You go on this wonderful trip abroad. You are frugal, carefully budgeting out every step of the way. You aren’t careless with your money. Upon return, you notice that you have $30-50 in foreign transaction fees with your credit card and bank. That is one thing you did not budget for!

Every traveler who has gone abroad has struggled with this. And I for one am not someone who enjoys getting traveler checks, going to money exchanges, or taking out large amounts of cash. I want to be able to go to the ATM when I can and get just the amount I need out.

First, you need to find a debit card that will pay back any ATM fees you accrue. The debit card or bank doesn’t have to be your main bank. Charles Schwab, for example, isn’t a savings bank, but you can still open up an account in order to use the debit card. Charles Schwab is a great card to use abroad as it repays any fees you accrue.

Credit cards that give travel rewards have started giving the perk of $0 foreign transaction fees. Do your research first as many of those cards require annual fees.