The card. Carry one with no foreign transaction fee that refunds ATM fees, plus a second from a different bank, kept somewhere else.
Which machines charge. A bank’s own ATM in the eurozone usually adds nothing. The Euronet machines and the other independents in tourist streets add €2 to €5 of their own and then offer a conversion. Japan’s 7-Eleven machines charge ¥110 to ¥220 and take every foreign card. Every Thai bank charges a flat ฿220 per foreign withdrawal, so take out more, less often. Mexican banks charge 23 to 80 pesos; the standalone machines charge much more.
Dynamic currency conversion. When a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, it is selling you its own exchange rate, marked up by a few percent and sometimes by more than ten. Choose the local currency: yen, won, baht, euros, pesos. If a waiter has already chosen for you, ask for it to be voided and rerun.
Where cash still rules. Japan is more than half cashless, but shrines, ramen counters and festival stalls still take cash, so ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 covers a week. Berlin is the surprise: many restaurants, bars and stalls take cash only. Prague’s cafés take cards, its pubs and stalls often do not, and never use a street exchange office. Mexico City’s markets and street stands are cash, as is Bangkok’s street food and every Lisbon and Porto market. Singapore, London, Amsterdam and New York need no notes at all.
Contactless on transit. London, New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Madrid (since June 2026), Barcelona, Lisbon and Prague take a bank card at the gate or validator; Prague has no daily cap, so a day ticket is cheaper after three rides. Tokyo Metro and Toei take cards since March 2026; JR and most of Kyoto and Osaka still want a Suica or ICOCA. Seoul needs T-money, Mexico City the Movilidad Integrada card, Paris a Navigo Easy for now, Berlin a ticket from the app.
Day one. Land with about €50 to €100 in local notes, or ¥10,000 to ¥20,000, and draw the rest at a bank ATM in the city.
When a card is swallowed or blocked. Wait a minute in case the machine gives it back, then freeze it in the app and call the number on the other card, noting the machine’s location. Few operators return captured cards, so the question is cash: the second card, or emergency cash arranged by your bank.
On the day. Pay by card where you can, choose the local currency on every screen, and keep one note outside your wallet. Put both banks’ phone numbers in Waystop’s Documents, so a lost wallet does not take the numbers with it.