International transaction fee on your card explained

What is an international transaction fee?

An international transaction fee is a charge that applies to any transaction processed outside of Australia, or in a foreign currency.

The international transaction fee applies when you use your NAB Visa Debit cards or NAB credit cards for purchase/cash withdrawal transactions with an overseas merchant which is processed outside Australia or in a foreign currency. Knowing when you’ll be charged the fee, how much it is and how to avoid it can be confusing. Let’s break it down and simplify it for you. It’s important to know that you don’t have to be overseas for the fees to apply.

International transactions are transactions where the merchant, financial institution, or entity processing the transaction is located outside Australia. These transactions are either:

• Single-currency international transaction: where the transaction or cash withdrawal is made in Australian dollars (AUD).
• Multi-currency international transaction: where the transaction or cash withdrawal is made in a currency other than AUD.

The NAB International Transaction Fee applies to all NAB personal credit cards and NAB Visa Debit cards except the NAB Visa One Fee-Free Card, NAB StraightUp Card and purchase transactions on the NAB Platinum Visa Debit Card.

When you’ll be charged a fee

Here are some of the most common examples of when the fee applies.

Shopping online

Do you love online shopping or frequently book holidays or hotels online? If you do, be aware that any transaction processed outside of Australia or in any foreign currency (e.g. USD or GBP) will attract the fee.

It may not always be obvious that your purchase is being processed overseas. For example, you could be on a '.com.au' website and paying for the purchase in Australian dollars (AUD). However, the transaction is actually being processed by the merchant outside of Australia and the fee will apply.

Travelling overseas

The NAB International Transaction Fee applies when you use your NAB credit card or NAB Visa Debit card overseas to:

• make a purchase
• withdraw cash from an ATM (a 'cash advance'  ).

When buying something overseas, you may be given the option to pay in either local currency or Australian dollars (AUD). In either case, you’ll be charged your card’s international transaction fee.

While it may seem helpful to see the amount you’re paying in Australian dollars (AUD), you should check the exchange rate to determine which option is better for you.

You can find up-to-date Visa currency conversion rates in the NAB app by selecting More from the menu before logging in and selecting Foreign exchange. If you choose to pay in Australian dollars (AUD), be aware that the exchange rate the merchant uses to convert the transaction amount might be different to the exchange rate Visa uses.

Products with no international transaction fee

To avoid the international transaction fee, look for products that allow you to shop overseas without incurring them. 

The NAB StraightUp Card comes with no interest as well as no international transaction fee. There’s just a simple monthly fee and minimum monthly payment based on your credit limit.

The NAB Platinum Visa Debit card doesn’t charge an international transaction fee on purchase transactions processed overseas. It does charge an international transaction fee on overseas cash withdrawals, and fees for using international ATMs.

NAB Now Pay Later has no international transaction fees, plus no late fees, account fees or interest. Our buy now pay later account is a simple way to split your everyday purchases into four equal repayments. Available in the NAB app only .

Learn more about how to choose the right credit card for your next holiday.

Fee amounts for different transactions

See what fees apply when using your card for international purchases.