One of the most common questions we get from travelers who are going to travel to the Philippines or visit any destination around the globe is what to do about money there. Should I bring cash and exchange it? Can I pay by card? Will I be charged for withdrawing money at the ATM? Although we already talked a bit about this in Money in the Philippines, today we want to share our experience after so many years traveling the world and recommend what we consider the best card for traveling to the Philippines and to other corners of the planet.
Bring cash to the Philippines to exchange it or withdraw from an ATM?
The best way to handle money in the Philippines, if you come from a country with euros or dollars, is to bring cash and exchange it into Philippine pesos at a money changer. That said, upon arrival in the country—unlike in the rest of the world (where airport exchanges really rip you off)—the rate will be good only at Manila airport, not at Cebu airport. To know where to exchange money, we explain it our guide about Money in the Philippines in detail.
Although thefts aren’t common, carrying lots of cash when you travel isn’t ideal, so in our opinion the best approach is to carry a variable amount (depending on how long you’ll be in the country and what you’re comfortable with), use Remitly (you’ll be amazed at how easy and safe it is), and then have a card for traveling to the Philippines that doesn’t charge you fees for paying or withdrawing at ATMs.
Having cards that don’t apply fees for paying in a currency other than the euro is also crucial even when planning the trip, since you’ll be able to make flight and hotel bookings in Philippine pesos without paying a lot more. It may sound obvious, but your trip won’t get so expensive if you use cards for traveling to the Philippines like the ones we’ll mention below.
Paying by card in the Philippines
The most convenient thing, without a doubt, would be to pay by card and not have to carry so much cash, right? Unfortunately, as in many other Southeast Asian countries, card payments in the Philippines aren’t very widespread.
You’ll only be able to pay by card regularly in big cities like Manila or Cebu and, outside of them, in high-end hotels and restaurants. In addition, many resorts and dive shops also charge a fee (usually 3% to 5% of the amount). So, as you can see, you’ll have no choice but to use cash most of the time.
Note that almost no ATM in the Philippines supports contactless and few POS terminals have it yet, so you’ll need a physical card in many cases.
On top of that, the vast majority of Spanish banks (and worldwide) charge a fee for paying or withdrawing in a foreign currency. That is, if, for example, you pay by card in the Philippines, they’ll apply a fee for paying in Philippine pesos. This fee varies by bank but is usually around 2–3% of the amount.
Furthermore, many banks, instead of applying fair exchange rates (the interbank rate, Mastercard’s or VISA’s), apply their own. This is very unfavorable and therefore amounts to a hidden fee. That’s why it’s essential to check with your bank what fees they’ll apply and to look for good alternatives.
WATCH OUT: Besides paying by card once you’re in the Philippines, you’ll save a lot if you get a card that doesn’t apply fees when booking your flights and hotels in the Philippines. The same goes if you need to leave a deposit for a tour booking or a dive course. Since they’ll charge you in Philippine pesos, if you pay with a “normal” card, part of your money will go on those charges—and the same if you have to make transfers, which often come with hefty fees. For these reasons—and here’s a tip—cards like Revolut (if you get it through THIS LINK you get €10 as a welcome bonus, no strings attached) or N26 are fantastic even long before you set foot in the Philippines. Plus, since you can create virtual and disposable virtual cards (for sites you don’t fully trust), you can start booking things even before the physical card arrives.
By now you’ll have noticed how important it is to have a good card for traveling to the Philippines and to any country outside the eurozone.
Remember that if you use our link, besides getting that €10 welcome bonus, we receive a small commission that helps us keep working on this project every day.
Withdrawing money from ATMs in the Philippines
If paying by card isn’t widespread and they also charge you fees, you might think: “I’ll just withdraw cash from the ATM,” right? However, when withdrawing money from ATMs in the Philippines (and elsewhere) you’ll have to consider 2 fees:
A) The local ATM fee (surcharge fee):
Except for HSBC ATMs (which you’ll only find in Manila, Cebu and Davao—and not even at the airport, which isn’t very useful…), ATMs in the Philippines charge a fee of 250 pesos (about €4) per withdrawal, and the amount cannot exceed 20,000 pesos (about €330). In most cases, the maximum amount is 10,000 pesos (€165). This means that if you need to withdraw several times, you’ll end up paying quite a bit in fees.
This fee isn’t unique to the Philippines; it also happens in countries like Colombia, Thailand or New Zealand.
B) Your bank’s fee:
This is very important and not many people think about it. Most Spanish banks—and many others worldwide—apply one, two or three fees.
- A fixed fee per withdrawal.
- A variable fee on the amount you withdraw (this is usually around 3–5% of the amount withdrawn).
- A hidden fee by applying whatever exchange rate they want (note this is usually the most “dangerous” one, as it’s not often clearly stated).
The local ATM fee can hardly ever be avoided, but as you’ve seen, it’s very important to avoid the 2nd and 3rd. To do so, after 10 years of indefinite travel, we’ve put together a selection of the best cards for traveling to the Philippines (and the rest of the world) to save a lot on fees.
The best cards to travel to the Philippines: pay and withdraw money with NO FEES (or lower fees)
If, like us, you don’t want to waste money on fees and prefer to spend it on dives, island hoppings and a few beers, we recommend getting one or two of the best cards for traveling to the Philippines that we’re going to talk about below.
You can get all of them online in under 10 minutes (as we said, you can instantly create a virtual card for your online bookings) and it’s common for the physical card to reach your home in less than 2 weeks (some in just 3 days!).
By the way, since things happen (loss, theft, a demagnetized stripe…), so you don’t get stranded, our advice is to carry at least two cards. We also carry the one from our Spanish bank (ING), which we only use in extreme emergencies because, as we’ve mentioned, it charges significant fees.
1. Revolut account and card for traveling to the Philippines
In our experience, Revolut is another of the best cards for traveling to the Philippines. It belongs to a UK financial entity that now has more than 45 million customers.
The Revolut card for traveling to the Philippines is very similar to the previous one, as it’s a debit card that you can top up from another card or via transfer. In addition, it comes with a bank account with a Spanish IBAN, giving you total security and ease of use both in Spain and abroad.
Why do we recommend Revolut for traveling to the Philippines?
- The standard plan lets you withdraw up to €200 per month without additional fees. After €200, it applies a 2% fee on the amount you withdraw. If you go Premium, you can withdraw up to €400. Out‑of‑network ATMs may apply certain fees.
- It applies a very competitive exchange rate Monday to Friday. On weekends it charges 1% more, as markets are closed. This is FUNDAMENTAL when organizing your trip, since you’ll usually have to pay hotels and flights in Philippine pesos, and the rate a “regular” bank gives you will make you incur quite high fees—paying much more than you think.
- It’s not just a card but a current account, and you can even have multiple currency accounts. In other words, you can receive and withdraw money. This is particularly interesting for us, since we receive money in currencies other than the euro and traditional banks give us terrible rates and charge fees.
- The account has no opening or maintenance fees (no account management or maintenance fees, 0% APR 0% NIR). The card (if you choose the standard plan) will only have a shipping cost.
- You can make transfers to Philippine banks with a minimal fee, which is great because some dive centers or tour agencies ask for a deposit. Transfers within the European Union have no Revolut fees.
- With the standard (free) plan, they apply a very competitive exchange rate for ATM withdrawals up to €200.
- You can pay up to €1,000 per month in foreign currency at a very competitive exchange rate (after that amount and on weekends, they apply 1%). In euros you can pay as much as you want.
- We receive instant notifications on our phone with the app. We can see what we pay immediately and at what rate.
- You can lock and unlock the card through the app, which is great if you’re worried about cloning or unauthorized charges.
- You can create virtual cards to pay online or with your phone’s wallet. You can turn these cards off or delete them whenever you want, making it very hard for them to be cloned or misused. You can also create disposable one‑time cards for this purpose.
- There’s no commitment and you can close it whenever you want.
Sounds good, right? Getting the Revolut card will take you less than a minute, and best of all, if you get it through THIS LINK, you get €10 as a welcome bonus. For that, you just need to make a minimum transaction of €1 and you’ll receive the €10 welcome bonus within a maximum of 3 days.
You should just bear in mind that you need to be over 18 to open a Revolut account. Also read Revolut’s terms and conditions. Promotion subject to withholding tax.
Since 2020 they charge €6.99 for shipping. To avoid this many travelers think they’ll use contactless; however, we already warned that the vast majority of ATMs in the Philippines don’t have contactless and many POS terminals don’t either, so you need a physical card.
How to get the Revolut card for traveling to the Philippines step by step:
- Download the app through this link.
- Click “get card”.
- Add €10 from any other card.
- Verify your identity by uploading a photo of your ID or passport. Then you’ll need to take a selfie.
- Tap “Cards” and select that you want a physical card.
- Choose the shipping type. The standard time is 9 business days. If you select “express” it’s 3 business days, but keep in mind you’ll be charged.
- When the card arrives at home, you’ll just need to activate it in the app—and you’re ready for your trip!
- To receive the €10 promotion, you’ll need to make a purchase greater than €1. You’ll receive it within a maximum of 3 days.
In addition, for those of us who travel a lot, there are other Revolut accounts you may be interested in:
- Premium: costs €7.99 per month, but lets you withdraw €400 without additional fees, among other benefits. In‑network ATMs may apply certain fees.
- Metal: costs €13.99 per month, but you can withdraw up to €600 with no fees, get access to certain airport lounges, travel insurance…
⚠️ Get it via this link and get your €10 welcome bonus with your first purchase of at least €1. T&C apply. Subject to withholding tax.
Note, Revolut works very well in the Philippines and we’ve used this card for 10 years without issues, but recently it’s been running into trouble at Euronet ATMs. Why? Euronet tries to charge very high exchange‑rate fees and pushes hard during withdrawals, so Revolut “turned off the tap.” Even so, no problem—just look for one of the many ATMs from Philippine banks (HSBC, BPI, PNB or Metrobank) and withdraw there with it.
2. N26 card and bank account
While the previous one seems to us one of the best cards for traveling to the Philippines, this is also interesting to carry “just in case” something happens to the other. Although it isn’t 100% fee‑free, it does have quite low fees and much lower than other banks, which makes it very interesting for a traveler like you (and us).
What we like about N26:
- Issuance and maintenance cost of the Mastercard and the account: €0.
- Mastercard exchange rate for purchases in currencies other than the euro.
- ATM withdrawals (domestic and international): 5 per month free.
- When withdrawing in a currency other than the euro they only apply a 1.7% fee on the amount you withdraw.
- It’s opened online in no time via a video call and the card arrives at your home in 7–10 days.
- Support in Spanish via a very friendly chat.
- The app works well and also sends instant notifications when you make payments.
What we don’t like: they now charge €10 for shipping the card and, unfortunately, the limit for instant top‑ups is low.
Request your N26 card through this link
As you can see, the only thing that jars here is the fee percentage when paying outside the eurozone, which isn’t very high but has a “solution.” If you travel a lot, like us, it’s worth getting the account and the N26 YOU card. This is paid (€9.90 per month), but the benefits are as follows:
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- Withdrawals at ATMs outside the eurozone: no fees; the Mastercard exchange rate applies and that’s it. In other words, you forget about that 1.7%.
- Travel and cancellation insurance free (for trips up to 90 consecutive days and with these conditions).
- Mobile theft insurance.
All in all, what is the best card for traveling (to the Philippines and anywhere)?
In our opinion, the best thing is to carry at least 2 cards in addition to the one from your usual bank. It may seem like a lot, but, truly, problems arise while you’re on the road, and we (unfortunately) have experienced all kinds.
What we usually do is carry a certain amount of cash that we calculate according to the trip (for example, in the Philippines we usually carry about €300 per person) and, when we run out, we use Remitly. In addition, each of us carries a card from our Spanish bank (ING Direct), an N26 card, and a Revolut card. These last two are, for us, among the best cards for traveling and the ones we recommend.
On the other hand, since they have no maintenance costs or minimum term, you lose nothing by carrying them. If, for some reason, they stop convincing you, you just have to cancel them.
And that’s everything about cards for traveling to the Philippines and how to deal with ATMs and payments while you’re there! We hope we’ve helped as much as possible. If you have any questions, leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
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