Blue review

Blue's currency conversion fee is 0%, and it sits at position 1 of 237 brands on that measure. The card works on the visa network, so it is treated like an ordinary Visa card at the till. Converting your balance for spending in another currency adds nothing.

Blue issues a prepaid card, so you add money to the account and spend from that balance. It is not tied to a current account, which suits people who like to cap what is spendable. Payments run on the visa network, so the card works at standard card terminals.

The service is provided by Ishtar Gate Company for E-Payment Systems and Services, headquartered in Iraq. That company operates the account, the card and the balances together in one app. It is built around multi currency and travel use, so the product is shaped by that market rather than by a different region.

Multi-currency is part of what the app is built for, alongside multi currency and travel spending. Balances in different currencies sit in the same place rather than in separate accounts. Moving between them costs a conversion fee of 0%, which is the number most travellers care about here.

Wise lists a currency conversion fee of 0.1%, while Blue's is 0%. For frequent conversion on a trip the difference is straightforward, and Blue also keeps a prepaid card on the visa network in the same app. Wise leans on account balances rather than a prepaid card.

Monzo Flex is a debit card, so it draws on a bank balance rather than a topped-up one. Choose it if you would rather have spending linked to a current account. Blue suits the other preference, since its prepaid card is loaded by you and centres on multi currency and travel use.

Bitpanda issues a debit card that sits alongside its exchange, which is the pull if trading matters more to you. Blue takes the opposite route: a prepaid card from IQ aimed at travel, with a conversion fee of 0% and multi-currency balances.