Making payments and withdrawing cash abroad

Before you leave on holiday, it’s a good idea to activate your card for use abroad, to find out where you can make payments and withdraw cash, and to see the costs involved. For your convenience, we've provided all the information you need below.

Using your card abroad

You can easily set your payment card for use in Europe only or outside Europe too by requesting a temporary exception from the standard region in KBC Brussels Mobile.

Before you leave, check until when your card is valid (that date is on your card). You automatically receive a new card more than a month before your old card expires. It’s a way of ensuring that your card doesn’t expire during the time you’re away or in the month after you return.

  1. Log in to KBC Brussels Mobile
  2. Tap ‘My KBC’
  3. Scroll to ‘Means of payment’ and select your debit card
  4. Tap ‘International card use’
  5. Select where you want to use your card under ‘Standard region’
  6. Or select ‘Temporary exception’ to activate your card for use in another region for a certain period of time
  1. Log in to KBC Brussels Mobile
  2. Tap ‘My KBC’
  3. Scroll to ‘Means of payment’ and select your prepaid card or credit card
  4. Tap the three dots at the top right
  5. Tap ‘International card use’
  6. Select where you want to use your card under ‘Standard region’
  7. Or select ‘Temporary exception’ to activate your card for use in another region for a certain period of time

Kate is also there to help you make payments abroad

If you need to unblock your card, order foreign currency, use your card abroad or call Card Stop, feel free to ask Kate, your digital assistant in KBC Brussels Mobile.

Ask Kate

Making payments and withdrawing cash in euro-area countries (excl. Belgium)

How much does it cost to make payments and withdraw cash abroad, and which cards should be used for what?

  • In countries where the euro is used, the cheapest way to make payments and withdraw cash is to use your debit card.
  • Outside the euro area, the cheapest way to make payments and withdraw larger sums of cash (110 euros and higher) is to use your credit card.

  • Making payments is free of charge (regardless of the amount involved).
  • Withdrawing cash in the euro area when you have a KBC Brussels Plus Account is, in principle, free of charge. Holders of a KBC Brussels Basic Account pay 0.50 euros per transaction.

Some ATM operators abroad charge a transaction fee (a fixed amount or a percentage) when you withdraw cash. Usually you are notified of this on the ATM itself.

  • Making payments is free of charge (regardless of the amount involved).
  • Withdrawing cash at a public ATM costs 1% of the amount withdrawn (with a minimum charge of 5 euros).
  • Withdrawing cash over the counter in a bank costs 2% of the amount withdrawn (with a minimum charge of 5 euros).

 

  Withdrawing cash at an ATM
Withdrawing cash in a bank or bureau de change
25 euros 5 euros 5 euros
150 euros
5 euros 5 euros
500 euros
5 euros 10 euros

Making payments and withdrawing cash outside the euro area

If you're going to a country that's not part of the euro area, it’s advisable to have a small amount of that country's currency on you.

When you make payments and withdraw cash there, you’ll be charged an exchange commission, which is included in the exchange rate appearing on your account statement or billing statement. However, you will not have to pay this commission if a transaction is in euros. For European Economic Area (‘EEA’) currencies, the exchange commission is 1.6% of the ECB reference exchange rate used to convert the relevant amount into euros. See these euro foreign exchange reference rates.

If you want to be able to withdraw cash outside Europe, you'll need to temporarily activate your debit card for worldwide use. You can do this yourself using KBC Brussels Touch or KBC Brussels Mobile. Once your card has been activated for use outside Europe, it can be used immediately.

 

  Paying in-store
Withdrawing cash at an ATM
25 euros 1.09 euros 4.11 euros
150 euros
3.51 euros 8.05 euros
500 euros
10.29 euros 19.05 euros

A major advantage of the KBC Brussels Credit Card and the KBC Brussels Prepaid Card is that they can be used worldwide.
When you travel to the US, you have to take additional measures to ensure that you can use your card there.

  • You can easily activate your card for use in the US via KBC Brussels Mobile or KBC Brussels Touch. You can do this permanently if you're a regular visitor there, or temporarily for the duration of your holiday. Any changes you make will take immediate effect.
  • If you haven't started using our apps, contact your KBC Brussels branch or call KBC Brussels Live.

Tip

  • If your travels don't take you outside Europe, it's best to limit where you can use your KBC Brussels Credit Card and/or your KBC Brussels Prepaid Card to that geographic area. You can do this easily online.

Important

  • If you don't activate your credit card or prepaid card for use in the US before you leave, you'll only be able to use it there for transactions using your PIN, such as cash withdrawals.
  • On a cruise ship, there's nothing quite as handy as being able to pay by credit card. If you're heading off on a cruise, don't forget to activate your card for use in the US as cruise ships often sail under the American flag and collect payments through a US network. So, even if they're not sailing in US waters, you'll still need to activate your card for worldwide use.
  • Car rental companies with a US parent company also frequently collect card payments made to them through a US network. So, if you're renting a car, it's also advisable to activate your credit card for use in the US. If you have a prepaid card, check with the car rental company to see whether they accept them.
  Paying in-store
Withdrawing cash at an ATM Withdrawing cash in a bank or bureau de change
25 euros 0.40 euros 5.40 euros 5.40 euros
150 euros
2.40 euros 7.40 euros 7.40 euros
500 euros
8 euros 13 euros 18 euros

Travelling outside Europe or to a non-euro country like the UK, Sweden or Switzerland and intend to pay for things in cash in those countries? The easy solution is to order your foreign currency online. What’s more, if you’re a customer it’s free of charge.

Order online now