Hit $200 on my 9 day trip to Lisbon and that was the moment I knew the ATM fees were eating me alive

Rose Morgan · 2026-10-02T19:05:03.604457+00:00

I kept pulling cash out in small chunks because I didn't want to carry much. Each time my bank hit me with a $5 fee plus 3% of whatever I took. Nine days, 11 withdrawals, and when I added it up at home I'd burned almost $200 just on getting my own money. The fix was simple. One big pull when I landed, pay with card everywhere else, and get a card with no foreign fee. I wasted real money on this trip. How are you all handling cash when you land somewhere new?

💡Thought Shares

Loading…

Hit $200 on my 9 day trip to Lisbon and that was the moment I knew the ATM fees were eating me alive | Budget Travel Hacks - Thought Shares