How to Save Money While Traveling: Mobile Data, Bank Cards and Insurance

If you are traveling within the EU with a German SIM card, mobile data is straightforward. Thanks to EU “roam like at home” rules, you can usually use your data allowance like you would in Germany (one more reason to love Europe). Some operators may have a "fair use policy", meaning they may apply limits on how much data you can use at your domestic price – but even if they do, it's unlikely to break your bank, because the surcharge for extra data can’t be higher than the EU-wide wholesale data cap of €1.30/GB + VAT.

“Roam like at home” rules also apply to calls you receive, and because incoming calls are free on most German plans, picking up the phone elsewhere in the EU or EEA usually doesn’t cost you anything either, so you can answer without worrying about charges.

Outgoing calls and SMS are where things get slightly more confusing. Imagine you are in Spain with your German SIM card. If you call a German number, your provider normally treats this like a call within Germany, so if you have a flat rate for calls to German numbers, it doesn’t cost you anything. If you call a Spanish number though, your provider often treats this as an international call from Germany to Spain, even if you are physically in Barcelona. Those calls might not be included in your flat rate and are likely to be charged extra.

Once you leave the EU, using roaming on your German SIM card is a very expensive way to stay online, and it is best skipped altogether. Unless you’re doing a digital detox, your realistic options are: a local physical SIM you buy after landing, or an eSIM that you can set up before or after arrival.

For many years until I got a phone that supports eSIM, I went with the first option. My first hours in a new country were always spent on the same tedious quest: finding a shop that sold prepaid SIMs to tourists (not straightforward in every country), getting my jetlagged brain to figure out which plan made sense, and hoping the person at the counter would speak enough English to help me set it up correctly. If it doesn't sound like fun, that's because it wasn't.

These days, I almost always use eSIMs. They may be a few euros more expensive than the cheapest local option, but they save so much time and frustration that, for me, it’s an easy trade. You set it up in advance in just a few clicks, turn your phone off airplane mode after you land and you’re online – and, if you’re facing any problems, support is just one message away.

My first-choice eSIM provider is Airalo*. I have used it on many trips now, and it has always been very smooth, from activation in the app to connection quality. The one time I had to use support, they were also really quick and helpful. New Airalo customers get 15% off their first purchase with code NEWTOAIRALO15 (advertisement) and if you have used Airalo before, you can still get 10% off with code AIRALOESIM10 (advertisement) here*. From what I have seen, that 10% discount does not seem to be limited or one-time – I use it every time I buy a new eSIM from them and it has always worked, which is a nice little extra saving on each trip.

On one of my last trips I also used Saily and had a similarly good experience, with quick activation and a stable connection throughout. So every time I go on a trip now, I simply check both Airalo and Saily for the country I am going to, compare data amounts and prices for my travel dates, and pick whichever is cheaper. If you haven’t tried Saily yet, you can use code ANNAIF7917 (advertisement) for $5 off (minimum spend $5.60), which can be half the price on some of their eSIM cards.

If you are traveling within the eurozone, things are straightforward – any German or European card will work for card payments, and the only thing you need to check is whether your bank allows free withdrawals abroad (or, just bring some cash with you if you're on a short trip).

One good card for ATM withdrawals in the eurozone is Comdirect*. With their Girokonto Aktiv current account, you can withdraw cash free of charge up to three times a month at European ATMs that have the Visa logo. If you’re a new customer, you can also get a €100 welcome bonus*. Just keep in mind that the standard Comdirect Visa Debit Card charges a 1.75% FX fee on non-euro payments, so while it is great for taking out cash in euro, it is not a card you should take outside the eurozone.

Another good option is N26*. On the free plan you only get two free ATM withdrawals per month in Germany, but here’s a lesser-known fact: withdrawals in euro elsewhere in the eurozone are unlimited, which makes it a very handy card for eurozone trips if you like having some cash. You can also use the card to pay in foreign currencies outside Europe without FX fees, so it also works well as a travel card for card payments. What you shouldn’t use it for is withdrawals outside the eurozone, since they come with a 1.7% fee.

Once you leave the eurozone, things get a bit more interesting. Some banks and cards add 1–2% in foreign exchange (FX) fees on top of the exchange rate every time you pay in a non-euro currency, which can add up quickly on a longer trip – but that's easily avoidable with the right card setup.

To travel outside Europe, you will want one card without those FX fees for paying in shops, restaurants and online, and a way to get cash from ATMs without paying more in fees than you have to – which in practice means either one card that does both jobs or a combination of two cards. Chances are you already have some cards you can use for at least one of these purposes – just go on your bank's website and check the list of fees for your card. That said, getting another free and travel-friendly card never hurts – especially if you can pick up a welcome bonus or cashback in the process.

My card of choice for trips outside of the EU is Trade Republic*. It’s my main everyday account in Germany (here’s a full review), and it also works extremely well as a travel card: there are no foreign exchange (FX) fees, ATM withdrawals worldwide are free for amounts above 100 €, and the account has no monthly fee – the only cost is a one-time 5 € for the physical card if you want to use ATMs. On top of that, you get 1% cashback on your card spending whether you are in Germany or abroad. Between all these perks and benefits, this card is truly hard to beat, and it’s always my number one recommendation for both traveling and everyday life.

Another strong option for trips outside the eurozone is DKB*. If you have active status, the account is free and the included Visa debit card has no FX fees on payments and you can get unlimited free ATM withdrawals worldwide, which makes it very travel-friendly. As a new customer you automatically get active status for the first three months if you haven’t had a DKB current account in the last 12 months, and after that you keep it as long as at least €700 is paid into your account each month. On top of that there is currently a €100 welcome bonus* when you open the account, so if you prefer a more traditional bank but still want good conditions for travel, DKB is my top pick – and of course it also works perfectly as a regular everyday account in Germany and for trips in Europe.

When people think of “travel cards”, Wise and Revolut are usually the first two names that come up. My opinion: if you already have a good setup with cards that work for non-Europe trips from the list above, you don’t really need one of these. Where Wise and Revolut really shine, though, is if your life involves more than one currency: e.g., you send money abroad regularly or get paid in different currencies.

If that's the case for you, Wise* is a great choice. You can hold multiple currencies in one account, convert between them at good rates and pay by card directly in local currencies without hidden FX markups, which is great for things like paying for tours or accommodation in advance. From May 1, you can withdraw up to €250 per month from ATMs for free (currently, the limit is €200) – Wise charges 2.69% on the amount above that limit, so it is fine for occasional cash on a trip but better thought of as a card for payments and transfers than as your main ATM solution. The physical card has a one-time fee of €7, but you can get either a free card or a free international transfer of up to €595 when you sign up with this link*.

Revolut* does something very similar in a more beautiful app with a modern UX. You get a multi-currency wallet and low-fee currency exchanges, which makes it one of the most economical ways to send money abroad. Similar to Wise, withdrawals on the standard plan are free worldwide up to €200/month (or 5 withdrawals, whichever comes first), and the physical card has a delivery fee that starts from €7.99. In my experience, the exchange rates Wise and Revolut offer are very similar, so just pick one of them if currency exchange functionality is relevant for you.

When you take out cash abroad, there are usually two different sets of fees involved, and it helps to think about them separately. First, your own bank or card issuer might charge a fee for using a foreign ATM or add an FX fee on top of the exchange rate. Hopefully, after reading the last section you picked a card that doesn’t have any of these – there is really no reason to keep paying them when no-fee alternatives are so easy to get.

The second layer of fees is the local ATM operator. In some countries, all ATMs charges a fixed fee per withdrawal – usually, you’ll see it on the screen as something like “This machine charges €5 for this transaction. Do you want to continue?” If that’s the case, the fees are unavoidable, and the only real lever you have is how often you go to the ATM – it usually makes more sense to withdraw a larger amount once than to do small withdrawals and pay the same fixed fee each time.

On top of that, many ATMs and card terminals offer you a “choice” that sounds helpful but is usually the opposite. If the screen asks whether you want to be charged in the local currency or in euro at a “guaranteed” or “customer-friendly” rate, you will almost always want choose the local currency. That “guaranteed” euro rate is something called dynamic currency conversion, and the exchange rate is typically much worse than the one your bank or card network would use in the background – the difference can easily be a few percent, which is not an insignificant amount on larger withdrawals.

You don't usually need credit cards for traveling abroad, with one major exception: car rentals. In many countries, rental car companies only charge deposit on credit, not debit cards. If you don’t have a credit card at all, a simple starting point is an AmEx Payback card*. It is free, comes with 5.000 Payaback points welcome bonus, earns Payback points on your spending, and is relatively easy to get compared to more premium cards. This is not a good choice for general travel spending outside Europe because it charges a 2% FX fee on non-euro payments, but for a rental deposit it works fine, because you intend to get the money back and you are not actually “spending” in foreign currency – the rental company just blocks a deposit amount temporarily.

If you rent cars even a few times a year, it can be worth considering a credit card that includes rental car insurance. Many rental companies charge €10–20 per day for comprehensive insurance (Vollkasko), so if you are renting for one or two weeks, the extra fee can easily cost more than an annual card fee.

One of my top picks in this category is the easybank (formerly Barclays) Platinum Double credit card*. For €99 per year, you get comprehensive rental car insurance up to €100,000 as well as third-party liability coverage up to €1 million, which is a big plus compared to many other cards. A reader recently told me he used this card for a 17-day rental in Tenerife and paid around €160 instead of roughly €400 they would have paid if they had bought the rental company’s full insurance, which gives you a sense of how quickly it can pay off. Full travel insurance is also included. Currently, you can get €50 welcome bonus if you spend €100 within 4 weeks of receiving the card, which effectively slashes the first year's fee in half.

Another card that is worth mentioning is the Eurowings Premium Credit Card*, also issued by easybank. It costs €49.50 in the first year and €99 afterwards and includes comprehensive rental car insurance and full travel insurance, plus you get 5.000 Eurowings air miles as a welcome bonus for signing up.

When people say “travel insurance”, they usually mean a bundle of two different things. One part is travel health insurance – covering medical treatment abroad and, if necessary, getting you back to Germany. The other part is trip insurance – covering damage to your personal belongings and money you’ve spent on your trip, like non-refundable flights and hotels, if something goes wrong before or during your travels.

Travel health insurance (Auslandskrankenversicherung) is the one insurance policy I treat as non-negotiable. Outside Europe, your German health insurance usually doesn’t cover treatment costs in private hospitals, and bills can get expensive very quickly, especially in places like the US. Even within Europe, your German insurance generally only covers treatment up to the level of the local public system, which may not include private clinics or medically necessary transport back to Germany if something serious happens.

The good news is that travel health insurance from Germany is very cheap for what it covers. Most annual policies cost somewhere around €15–25 per year, include worldwide coverage (often including the US) and cover unlimited trips as long as each trip stays under a certain duration, usually around 60 days. For me, it’s an easy “yes”.

If you like your insurance fully digital and English speaker-friendly, Feather* is a great choice. Their travel health insurance starts at €25 per year (depending on your age), you can sign up completely online, manage everything in English and handle claims through their beautiful app.

If you prefer a more traditional insurer, there is HanseMerkur*, one of the larger German insurance companies. Their travel health insurance starts at €25 per year for an annual policy, or at €19 if you prefer to insure just a single trip, which can make sense if you travel less than once per year.

If you’re insured with Techniker Krankenkasse, another good option is Envivas, TK’s partner insurer. Their travel health insurance costs €19.40 per year and adds worldwide coverage. Functionally, all three do the same job, so it’s just a matter of personal taste which one you choose.

Trip insurance is the part of travel insurance that protects if you have an unexpected change of plans. It usually covers things like cancelling or partially cancelling your trip if something serious happens before you leave, needing to start your trip later than planned, coming home early, interruptions partway through, delayed return, and sometimes replacement expenses if your luggage takes a very long time to show up.

Apart from that, many full travel insurance packages also include some protection for luggage and personal items, so things like phones, laptops or watches can be covered if they are lost, stolen or damaged, up to certain limits and with a lot of small print. It could be a great thing to have that kind of coverage: a friend of mine once lost an Apple Watch while swimming in the sea and her insurance paid for it.

My approach is that I only pay for travel health insurance, but not for full travel insurance – for me personally, it’s not worth the premium. One reason for that if airlines or package providers cancel or significantly change your trip, you often have rights directly with them under EU passenger-rights regulations. For luggage, there is also a baseline level of protection: airlines are already obliged to compensate you if your bags are lost or delayed, usually including reimbursement for essential items you have to buy while you wait. As for the personal items, I feel like over the long term I’m coming out ahead bearing that risk myself instead of paying the insurance premium.

It’s also important to understand what trip insurance doesn’t do: most policies have exclusions for things like wars, political unrest and so on; these are often treated as “extraordinary circumstances” – for instance, passengers stranded in Dubai this week are not getting any payouts from their insurance for that exact reason.

That said, everyone has different risk tolerance, and paying extra for peace of mind may be worth it for you personally – so if you decide you do want trip insurance, you have two ways to go about it. One is via a credit card that includes full travel insurance like the easybank (Barclays) Platinum Double credit card* or the Eurowings Premium Credit Card*. These cards are €99/year and include both health and trip insurance, as well as comprehensive rental car insurance. Another good option (and the one I personally use) is American Express Gold – the card fee is higher at €20/month, but on top of a comprehensive insurance package you earn Membership Rewards points on your spending, which can be turned into airline miles. Just remember that for all card-based insurance the protection only applies if you pay for the trip with that specific card.

The other option is a stand-alone policy that combines travel health and trip insurance in one contract. One example is Feather’s Premium travel insurance plan*, which starts at €119 per year and includes both medical treatment abroad and trip insurance (cancellation, partial cancellation, interruptions, delayed start or delayed return etc.), plus luggage insurance for your bags and personal items. Another one is HanseMerkur’s travel cancellation insurance* (from €55/year, doesn’t include travel health insurance). If you like the idea of “set it up once and forget about it” and not thinking which card you should use to pay for the trip, an annual policy like that can be a good option.