The right credit card pays for World Cup tickets

As the 2006 World Cup draws ever-closer, new advice means that savvy footy fans following their side in Germany can save themselves the cost of two tickets to a world cup game.

This is because the majority of credit cards charge people a premium for use abroad, retailers also cream off a little extra profit by charging people extra to pay in pounds rather than euros, Nationwide points out.

“With all the excitement surrounding this year’s World Cup it is easy for people to give football priority over their finances,” said Stuart Bernau, Nationwide’s executive director.

“However, travelling fans who act now can avoid paying the price later.

“Many of these extra charges are difficult for consumers to spot before using their debit or credit cards.”

Nationwide estimates that so-called “foreign currency loading fees”, which are added to overseas transactions by many card companies, will cost the average fan around £60 for four days in Germany.

However, there are credit card providers - including Nationwide and Saga - which do not charge this.

Additionally, “dynamic currency conversion” also catches many travellers out. This system converts the local currency to pounds when you pay, but the conversion rate this system uses often makes it more expensive to pay in pounds.

Robert Kenley, head of credit cards at price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, added: “It will be all too easy to get carried away with the excitement of the World Cup and forget about the charges you are likely to incur when you use your credit card abroad.

“But when the tournament is over and your credit card bill comes in, you may wish you’d substituted your existing credit card to one with lower or no fees ahead of your trip.”