient built-in budgeting on the app, making finance management easier. It also has built-in rounding up and crediting the remaining amount to your Revolut account.

Being a comprehensive international prepaid debit card, Revolut also offers its cards to businesses. The best thing is that the standard plan doesn’t have any monthly plan fee. 

I use Wise as my main card and Revolut as my backup card. Since both are pretty much free with on-platform currency conversions and several other benefits, it’s a recommendable operational mechanism.

---

3. Netspend Card

Netspend Visa prepaid card is similar to Revolut as a banking alternative, making it another substitute for Wise.

Let’s see what Netspend offers you.

You could say that Netspend was a mixture of Revolut and Wise for one reason. It’s because you can either pay a monthly subscription fee or a fee every time you make a purchase.

This is a Visa and Mastercard prepaid travel card, making it valid in pretty much worldwide.

Being a standard prepaid debit card, you’re supposed to load funds your Netspend account. Account creation and verification are quite similar to that of Wise and Revolut. 

However, you will be charged fixed ATM fees of $2.95 whenever you withdraw cash from ATMs, whether on the monthly or pay-as-you-go plan. In other words, there are no withdrawals with zero ATM fees with Netspend.

While I did equate Netspend card to Wise and Revolut, there are some areas where Netspend falls short. For instance, Netspend lacks two critical featuresthat make Wise and Revolut the best. 

There are no inactivity fees for Revolut and Wise; Netspend does and it is $5.95 per month. 

On a positive note, Netspend allows you to have up to six active virtual cards. The card numbers will differ from your physical Netspend card, safeguarding your money.

What about Netspend’s security quality? Netspend protects your personal and transactional information with encryption and the latest online security measures.

These security measures apply to the Netspend mobile app, too. Not only is it safe, but user-friendliness is very high.

It’s safe to say that Netspend is another dependable international prepaid debit card, as long as you’re fine with its limitations.

---

4. Bluebird by American Express

Bluebird is another excellent-prepaid travel card. The fact that it is offered by the highly reputed American Express (AMEX) increases its overall safety.

You can use these travel cards anywhere in the world where Visa card is accepted.

Bluebird cardholders can easily top up their accounts by using a secure mobile app. Like competitors, the Bluebird mobile app is highly secure and compatible with iOS and Android.

You can also have instant access with ‘Money in Minutes’ but there will be a 5% fee when you withdraw money.

Several reviews mislead prospective customers by stating that Bluebird enables free ATM withdrawals; this is only partially true.

Free ATM withdrawal facilities with Bluebird prepaid cards are only possible inside the US, and only MoneyPass® ATMs enable that. 

For international transactions, a fee of up to $2.50 applies. Cash withdrawals from ATMs outside the MoneyPass® network will incur additional charges. The sole exception to these fees is for transactions conducted in Puerto Rico..

However, international transactions such as paying bills, transferring money, and making purchases are possible with these travel cards. Furthermore, Bluebird will also not charge any foreign exchange transaction fee to spend your USD balance overseas.

Similar to Netspend, Bluebird also lacks the two most important features with international transactions: holding and spending multiple currencies, and foreign currency conversion within the platform.

Bluebird offers some money management tools to compensate for that, especially to track your expenses. This can come in handy in the international setting.

Let’s talk about this card’s limitations.

On the positive side, there are no overdraft fees.

Bluebird also allows you to have personal or family accounts. Family accounts are a bit similar to Revolut’s <18 accounts. The difference is that you can link up to four Bluebird cards with anyone 13 years or older.

You also can have SetAside accounts that are made explicitly to help you allocate money for special occasions. Internationally, these can help you manage your finances better.

With FREE foreign exchange fees, card replacement fees, inactivity fees, and customer service call fees, Bluebird aims to stay customer-centric.

My conclusion is that Bluebird might not be as good as Wise, but it can perform well in several international settings.

---

5. FamZoo Prepaid Card

FamZoo is the last recommendable substitute for Wise — let’s see what makes it great.

FamZoo has a unique market position. The brand offers its services not just for anyone;

As an international debit card for families, parents can set parental controls with child roles. You can also send money between cards instantly wherever you are.

In the international setting, you can spend your money in USD while imposing spending limits for your children.

While the FamZoo card is technologically advanced, you also don’t need high-end Android phones to manage that. Even with that, the app user interface is user-friendly and is highly secure with encryption.

These overlapping features show how all brands attempt to match whatever they can when compared to debit cards like Wise and Revolut.

FamZoo users can also split payments living up to the market position as a family-friendly international debit card. Parents can also approve as the children make money requests through the app.

Another impressive feature of this debit card is that there are no ATM fees, except for possible fees by the ATM operators.

Let’s talk about FamZoo card limits, next.

You can withdraw up to $500 per day and the maximum balance you can load onto a FamZoo card is $5,000.

Conversely, there are no free plans for FamZoo. The special benefit is that their default monthly fee is $5.99 or $2.50 with a pay-in-advance plan.

These prices remain unchanged whether there are three or a hundred family members. FamZoo lives up to its brand name that way.

FamZoo doesn’t offer multi-currency accounts or currency exchange within the app like the last three cards.

FamZoo is one of the best prepaid debit cards currency conversion isn’t a top priority, and if your family is pretty big, in the international setting.

With all the international debit cars covered, let’s look at the choosing guide next.

---

Choosing Guide: Best International Prepaid Debit Card

There was a set of filters I used to choose and rank these best-prepaid debit cards. Once you read this choosing guide, it’ll make more sense.

Here’s how to choose the best prepaid debit cards.

• Consider the extent of countries the card works in

Wise works in 170+ countries, while Revolut works in only 35+ countries. The more countries a prepaid card works in, the better it is. 

• Remember the currency you will be spending in

While Europe primarily uses the Euro and the UAE uses the Dirham, Netspend, Wise, and Revolut all offer multi-currency support. Despite Netspend’s wider geographical coverage, all three services allow you to hold Dirhams alongside other currencies.

• Pay attention to the recurring and overall card fees

FamZoo charges a monthly fee regardless of the card’s usage; Wise doesn’t. Revolut also doesn’t fit in the standard plan.

Similarly, you must consider the recurring fees. You should also consider the exchange rate; is it mid mid-market rate or something else? Because the mid-market rate is the standard.

• Is there a minimum/maximum balance or inactivity fees

Not always will you use your international debit card. Wise and Revolut don’t charge Netspend a monthly inactivity amount.

• How easy is it to use?

Thanks to the highly user-friendly mobile applications and overall operational methods, all cards on this list are easy to use.

If you nitpick, Wise wins thanks to several features such as currency conversion, multi-currency accounts, etc. You can easily connect it to your bank account and withdraw cash.

• Overall safety measures

What sort of account information is collected? Are there in-app security measures for international spending? Can you view your transaction history online? 

Think about all the safety aspects before purchasing a prepaid debit card.

What are Prepaid Debit Cards Exactly?

Are debit cards and prepaid debit cards the same? No. 

Similarly, a prepaid credit card is not similar to a standard credit card.

Prepaid debit cards don’t need bank accounts while standard debit cards do. Features such as currency conversion and multi-currency holding and spending are absent in traditional debit cards.

Typically, prepaid debit cards don’t have overdraft fees too.

One downside of prepaid debit cards is that they lack some important debit card features such as easy ATM withdrawal.

Relevant guides:

• Best Europe Travel Cards
• Best Prepaid Credit Card for International Travel

Conclusion

Investing in international prepaid debit cards is the cheapest and the safest option, especially when you consider the fees apply for substitutes. While there are several leading cards, it can be hard to choose the best. 

However, Wise wins this race by a massive lead thanks to its features, overall affordability, convenience, and safety.

After all, you don’t want anything extra to worry about when using your card abroad.

I hope this review was helpful, and feel free to share this with your friends and family.

FAQs