Revolut, Wise or Your Bank? The Family Holiday Maths You Need to Do First

Your bank is quietly charging you every time you pay abroad. Most Swiss and European bank cards add a 1.5–3.5% foreign transaction fee on every purchase — it never shows up as a line item, it just appears as a slightly worse exchange rate. On a family holiday with €3,000 in spending, that's €45–€105 walking out the door before you've ordered a single gelato.

That's the problem fintech apps like Revolut and Wise were built to solve. And they do solve it. But there's a trap: many families sign up for a paid premium plan, travel once or twice, and then forget the subscription quietly renews every single month. A subscription that makes sense in July can cost you €120 by the time you remember to cancel it in April.

So before you top up for this summer, here's the maths worth doing.

What Your Bank Actually Costs You Abroad

Traditional bank cards bundle two charges into what looks like a single bad exchange rate: a foreign transaction fee (typically 1.5–2.5%) and a currency conversion markup (0.5–1.5%). The combined hit is usually 2–4% per transaction.

On a two-week family holiday:

Fintech cards charge either nothing (free tiers on weekdays with Revolut Standard) or a small transparent fee (0.41–1.75% with Wise). Either way, you're saving meaningfully — which is why these services grew so fast.

The Four Options, Honestly

Wise (free account)

The Wise account has no monthly fee. You get a multi-currency card, the mid-market exchange rate, and small transparent fees starting at around 0.41%. You get two free ATM withdrawals per month (up to £250/€300 equivalent). For most families, this is genuinely excellent for holidays, and it costs nothing standing still. The main limitation is that there's no travel insurance bundled in.

Revolut Standard (free)

Also free. You get fee-free currency exchange on weekdays up to a monthly limit (the limit varies by country — it used to be around £1,000 equivalent). Beyond that limit, there's a 0.5% fee. On weekends there's a 1% markup on all exchanges. The weekend markup catches people out: if you're top-up the app on a Friday evening ready for a weekend flight, you're already paying extra. Still much better than your bank, but the limits matter.

Revolut Premium (around €9.99/month)

Unlimited fee-free exchange, no weekend markup, higher ATM limits, and access to travel insurance (covering delays, cancellations, and medical emergencies). In some regions it also includes discounted or free airport lounge access. The monthly cost is roughly €120 per year, or €10 per month.

N26 Go (€9.90/month)

Formerly called N26 You, this plan bundles Allianz travel insurance covering medical emergencies, trip cancellation, delayed baggage, and more. Exchange rates are good (no foreign transaction fees). At €9.90/month (€118.80/year), it's priced almost identically to Revolut Premium, but the insurance package is arguably more comprehensive — Allianz is a well-established insurer rather than a white-label policy.

When Does Premium Actually Pay for Itself?

This is where a lot of families make the mistake. They think "I'll save more on exchange rates," but the free tiers already save most of that money. The real question is whether the extra features of a paid plan are worth the €10/month.

Let's say a family spends €4,000 on a summer holiday. Revolut Standard (free) vs Revolut Premium (€9.99/month):

• FX savings vs your bank: both free and premium tiers deliver essentially the same saving here — let's call it €60–€80 saved vs a traditional bank card
• Extra saving with Premium vs Standard: very small, mainly avoiding the weekend markup on exchanges — maybe €5–€15 on a typical holiday
• Cost of Premium: €9.99/month × 12 = €119.88/year

The FX savings alone don't justify the premium plan. What you're really buying is the travel insurance.

A standalone family travel insurance policy costs roughly €80–€180 per year depending on coverage and family size. If you'd be buying one anyway, N26 Go or Revolut Premium can make good sense — you're effectively replacing that cost. But if you get travel insurance through your credit card, employer, or a separate annual policy, paying €10/month extra for a travel fintech plan is mostly wasted money.

The Subscription That Hides in Plain Sight

Here's what makes this particularly easy to forget: most families don't use their travel card at home. It sits in a drawer between trips while €9.99 quietly leaves the bank account every month. After three months of no travel, you've spent €30 on something you haven't touched.

SubManager's spending breakdown has caught this pattern for a few of our users: a travel fintech subscription running unnoticed for 7–10 months of the year, racking up €70–€100 before anyone notices. The fix takes two minutes — downgrade to the free tier until your next trip, then upgrade for the month you actually need it.

The Smart Family Approach

Run this quick check before your summer holiday:

1. Do you already have travel insurance? If yes, the free tiers of Wise or Revolut Standard are almost certainly enough. The FX savings alone are significant compared to your bank card.

2. How many trips are you taking this year? If it's one or two, buy travel insurance per trip and use a free fintech card. If it's five or more, a bundled plan might make sense.

3. Are you currently paying monthly for a premium plan? Check right now. If the last trip was more than three months ago, the maths probably don't work in your favour.

4. What's your typical spending on a holiday? If it's under €1,500, Revolut Standard's free tier covers the whole trip without hitting limits. No upgrade needed.

For most families, the honest answer is: Wise free account or Revolut Standard handles the FX problem beautifully, at zero ongoing cost. The only reason to pay monthly is if you're genuinely getting equivalent value from the bundled travel insurance.

What's Next

Check your current fintech subscriptions this week. If you're paying for a premium tier you haven't used since last summer, downgrade it now and upgrade again before your next departure. You'll get the same exchange rate benefit during your trip and save the standing charge for the other ten months.

And when you're back from holiday, it's worth doing a quick subscription check across the board — summer is a natural pause point for anything you're not actively using. SubManager makes it easy to see what's renewing in the next 30 days, so nothing catches you off guard when September bills arrive.