4.75% savings, Council Tax to be fixed? , cheapest € and $, hot Pixel 9a deal, igno re 'sorry it's out of warranty', Lloyds & Hal ifax alert, £450 robo vac £280

Going abroad this summer?
14 tips to slash the cost of spending abroad & save £100s
Get perfect exchange rates AND cashback, or a free £175. Plus top kids' overseas cards & more

Summer's fast approaching and with many heading abroad, now's the time to ensure you're getting the max bucks (or baht) for your bang. This is especially important as there are so many rip-offs to avoid, so here are our top tips to STOP PAYING TO PAY when you're overseas...

1. Plastic is usually the cheapest way to spend abroad, but which type? Spend on your plastic abroad and banks get a virtually-perfect exchange rate, but most then charge us an up to 3%-ish non-sterling exchange fee on top, so £100 worth of euros costs you £103. The top specialist cards don't do that, so you get the same near-perfect exchange rates as they do...

- Top credit cards: Pay cashback on top & give extra protection.
- Top debit cards: Two choices here, either an easy-to-get card or free £175+ if you'll switch bank.
- Top prepaid cards: You can opt to get the rate on the day you load up rather than when you spend, letting you lock in a rate if you choose.
- Top cards for under-18s abroad: Gives them some independence.
- Top cash rate: Rates not as good, but some prefer notes anyway.

2. TOP OVERSEAS CREDIT CARDS: Perfect exchange rates, added cashback and extra protection. See top overseas credit cards for full details, but here's a summary. All cards do a hard credit-check to see if they'll accept you. Links go via our eligibility calc, so you can see before applying.

Which is YOUR winner? Barclaycard is the safest option for most, as it's no-fee however you use it, provided you clear the card IN FULL every month to avoid interest. The others are only good if you just use them to pay abroad, not to withdraw cash, as they charge hefty ATM fees if you do.

If ATM withdrawals are irrelevant, Virgin's a winner for this summer due to its 1% cashback, while MBNA's the only one that guarantees to give cashback and no exchange-rate fee for the longer term (the others may, there's just no guarantee). So the choice is yours.

3. TOP EASY-TO-GET OVERSEAS DEBIT CARD: No hard credit-check, and no need to switch bank. With the Chase* debit card, there's only a soft credit-check (so almost everyone gets it and it doesn't mark your credit file), and you can just open its app-based current account alongside your existing current account, so there's no need to change your banking setup (see full Chase account review).

- It has the same near-perfect exchange rates as the credit cards above.
- There are no ATM withdrawal fees (or interest).
- It no longer pays cashback overseas (it used to, now it offers 1% back on UK groceries, transport & fuel).
- Newbies can also get its top-paying 5% easy-access saver on up to £3m (see top savings).

4. TOP 'GET PAID TO SWITCH' OVERSEAS DEBIT CARDS: Free £175+. While all the top overseas cards above are easy to get without changing the rest of your financial setup, with these top bank account deals, you'll need to switch bank account (at least, you will if you want the free cash). Still, as you'll be paid to do it, it's an easy way to add to your holiday coffers. With both of these deals, their debit cards...

- Have the same near-perfect exchange rates as the cards above.
- Have no ATM withdrawals fees (or interest, unless you're overdrawn).
- Won't pay spending cashback (but do give it for switching).

5. CHEAPEST FOREIGN CASH: Speedily compare 15+ bureaux. While the top plastic beats it, if you just want a little foreign cash in your pocket for safety before you go (or you're going to a country with less card acceptance), or if it helps you budget, then our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool quickly compares 15+ bureaux, factoring in all rates & costs to find your best.

Eg, on Monday it showed the cheapest place for $1,000 cost £755 all in, compared to leaving it to the airport, where it'd likely be close to £900.

6. TOP OVERSEAS PREPAID CARD: If you want to lock in an exchange rate. All the cards so far give you the rate at the time you spend. Yet some top prepaid travel cards let you get the rate at the time you load money up on the card, thus locking it in.

The cheapest is Revolut* (£5 card delivery fee). It gives near-perfect rates Mon to Fri on up to £1,000/mth (1% fee on weekends or £1,000+). The first five ATM withdrawals are free each month (up to £200), then there's a 2% fee after (min £1).

Of course, locking rates in can move against you too, and anyone who says they know what currency markets will do is telling porkies. Yet locking in is helpful for those scared the rate will move against, so ask yourself: "Would I be content with today's rate?" If yes, and your real fear is rate falls making your holiday unaffordable, play safe and buy now.

Or hedge bets and buy half your spending money now at the best rate, and the rest at the best rate on the day you spend. This means...

- If the rate gets worse, you've locked in half at the better rate.
- If the rate gets better, half your money is at the improved rate.

7. TOP CHILDREN'S / UNDER-18S' OVERSEAS CARDS. With fewer using cash to spend abroad, it's tougher to give children spending money, so top kids' overseas prepaid cards let you or them load up money to spend (many also let you set spending limits and monitor via apps too).

As a note, the popular, but paid-for, GoHenry* prepaid card also gives near-perfect exchange rates and fee-free ATM withdrawals, plus apply via our link using code AFFMSE25 and you'll get £5 cashback, and the £3.99 monthly fee will be waived in the first two months.

Alternatively, if you're a Revolut customer, then your child can get the free (but £5 delivery) Revolut <18* prepaid card, which also gives near-perfect exchange rates, but only up to £500/mth (0.5% fee above), and free ATM withdrawals up to £100/mth (2% fee above).

8. IF THEY ASK 'WANT TO PAY IN POUNDS OR EUROS?' Pay in the local currency. These days, buy things abroad or take cash out and the store or ATM will pressure you to pay in pounds. That's so they can ramp up the conversion cost and pocket extra profit. Just say non/nein/no! Full help in Martin's Pay in pounds? video & blog.

9. BEWARE OVERSEAS ATM CHARGES. Don't think they're all the same, and watch for scare tactics. It's becoming more common for the actual cash machine to charge you when abroad. There's no way around this, but don't assume all ATMs charge the same...

10. SHOULD I WAIT TO GET CASH ONCE I'M ABROAD? We're oft asked this, so here's Martin's view... "Personally, if I need cash, I tend to use my specialist overseas card to withdraw from an ATM as I arrive at the airport, and if you have one, that's what I'd do.

"Yet if we focus only on bureaux... in general, it's a safer bet to get cash beforehand, as you can research the very cheapest rates here (use TravelMoneyMax), but you're blind to what's out there, and especially in tourist resorts, you may find poor rates and limited competition.

"I'm not saying overseas bureaux can't undercut UK ones, but they'd need be very cheap to beat the UK's cheapest, and it'd be rare to randomly stumble on that. The exception is if you know of a specific super-cheap bureau, for example, you go to the same place every year. Then absolutely, if you know what you're doing, wait."

11. LLOYDS, HALIFAX, BofS or TSB CUSTOMER? Beware if you travel outside the EU. Most debit cards add a 3%-ish load on the exchange rate, but a few ALSO add a charge on top each time (though it's free in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). So buy something for a fiver and you can pay £6.15 for it. These are the spending fees...

Bank of Scotland (50p) | Halifax (50p) | Lloyds (50p) | TSB (£1)

Yet that's only on the more standard accounts. Those who pay a fee for their banking won't pay extra charges, eg, Club Lloyds, Lloyds Platinum, Lloyds Silver, Bank of Scotland Platinum or Halifax Ultimate Reward.

12. WITHDRAWING CASH ON A CREDIT CARD ABROAD? It could impact your credit rating. We get this question a lot, as we warn against credit card ATM withdrawals in the UK, as it risks high interest and many lenders see it as a debt-problem indicator. Yet if you only do it occasionally abroad on a specialist card, it's not a biggie, just don't overdo it and pay it off in full. More details in credit card ATM withdrawals credit score impact info. It's also worth noting that in a few countries, using a UK card can be a bit trickier...

- In Japan, you may need special ATMs to use international cards.
- In China, hotels take cards, but elsewhere Alipay is easier.
- In India, some shops & restaurants won't take international cards.

13. DON'T USE A CREDIT CARD TO BUY CASH OR LOAD A PREPAID CARD. You'll likely pay fees & interest. Most credit-card providers count these as a cash transaction - so charge withdrawal fees and interest. It's always better to use a debit card if you can. More info in don't buy travel cash with a credit card.

14. SANTANDER OR CHASE CARD-HOLDER? Check its ATMs. If you've a Santander debit or credit card, then as long as it's a good one for spending abroad, use its overseas ATMs in Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay or the USA and, even if the machine itself usually charges a withdrawal fee, it usually won't charge one with that card. Similar is true for Chase card-holders using its card in the USA.