
If you are looking for a cross-border payment solution that can help you optimise your finances as a digital nomad, Revolut is a multicurrency account with a free virtual debit card that is a great travel companion, as you can exchange money at the real market rate, commission free.
The Revolut card itself is a prepaid Mastercard that is specifically designed for those who travel often. Offering international bank transfers and spending abroad with low overhead fees, the goal of Revolut is to enable users to manage their entire financial life within a single app, regardless of where they are living. From everyday spending to budgeting, to foreign currency exchange, to investing in stocks, gold and crypto and more. You can combine the use of the card with the app itself to optimise your fiscal management from anywhere in the world.
There are 3 different plans that you can sign up for with Revolut:
– Standard
– Premium
– Metal
While the Standard is free, the Premium and Metal accounts come with a monthly charge but additional features and extended limits.
While it may appear that the Revolut card is just another digital debit card linked to a multi-currency account these days, there are benefits that can allow you to use your Revolut card more flexibly overseas than other types of cards.
#1 No Forex Markup
With Revolut, you can exchange currencies with your Singapore dollars with no exchange fees up to S$5,000 with the Standard plan, and at the interbank exchange rate. There is a fee of 0.5% for exchanging more than S$5,000.
In addition, if you exchange currencies during the week (6pm New York time on Sunday and 5pm New York time on Friday) there are no additional charges. However, if you exchange money on weekends (between 5pm New York time on Friday and 6pm New York time on Sunday) then you incur a 1% fee on your exchange. This may be understandable as rates are constantly fluctuating and Revolut could be hit with a difference in exchange rates when the markets re-open on a Monday.
This is the advantage of spending on your Revolut Card; low and transparent fees, and you get to spend fee-free at the inter-bank rate in 200+ countries. Usually, when you spend abroad, you get hit with transaction fees and hidden charges. Not when you use a Revolut card.
Also, keep in mind that card payments, ATM withdrawals and money transfers may rely on the currency exchange when you are overseas and thus have the weekend markup that applies in all of these cases. Now, if you don’t want to pay these charges, just withdraw cash on a weekday and you can save yourself some money.
#2 Free Overseas ATM Withdrawals
Revolut lets you take out cash from any ATM abroad that accepts Visa or Mastercard. You can find the relevant ATMs that are near you via the Revolut app: Hub>ATMs.
Cash withdrawals are free up to the currency-equivalent of S$350 per month and then have a 2% charge after that with a Standard account. If you upgrade your Revolut account to Premium or Metal, you can raise your free withdrawal amounts to S$700 or S$1050, respectively.
While Revolut can have free cash-withdrawals from its account, that doesn’t guarantee the whole transaction will be free. Remember to keep in mind that certain local ATM operators may impose their own fees as well.
Do take note that you will also not be able to withdraw cash from your Revolut card in Singapore (yet).
#3 Optimise Your Finances With Revolut Analytics
You can use the analytics feature on the Revolut mobile app paired with your card to help you to track your spending, and you can do that by category. If you’ve spent your funds in more than one country, you can create different payment streams and you can also split the bill with different friends.
This is perfect for digital nomads, who are constantly on the move and may not have time to sit down every day to plan out their budget. Having the Revolut card integrated with a budget tracker allows you to keep track of your finances abroad without having to key in every transaction you made.
You can also organise all your online subscriptions, for both work and entertainment, via your Revolut app. What’s even better is that you can simply set a reminder for your payments (in various currencies), so you never miss a payment again, get hit with a late charge or have your subscription terminated. You can also block unwanted subscriptions by blocking future payments from your Revolut app.
With a $0 Monthly Fee, $0 ATM Fee, 0.5% Currency Conversion Fee for most currencies with the standard account, the Revolut card is one of the most Revolut-ionary cards out there for digital nomads. You can apply here for a FREE Revolut card today.
Moreover, you can now also invest in US stocks, commodities such as gold, silver and precious metals, and cryptocurrencies all from your Revolut app today. Commissions fees are also competitive. For a digital nomad, getting to manage one more aspect of your life within a single app can your life even simpler.
This article was first published on 30 January 2021 and updated with new information.
Listen to our podcast, where we have in-depth discussions on finance topics that matter to you.
Advertiser Message
How Many Money Habits Do You Practise?
Whatever financial goals you’ve set for yourself, take small, consistent steps towards them by adopting good Money Habits. Tap in and learn how to make money decisions that are right for you, at every stage of life here.
