Let’s be honest — when we travel, most of us focus on cheap flights and hotels. But here’s the truth most people overlook 👇
💥 Your daily spending overseas is where your budget slowly leaks.
Food 🍔
Transport 🚇
Shopping 🛍️
Small payments… again and again.
Each transaction may look tiny, but once forex rates, FX fees, and hidden charges stack up, your travel budget can quietly explode.
So I decided to test three of the most popular travel cards:
R Bank Card
TNG Travel Card
Wise Card
I used all three during my travels and compared them using real transactions, based on 3 key criteria that actually matter:
👉 Forex Rate
👉 Cashback
👉 Fees
Let’s break it down.
1️⃣ Forex Rate: Who Gives the Best Exchange?
Wise uses the mid-market rate — the closest rate to what you see on Google.
R Bank & TNG use Visa/Mastercard rates, which are slightly higher or lower depending on the day and currency.
📍 Real-life example in Lisbon, Portugal
I bought a €7 metro card using:
R Bank Card
TNG Travel Card
💰 Both converted to RM33.98
Wise would’ve been around RM33.60–RM33.80
➡️ Difference? Only ~18 sen.
✅ Winner for pure forex rate: Wise
But the difference is small — now let’s talk about where things REALLY change 👇
2️⃣ Cashback: The Biggest Game Changer 💥
This is where the gap becomes obvious.
🔵 R Bank Card
1.2% cashback on ALL overseas transactions
No minimum spend
Spend RM10 or RM1,000 — cashback rate stays the same
Cashback reflects the next day (not instant, so don’t panic)
📌 Example:
I spent RM134 on food in Lisbon
➡️ Got RM1.61 cashback the next day
🟡 TNG Travel Card
Cashback up to 3%, BUT…
Only applies for transactions RM300 and above
Small transactions get very low cashback (~0.5%)
📌 €7 metro card (RM33.98)
➡️ Cashback only ~17 sen
Unless you’re spending RM300 every single time (hello sultan 👑), this benefit is hard to unlock.
🟢 Wise Card
❌ No cashback at all
✅ Clear winner for cashback: R Bank Card
3️⃣ Fees: Hidden Costs You MUST Know
🟡 TNG Travel Card
RM20 card fee
RM8 annual fee (waived first year)
1 free overseas ATM withdrawal/month
RM10 per withdrawal after that
No conversion fee
No foreign transaction fee
🟢 Wise Card
RM13.70 card fee
No annual fee
2 free ATM withdrawals/month (up to RM1,000)
After that: ~1.75% fee
Currency conversion fee: 0.5%–1%
No foreign transaction fee
🔵 R Bank Card
One-time fee: RM12
❌ No annual fee
Overseas ATM withdrawal: RM12 each time
❌ No conversion fee
❌ Foreign transaction fee waived until 31 March 2026
💡 If you’re not withdrawing cash often, R Bank stays extremely cost-efficient.
BONUS: Which Card Is Best in Malaysia? 🇲🇾
This matters because most of our spending is still local.
TNG Travel Card:
No cashback, no rewards in Malaysia.Wise:
Can be used locally, but zero cashback and no benefit for MYR spending.R Bank Card:
✅ 1.2% cashback in Malaysia too (capped at RM12/month)
≈ RM12 cashback for ~RM1,200 spending
Enough to cover card fees easily.
📌 Just make sure you pay using MyDebit for domestic cashback.
EXTRA BONUS: 4% Interest?! 💰🔥
R Bank is currently offering:
📈 Up to 4% p.a. interest until 31 March 2026
That means:
Spend with the card ✅
Earn cashback ✅
Park your money and earn interest at the same time ✅
Compared to:
Wise: 0% return
TNG Go+ : ~3%
👉 Value-wise, R Bank is hard to beat.
Final Verdict 🏆
Each card has its strengths:
Wise → Best forex rate
TNG → High cashback if you spend big
R Bank → Best overall balance
💥 Consistent 1.2% cashback
💥 Reasonable fees
💥 Works overseas AND in Malaysia
💥 Extra interest income
👉 For me, R Bank wins as both a travel card AND an everyday card.
What about you?
Which card do you use when travelling? Drop your experience in the comments 👇
And don’t forget to share this with your travel buddies ✈️
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