How To Avoid Extra Fees On Credit Cards For International Charges

Compared to cash, using your credit card is one of the most effective and safest ways of bringing money when travelling abroad. However, using your credit cards outside the United States can bring about large transaction fees, including currency conversion fees. Although these fees are usually unavoidable, you can still use your credit cards and avoid paying these fees by applying for a debit card with a Mastercard logo from PayPal and use your credit cards as back-up funding. The PayPal debit card with Mastercard logo can be used to make purchases and pay for services anywhere in the world where Mastercard is accepted without incurring any transaction fees when making purchases.

Step 1

Go to paypal.com and sign up for a new paypal account. You will be asked to enter your personal and financial information and choose between personal, premier and business. Choose premier or business account. The premier account is excellent if you buy and sell online. Choose the business account if you are a merchant who uses a group or company name. You won't be able to get the debit card if you choose the personal account. There are no fees for opening these accounts. You will need to wait two to three business days for paypal to verify your financial information and activate your account.

Step 2

Apply for the paypal debit card once your premier or business account has been approved. Once approved, you will be automatically asked if you want to apply for the free paypal debit card. This debit card has the mastercard logo on it and can be used anywhere in the world to make purchases and pay for services.

Step 3

Choose one or more of your current credit cards to back up your paypal debit card. You can use a Discover, American Express, Visa or Mastercard. You can use your credit card to back up your paypal card and make purchases without adding money to the account. Click on "profile" then "add/edit credit card" to back up. Once you add your credit card, your paypal debit card will have the same limit as the credit card you use as back up. When you make a purchase, paypal immediately charges your back-up card. There are no fees for doing this, and you can use the paypal debit card to make purchases overseas without paying any kind of transaction or currency conversion fees.