On my recent trip to America I did a bit of research into what was the best way to  use my money while there. I found my bank didn’t charge much for transactions, but if I wanted to withdraw US dollars from them before leaving they would charge me an arm and a leg.

There are a few things you can do to save on fees and charges when travelling overseas.

1. Compare banks

Different banks charge different fees for different things. You might find one bank has high fees for using ATM’s overseas, (as much as $5) but their over the counter currency conversions are really cheap. Find out which one has the best deal for you and use them.

Banks often charge these fees, but also a fee when changing the currency as well as a commission for converting the currency which can be anywhere from 1.5% – 3.65%. You can compare these fees with the Mozo debit card fee finder.  Getting it right can save you a lot.

2. Negotiate

Try negotiating with your bank. If you find a better deal elsewhere ask your bank if they will match or beat it. It is cheaper for them to keep a customer rather than try and get a new customer, so it is in their best interests to keep you happy.

3. Get the right cards

I say cards because not all cards are accepted everywhere. There are 4 different types of cards you can use overseas: prepaid travel cards, credit cards, debit cards and you regular ATM card. A prepaid card is just like a credit card except you put your money on it before you go. Credit cards are great as they are easy to replace and many such as AMEX have excellent reward schemes attached. A debit card enables you to use your money, but it can be used as a credit card. A regular ATM card is your own money again, but the fees can be steep.

Compare different cards to find which will be right for you, or take a couple of options such as a credit card and a prepaid card.

4. Deal in large sums of money

To really avoid transaction fees deal in large sums of money. This can be risky as you are carrying around cash instead of a card, and you cannot get cash back if it is lost or stolen, whereas you can cancel credit cards, get them replaced and prove certain expenses were not made by you.

Taking out a large sum of money at one time instead of regular smaller sums means you will only have one transaction fee instead of several.

Kylie Ofiu is an author, blogger and writer. On her blog she writes about ways to make and save money.

Bank Accounts

Students are a frugal bunch at the best of times, and if you’re looking to save enough change for some $7 Pad Thai for lunch, the humble bank account is one place where you can save a few pennies by avoiding unnecessary charges on everyday transactions.

First of all, you want a student bank account with as few fees as possible. That means no monthly service fee, no own-bank ATM fees, and no eftpos fees. You also want to make sure that there aren’t any minimum requirements or conditions for the account fees to be waived, as chances are you won’t be able to meet them with just a casual wage and centrelink. The other key component is the availability of a debit card so you can shop online using your own money. All of the Big 4 (ANZ, Commbank, NAB and Westpac) have accounts that match this criteria, and seeing as they have the largest ATM networks you’re best off sticking with them as it’ll mean you’ll pay less foreign ATM fees.

Credit Cards

Some of the big banks offer specific student credit cards, whilst there are other ‘normal’ credit cards that are an ideal fit for students. What is an ideal fit? By and large students are looking for a no frills, low cost solution that can act as a type of overdraft. So the things to look out for are interest free days, annual fee and interest rate. My recommendation? Take a look at the self-titled ‘HSBC credit card’ or BankWest’s Zero Mastercard. Both have low fees, 55 days interest free days, a reasonable purchase rate and relatively low income thresholds for applications.

As far as income goes, the combination of youth allowance and some part-time work will get you over the line for most no-frills cards. When you apply, make sure you take documentation for all your income in the form of payslips and centrelink documents if need be.

Personal Loans

For those looking to avoid the potential pitfalls of credit card ownership, some banks offer specific student loans to help cover the costs of textbooks, living costs, fees etc. These loans tend to feature reduced fees and/or interest for students and some even allow you to defer interest payments till after you’ve completed your studies! Victoria Teachers Credit Union’s Student Loan currently leads the market, offering an unsecured loan with no monthly fee, a low application fee of $20 and an extremely low variable rate of 11.55%.

Still hungry for information on student accounts? Stop playing ultimate frisbee and head over to Mozo Answers or check out the Mozo Student Room!

For example, both BankWest and ING Direct offer transaction accounts that reimburse ATM fees. A more innovative product is Suncorp Bank’s everyday options account, which is an everyday account that can link to multiple savings accounts as well as lock away part of your funds to a term deposit “flexiRate”.

St. George’s latest offering, St George SENSE Savings, is similar in many ways to Suncorp’s with a few different bells and whistles. The ‘SENSE’ account is effectively an amalgam of St. George’s leading savings and transactions accounts with a few clever gimmicks to help things along.

The first innovative add on is that you receive a combined statement for both accounts. SENSE also comes with a range of pretty snazzy and informative graphs that help you track your spending. One of them is a pie chart that breaks down your everyday spending by categories, such as leisure, home expenses, and transport. There’s also a bar graph version that shows these amounts month to month. Plus you get a graph outlining your savings progress in relation to your set target.

There’s also the Sense Rounding Contribution graph -and this is what really sets this product apart. What exactly is a rounding contribution? Well, every time you make a purchase on your debit card, the SENSE account automatically rounds up the transaction to the nearest dollar and takes that balance from your everyday account and puts it into your savings bucket. For example, say I bought a coffee and a croissant on my way in to work that costs me $5.30. If I pay using my SENSE account, $6 gets taken out of my account. $5.30 goes to the barista and the remaining $0.70 goes into my SENSE savings account. The same process also applies to all BPay transactions too. It’s a really nifty way to start saving without putting any effort in.

All the standard perks come too – if you deposit over $2000 a month into the account you don’t pay an annual fee, there’s no minimum balance required, a VISA debit card, and all the convenience of having linked accounts, such as ease of transfers and regular payments. The savings account comes with a reasonable 4.85% rate as well.

So hats off to St. George. They’ve managed to craft a simple, yet intuitive and innovative product that redefines the relationship between the transaction and the savings account. For all those that struggle with saving, or simply having to manage two accounts, this is one option that could make a lot of SENSE.

Find the best savings account rates at mozo.com.au.

While debit cards are not new (most banks and credit unions have been offering them for years), MasterCard and Visa have recently increased their presence here to compete with EFTPOS. Since it was introduced, EFTPOS has had little competition in Australia, but the boffins at EFTPOS haven’t kept up with the times, and more specifically, the internet, opening the door for the debit card.

It seems the newly refurbished Visa and MasterCard debit cards will soon usurp the throne of EFTPOS to become the new norm. However, debit still faces the competition of the credit card. So who will reign supreme?

Credit Cards:

Pros:

• You have access to money that isn’t yours for impulse purchases before your pay day
• Rewards programs
• Travel insurance (on some cards)
• Accepted almost everywhere as a form of payment

Cons:

• You have access to money that isn’t yours for impulse purchases before your pay day
• Annual, late payment, rewards program and dishonour fees
• Interest payments on outstanding balances
• Cash withdrawals (or ‘cash advances’) incur hefty fees and interest rates

Debit Cards

Pros:

• You’re using your own money so you never have to worry about interest payments
• Accepted almost everywhere as a form of payment (including overseas ATMs)
• You can use it to withdraw money from an ATM or get cash out with purchases

Cons:

• There are fees associated with some debit cards.
• There are no rewards programs
• You could be tempted to spend more money over the internet simply because you now have the access

The verdict:
Credit cards are great if you want rewards more than you mind annual fees, and will pay off your balance before the interest rate kicks in. If this isn’t you, then debit cards are the way to go. Happy spending people!

Compare credit cards at mozo.com.au

Compare debit cards at mozo.com.au