YouTrip vs Macquarie

An overseas ATM operator can charge its own access fee with either card. Always review the ATM screen before confirming.

YouTrip lets you exchange and hold AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, NZD, SGD, CAD, HKD and CHF. That means you can convert before a trip and lock in the rate. If you spend in another supported currency, YouTrip converts automatically at the applicable wholesale rate without adding a foreign transaction fee.

Macquarie does not hold multiple currencies in its transaction account. A purchase made in a foreign currency is converted into AUD using the Mastercard FX rate when it is processed. Macquarie does not add its own international transaction fee.

Important: neither card can guarantee the exact rate shown by Google. Rates move, networks settle transactions at different times and a merchant or ATM can impose Dynamic Currency Conversion. Always choose the local currency rather than AUD.

YouTrip includes A$1,500 of overseas ATM withdrawals per calendar month without a YouTrip withdrawal fee. Once the monthly amount exceeds A$1,500, YouTrip charges 2% on the excess.

Macquarie does not charge its own overseas ATM withdrawal fee and permits up to A$2,000 per card per day. The ATM owner may still charge with either card.

The YouTrip promotion offered 2% cashback on eligible non-AUD purchases for the first five months, capped at A$40 per calendar month. Reaching the full cap requires A$2,000 of eligible spending in that month.

I received the full A$40 cashback after using YouTrip in China and Malaysia. It was a real advantage over Macquarie for those purchases.

In China, I used YouTrip through Alipay and WeChat Pay, and PayWave also worked where contactless cards were accepted. In Malaysia, it worked conveniently with Grab. Every transaction triggered an app notification showing the AUD amount, which made it easy to understand what I had spent.

The main annoyance was that even very small purchases sometimes required in-app approval, which slowed the payment. It was not a deal-breaker because the additional verification can help prevent unauthorised card use.

I carried Macquarie because relying on a single travel card is unnecessary risk. It covered three situations: exceeding YouTrip’s fee-free ATM allowance, needing more cash in a short period, or finding a merchant or ATM that rejected YouTrip.

1. 1

   Load only your planned travel budget into YouTrip

   This limits exposure and keeps overseas spending separate from your main account.

2. 2

   Use YouTrip for purchases

   Especially if you remain eligible for cashback or have locked an attractive exchange rate.

3. 3

   Use Macquarie for larger cash needs

   It has no monthly fee-free withdrawal allowance imposed by Macquarie, although daily and ATM limits still apply.

4. 4

   Keep the cards separately

   If a wallet is lost or one card is frozen, the second card is still usable.

5. 5

   Check Google Maps before choosing an ATM

   Recent reviews often identify operator fees, low withdrawal limits, retained cards and problems with foreign cards.

For my own travel, I would take both again. YouTrip is the spending card; Macquarie is the cash-withdrawal and emergency card. Without an active YouTrip cashback offer, however, Macquarie is competitive enough that many travellers could simply use it for both purchases and withdrawals.