Tips on using your card abroad

Get extra cover for your trip by booking it with a credit card

We recommend you pay for your travels with a credit card as it provides cover for your trip.

All Nordea credit cards include protection against the travel provider’s breach of contract as laid down in the Finnish Consumer Protection Act. You can seek refund if you have paid for your trip with your credit card and the travel agency or airline goes bankrupt, for example.

Credit card international travel insurance

Did you know that our most popular card Nordea Gold comes with comprehensive international travel insurance? It covers you against illness, accidents, lost or damaged luggage, cancellations and more. The international travel insurance policy is valid on leisure trips abroad when you have paid at least 75% of your total travel and accommodation costs with your Nordea Gold card’s credit facility.

International travel insurance is also included in our Nordea Premium, Finnair Plus Mastercard, Nordea Platinum and Nordea Black cards.

Read more about travel insurance

A credit card also comes in handy during your trip

In addition to providing insurance cover, a credit card can be useful to have in many other situations. For instance, many hotels and car rental companies require a credit card for bookings. 

If you don’t yet have a credit card, you can order one easily online.

Make sure you have available balance

Before heading for your holiday, remember to check your credit limit and how much available balance you have on your card. This way, you’ll be able to handle unexpected expenses and not run out of balance in the middle of your trip.

Here’s how you can apply to increase your credit limit in Nordea Netbank: go to Finances > Cards > Apply for a new card or make changes to your existing card > Changes to credit card -> Increase credit.

If you have a Nordea Gold card, you can apply for a credit limit of 1,500–10,000 euros*.

People often spend more than normal on holiday. If you feel your monthly payment is too high, you can change it and spread the credit repayment more evenly over several months. The minimum monthly payment is 3%*.

*The annual percentage rate of charge calculated on outstanding Nordea Gold Mastercard credit of 1,500 euros is 16.5% (for customers with a service package, November 2020).

Remember to check the geographical restrictions and security limits on your card

Check that your security limits are set to a level that fits your needs if you are planning to make large withdrawals or purchases. Look up country-specific ATM withdrawal limits, too.

You can define the area in which your card can be used to make payments and withdrawals by changing its settings in mobile bank or Netbank. If you are not planning to leave the country, restrict your card usage to Finland only.

If you are not going to make any online purchases during your trip, we recommend that you disable online payments on your card for the duration of your trip. In mobile bank, you can easily make changes to the features on your card also during your travels. Tap the picture of the card and select the settings.

Read more about card's security limits

Using Nordea Mobile when travelling

Before you go, make sure you have downloaded the Nordea Mobile and Nordea ID apps to your phone or tablet. We recommend that you install the Nordea ID app on at least two mobile devices. This way, you’ll be able to log in to our online services even if you lose your primary device.

What you can use our mobile banking app for:

• Checking account transactions during your trip
• Blocking your card temporarily or permanently if it gets lost or stolen
• Paying your bills on the go if you are using our e-invoice service

Tip: Check that your phone number is included in your contact details in Nordea Mobile. You can view and edit your phone number on the Profile tab or add it if it’s missing. When we know your phone number, we can send you a text message if there are any problems with your card. If you can’t make cash withdrawals, for example, you’ll get a text message from us explaining why that is.

What should I do if I lose my phone?

If you lose a phone or tablet with an activated Nordea ID app and you suspect it might have fallen in the wrong hands, please contact Nordea Customer Service without delay. This allows us to lock the app on the lost device and you to continue using your Nordea ID app on the other device on which you have installed it.

Set up mobile payments

You can make mobile payments in both Finland and abroad. Simply add your Nordea card to a payment app, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, on your phone and use your phone to pay when you are travelling.

Once you have set up mobile payments on your phone, you can leave your physical card in the safe in your hotel room as there’s no need to carry it around with you. To pay with your phone, just tap it over a payment terminal that supports contactless payments. You can also make contactless payments exceeding 50 euros with your phone.

Please note that the security limits and geographical restrictions you have set for using your physical card also apply to mobile payments. So remember to check your card settings in Nordea Netbank or Nordea Mobile to make sure you can use your card in the country you are travelling to.

Read more about mobile payments

Read more about card's usage areas

Be smart about using your card and keep it safe

Remember to always be careful with your card. When you pay at a restaurant or withdraw cash from an ATM, always check the amount before accepting the payment or withdrawal.

We recommend that you always take two cards along with you when you go on a trip. Use the safe in your hotel room, for example, to store one card and have the other one with you. This way you can ensure that you’ll have a card to pay and withdraw cash with even if your other card is lost or stolen.

Do you only have one card?

Our daily banking service packages (Mobile Plus and Basic) include up to two cards for no extra cost. The cards you can choose from are Nordea Gold, Nordea Debit and Nordea Credit. 

For example, if you have the Mobile Plus package and a Nordea Gold card, you can also get a Nordea Debit card with no monthly or annual fee. Read more about our Mobile Plus and Basic packages.

Don't forget cash

It is easy and secure to use a payment card abroad, but in some situations only cash is accepted. You should have enough cash to pay for a taxi from the airport to your hotel.

You can securely withdraw cash with your card also abroad. A good rule of thumb is to choose an ATM that is connected to a well-known bank. You can search for the closest ATM that is part of the Mastercard network with the ATM Locator.Opens new window

Find out in advance about the international cash withdrawal prices. Check the “Prices” tab on your card’s web pages.