Crypto when travelling or relocating: how to pay abroad

Your bank card may not work in another country, and a local account will not be opened without local documents. Crypto bridges that gap — if you prepare in advance.

Why you might need this

Relocation or a long trip usually brings three problems. Your home card does not work or charges a large fee. A local bank will not open an account without a residence permit or local address. A transfer from home takes days and costs a lot.

Stablecoins — coins priced at about one dollar — solve all three: they live in your phone, move in minutes and turn into local money in several ways.

Option 1. A crypto exchange card

Large exchanges issue ordinary Visa or Mastercard cards linked to your exchange account. In a shop you pay like with any card, and at that moment the exchange sells the needed amount of your coins.

• A virtual card appears right after approval. You add it to your phone and tap to pay.
• A plastic card is needed for ATMs. It is delivered by post, and not to every country.
• It works wherever Visa or Mastercard is accepted, which is almost every country.

An important limit: not everyone can get one. It depends on your country of residence and citizenship, and issuing requires identity verification. Get the card before the trip, not at the airport.

What the cost is made of

• Converting coins to ordinary money at the moment of purchase.
• Currency exchange, if you pay in a currency other than the card's.
• Cash withdrawal: there is usually a free monthly limit and a percentage above it. The ATM may charge its own fee too.

The exact numbers change and depend on the country — look them up in the card section of the exchange app before you go. To avoid paying for coin conversion twice, keep stablecoins on the card, not bitcoin.

Option 2. P2P: swapping with people

In the P2P section of an exchange you sell stablecoins to another person, who sends you local money — to a card, an account or in cash. The exchange holds the coins until you confirm the money has arrived.

• Keep all messages inside the exchange. An offer to “move to a messenger” is a sign of fraud.
• Do not confirm the deal until you see the money in your account — in the account, not in a screenshot.
• The sender's name must match the seller's name on the exchange. A transfer from a third party can get your account frozen.
• Pick sellers with many completed deals and a high completion rate.

Option 3. Exchange offices and crypto ATMs

Tourist cities have offices that hand out cash for stablecoins, and ATMs for crypto. It is fast, but the rate is usually noticeably worse. Keep this option for emergencies.

What to choose

Tricks that save money

• Pay in the local currency. If a terminal or ATM offers to “charge in your currency”, decline: that is the worst rate available.
• Withdraw cash less often and in larger amounts to lose less on ATM fees, but within the free limit.
• Pick an inexpensive network for transfers and check it matches on both sides.
• Have a backup: a second card from another exchange or bank and some cash in dollars or euros.
• Do not keep all your money on the exchange. A month or two of spending on the card, the rest in your own wallet. In February 2025, $1.5 billion worth of coins was stolen from Bybit.

What not to do

• Do not break local rules. Some countries restrict payments in crypto, and income from it is taxed. Check before you travel.
• Do not carry your seed phrase in your phone or in a photo. Lose the phone and you lose everything.
• Do not log in to the exchange over shared Wi-Fi in cafes and airports without a secure connection.
• Do not leave the account unprotected: app-based two-factor protection and backup codes written on paper.

Pre-trip checklist

• Exchange account verified, two-factor protection on.
• Exchange card issued and added to your phone; plastic ordered if you need ATMs.
• Card fees and limits checked in the app.
• A month or two of stablecoins on the card, the rest in your own wallet.
• A backup card and some cash.
• Backup codes and seed phrase on paper, not in the phone.
• The country's rules on crypto and taxes checked.

This article is educational and is not investment, tax or legal advice. Card terms and country rules change — check them before you travel.