NatWest warning for anyone going to Spain or Turkey

Consumers are losing over £17m a year by choosing to pay in pounds rather than the local currency when using credit and debit cards abroad. The figure is likely to be higher as this only accounts for the top five spending categories, ATM, accommodation, restaurants, duty free and groceries. Mystery shopper research was carried out on behalf of NatWest in countries around the world and found it was always cheaper to pay in the local currency.

When abroad, holidaymakers are often given the option on a card terminal to pay either in pounds or the local currency. The exchange rate for paying in pounds is often far worse than paying in local currency and having the sum converted by your bank. The price difference can be substantial - with one accommodation provider in Spain marking the price up 13.4% when the customer chose to pay in pounds.

When travelling on a flight from Gatwick to Spain it was again found to be cheaper to pay in euros rather than pounds when given the option on the card terminal. For every transaction carried out as part of the research it was found that it is always cheaper to pay in the local currency.

Poland tops the table for the highest spend carried out in pounds rather than the local currency (77% of spend value), this is closely followed by Turkey (73%) and Sweden (68%). Spain is the most popular destination, with one in five transactions taking place in the country. Over one in ten transactions (14%) could be more expensive due to paying in pounds rather than euros.

Hazel Harper, International Payments NatWest said: “There’s one simple trick to saving on your family holiday when you’re abroad and it’s by always choosing to pay in the local currency. Our research found that it could be up to 13% more expensive to pay in pounds which makes a big difference to the cost of a family holiday.”