Travel Money Card™ FAQs & Support

Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ is a chip and PIN protected prepaid Mastercard^® currency card.

You can load multiple currencies onto it before you travel and then use it in millions of ATMs around the world displaying the Mastercard^® Acceptance Mark, to access your money quickly and safely. You can also pay for goods and services online and instore.

Your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ can be used to withdraw money from ATMs worldwide~ displaying the Mastercard^® Acceptance Mark. All you need to do is to find your nearest ATM.

Alternatively, you can use the card to pay online and in stores around the world~.

You can use your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ in countries or areas with a different currency to those on your card. The system will automatically convert your stored currency(-ies) to the local one. Please note that for any transactions in a currency different from the currencies loaded on your card, the funds available on the card will be used in the following order of priority: GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, NZD, ZAR, TRY, CHF, AED, MXN, PLN, CZK, SEK and JPY at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard^®  on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a percentage determined by us (see the Fees and Limits section for more details).

~ It is currently not possible to use your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ in a number of countries and geographical regions. If you attempt to withdraw cash from an ATM or use your card at merchants in any of these countries or geographical regions, your request will be declined.

The countries and geographical regions currently affected by sanctions are: Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk + Russian merchants or ATMs.

Search Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ app in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Yes, your card is contactless enabled.

Contactless is the faster way to pay for purchases of under GBP£100. No signature or PIN is required. Just tap your card against the reader and go. For more information, please click here.

Please note, transaction limits are subject to change and different transaction limits will apply in different countries.

What if I’m offered the option to pay in GBP whilst I'm abroad?

When abroad, you may get the choice of paying in British Pounds Sterling (GBP) rather than the local currency. By choosing to pay in the local currency, you may avoid an extra foreign exchange conversion at additional cost to you. Remember that if you do not have enough funds in the local currency on your card, the balance will be taken from another currency on your card.

Avoid dynamic currency conversion (DCC)

When paying for purchases or withdrawing money (both overseas and online), many providers will ask whether or not you wish to pay in your local home currency (often Pounds Sterling) rather than the local currency of the transaction.

This is referred to as "dynamic currency conversion" or DCC for short. While it may appear convenient to pay in your local home currency, the exchange rates are often less competitive and result in higher charges.

When using your Travel Money Card™ to pay or withdraw cash, opt to decline DCC and instead pay in your preloaded foreign currency to avoid extra foreign exchange conversion at additional cost to you. Remember that if you do not have enough funds in the local currency on your card, the balance will be taken from another currency on your card at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard^®  on the day the transaction is processed, increased by a foreign exchange margin set out in the terms and conditions.

Yes, you can use your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ to shop online (within the limits and restrictions of your card) from any merchant that accepts Mastercard^®  Prepaid cards.

By using your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ in the currency that the online site trades in (if it is one of the currencies on your card),you know exactly what your purchase will cost. For your safety, you may be asked to provide the security code that's printed on the signature strip on the back of the Card.

Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ may not be used for money transfers (i.e. the sending of funds to a third party) or for accessing money transfer services, or to access or purchase goods from adult or gambling locations or internet sites and must not be used for any unlawful activity. You must comply with all laws and regulations (including any foreign exchange controls) in respect of the card in the country of purchase and/or use.

The Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ can be loaded with GBP only, which will either be added to your GBP currency, or converted into up to 14 additional currencies including Euros, US Dollars, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars, South African Rand, Turkish Lira, Swiss Franc, Emirati Dirham, Mexican Peso, Polish Zloty, Czech Koruna, Swedish Krona and Japanese Yen at an exchange rate disclosed to you at the time. You can move money between the currencies on your card, at your convenience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via 'My Account' or the Mobile App.

Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ is a convenient and safe way of carrying your travel money overseas, offering peace of mind and security, plus the convenience of cards. Pre-loading your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ gives you more control of your travel budget with fixed ATM fees and no transaction fees* on purchases, it's easier to manage your overseas spending.

*Some merchants or ATM operators may also charge their own fee or set their own transaction limits. Please check whether any additional fees or limits apply before making a purchase or withdrawal.

Account aggregation is the ability to view your balances and transactions on selected account types held with other participating financial institutions in one place, so you can get an overall view of your accounts and available funds.

How can I make use of these facilities?

Check that your third party financial institution allows you to add your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ to your preferred account and follow the instructions to add an account. You can usually check this in your banking app.  Where this is possible, ensure you have registered your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ with My Account. 

You can revoke the authorisation given to a third party for account access by contacting your third party financial institution. This is usually available within your banking app.

It is important to emphasise that you must not share your login ID and password with anyone. This important security condition is part of your card agreement.

The great flexibility and added functionality of the Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ mean that as long as you have more than one currency loaded, if you have insufficient funds in a particular currency on your card to pay for a transaction, the card will automatically select the next available currency or currencies on the card to settle the balance of the transaction, in the following order of priority: GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, NZD, ZAR, TRY, CHF, AED, MXN, PLN, CZK, SEK and JPYsubject to the applicable exchange rate and increased by the foreign exchange fee (see Fees and Limits table).

If you do not have the currency of the country you are visiting on your card at all, you can still use it to make a payment. The Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ will automatically convert the amount of the transaction from local currency into the currency (-ies) available on your card, in the order described above, at an exchange rate determined by Mastercard^®  on the day the transaction is processed, increased by the foreign exchange fee (see the Fees and Limits for more details).

If you don’t have enough total funds on your card for a transaction, you may be able to pay the balance with another card or cash, if the merchant supports partial payments. Just make sure you tell the cashier before paying. The cashier should process your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ payment first, and then accept the other form of payment you are using to settle the remainder of the transaction amount.

When using your card at some merchants (see table below), you may be required to have an available card balance greater than the value of the transaction you wish to make.

This is because: (i) a merchant may request more funds than you initially authorised to cover the amount of the transaction (e.g. the meal or bar bill) plus an additional gratuity, tip or service charge agreed by you; or (ii) in the case of an automated fuel pump transaction, to ensure there are sufficient funds available to cover the final cost of the transaction.

The addition of this percentage or fixed amount to the amount of the transaction authorised by the merchant is called ‘tolerance’. At bars and restaurants tolerances are only applied to transactions authorised by magstripe rather than by chip or contactless. At petrol stations tolerance is applied to all automated fuel pump transactions. The merchant categories where tolerances apply are listed below.

Merchant category

Bars (or other similar drinking places) 20%

Restaurants (or other eating places) 20%

Automated fuel dispensers £99 or currency equivalent

As a merchant may not settle the final bill immediately, tolerance is applied to ensure that there are sufficient funds available when the final bill is settled.

The amount authorised by the merchant plus the tolerance percentage or fixed amount is reserved from your available card balance until the merchant settles the final amount (i.e. payment is requested), at which time the exact final amount is debited from your card, or for 7 days, whichever is sooner.

If the final settlement amount exceeds the relevant available currency balance on the card, the remaining amount will be funded by converting that amount in the usual wallet order. Please see your card Terms and Conditions for further information on the usual wallet order. The exchange rate used is the rate determined by Mastercard^® , to be the wholesale rate in effect on the day the transaction is processed by Mastercard^®  plus the foreign exchange fee. Please note that the exchange rate used at the time the transaction is authorised (and the funds are reserved) may be different to the exchange rate used on the day the transaction is settled, however, you will only be charged for the actual and final amount of the transaction you sign for or validate by PIN or contactless.

As the merchant may not settle (i.e. ask for payment) the final bill within the 7 days and in some cases may take up to 30 days to settle (at which time the funds are debited from your card), we recommend that you check your transaction history regularly via My Account and take this into account, including the tolerance, to ensure you have sufficient funds available for your spending. Typically, a merchant will submit the settlement request within 24 hours of you authorising the transaction.

At bars and restaurants tolerances are only applied to transactions authorised by magstripe rather than by chip or contactless. At petrol stations tolerance is applied to all automated fuel pump transactions.

If the value of the transaction plus the tolerance percentage or flat amount exceeds the relevant available currency balance on the card, the remaining amount will be funded by converting that amount into the next available currency in the usual wallet order. Please see your card Terms and Conditions for further information on the usual wallet order.

The exchange rate used is the rate determined by Mastercard^®  to be the wholesale rate in effect on the day the transaction is authorised by the merchant plus the foreign exchange fee.

At bars and restaurants tolerances are only applied to transactions authorised by magstripe rather than by chip or contactless. At petrol stations tolerance is applied to all automated fuel pump transactions.

If you do not have sufficient funds available in your total available card balance to cover both the value of the transaction plus the tolerance amount, the transaction will be declined.

For example, you have lunch at a restaurant and the total bill is US$50.00. You only have US$50.00 on your card and there is a 20% tolerance applied to restaurant transactions. If the restaurant tries to charge your card with US$50.00, it will be declined because 20% tolerance is added to the transaction amount and there will be insufficient funds to cover US$60.00 (US$50 + 20% tolerance (US$10.00) = US$60.00).

Please ensure you remember to take the tolerance amount into account. If you are using your card at one of the merchant types where tolerance is applied, you may be unable to use your card, unless you have enough in your total available card balance to cover the addition of tolerance.

At bars and restaurants tolerances are only applied to transactions authorised by magstripe rather than by chip or contactless. At petrol stations tolerance is applied to all automated fuel pump transactions.

In some countries, you may be asked for a six digit PIN when using an ATM.
Sainsbury’s Travel Money Card™ uses a standard four digit PIN, which will still be accepted as normal if the ATM has been set up correctly in compliance with Mastercard^®  regulations.
If you need assistance with any PIN issues, please call Card Services.

Even with a zero balance, your card is still valid (up to the expiry date printed on the front of the card), and you can top it up any time before your next trip##.

For information on how to top up your Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™, please see the 'top up' section.

## Until card expiry and subject to top up limits (see Fees and Limits section).

Please click here for full details of the fees and limits.

The Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™ is chip and PIN protected.

More information about card security.

No, cash back is not available on Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money Card™.