TIP THREE

Check which card you use in shops and restaurants. Most of us know that we will pay a lot using plastic to withdraw cash overseas, just as we do at home. But experts say too few of us know that we get penalised for using credit cards when we go shopping abroad.



Many firms add a 2.75 per cent loading charge so it effectively costs a lot more to use your plastic in, say, The Gap in New York than it does in The Gap in Britain. Nationwide building society and the Post Office are two providers who have gone against the trend by saying they won’t load overseas card usage. Regular travellers should consider getting one of their cards.