Football fans heading to the World Cup could be hit by punitive exchange rate fees

Football fans planning on heading to South Africa for this summer’s World Cup have been warned by Santander that they could be hit by punitive exchange rate fees in the country because of the Rand restriction that is in place.

Anyone travelling into or out of South Africa is only allowed to take up to 5,000 Rand (around £450) with them, and with English football fans alone set to spend around £135 million during the tournament, fans will be left to rely on card purchases or ATM withdrawals once in South Africa to fund their stay, tickets, travel, and other items.

Research released by Santander shows that almost half of British travellers (47 per cent) withdraw three quarters of their spend using an ATM machine whilst they are abroad, equivalent to £2,025 for the typical World Cup tourist. This means that if a Briton withdraws £2,025 at an ATM in South Africa, they would pay around £86 in fees.

Santander has offered the following advice to fans travelling to South Africa this summer: make sure that you have comprehensive travel insurance, insure any possessions that you take with you, when paying by card you should always try and pay in the local currency to avoid being charged a dynamic currency fee for converting the purchase to sterling, make a note of your bank’s overseas telephone helpline number in case you experience any problems whilst you are away, protect your PIN, and only use ATMs that are in well-lit areas with lots of traffic.