If you use your credit card abroad, you may be surprised to see extra charges weeks after you return.

Visa and MasterCard charge a one percent foreign-conversion fee for all transactions abroad.

On top of that, the issuing bank can charge another two or three percent.

If you use your credit card, don’t let the vendor offer to charge you in dollars—they control when they process the sale, and might wait for a higher exchange rate.

You’re better off withdrawing local currency with your ATM card, but be careful: Banks can charge not only a foreign-conversion fee, but also a transaction fee of up to $10!

Find out if your bank has partnerships abroad.

For example, Bank of America belongs to the Global ATM Alliance, meaning you won’t pay a transaction fee with Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and Scotiabank, among others.

If you’re planning an extended stay, consider opening up a secondary account in that country to cut fees further.

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