Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
In today’s world where ties between countries are stronger and stronger, managing currency transactions on the foreign market has become usual for most people. Be it city hopping, international shopping, or transferring money to your loved ones living overseas you may find quickly that a significant currency exchange fee can be added. Despite working hard to restrain these expenses, you really can find it as an art which may even make you earn some money in the process.
Nevertheless, cautiously saving is only a part of the puzzle. However, it is not without risks, but by learning about risk management and expecting more on foreign exchange market, you can also make money. Being definite in Foreign Exchange trading and involved to a particular level of expertise adding and hardly predictable risks, most business people and individuals attempt to use this opportunity to earn money by market moving. There are many possible ways to start that but the best way to learn forex is using educational pages and starting with demo accounts, as you will risk zero and learn how to have side income.
Those unfamiliar with the forex trade can easily learn the basics by using the different online platforms that are available or the resources in their power. Some of these schemes even allow you to experience the trade on demo accounts using virtual funds that do not risk your own capital. Moreover, it’s imperative to keep yourself updated with important news on the global economy and geopolitical issues, since the currency markets reflect these issues.
No doubt, the forex trading agenda has a good profit, hence required to apply cautiousness and discipline. Make sure that the fulfillment of your financial goals is definite, risk management is established, and you do not invest the money that you cannot afford to lose. By using common sense and remaining knowledgeable, you will be able to deal with the currency market and reinforce your financial status using profit you earned from foreign trade.
A way to quickly reduce money expenditure on foreign currency exchange that may come up while traveling, is the use of modern digital banking and payments, such as Revolut, PayPal and others. Many times, on these automatized platforms, the rates are more favorable, and there are fewer intermediaries, hence lesser fees.Take Revolut, for example. Currency accounts in multiple currencies and currency exchange of unlimited transactions at lower rates provide its users the option of using it as a payment method all over the world, thus drawing both world travelers as well as international shoppers.
One of the things that really stand out about these digital platforms is that they are not life-saving and money-earners. Unlike traditional banking, where savings benefits are often limited to interest income, FinTech platforms like Revolut provide exciting perks such as cashback on purchases and round-up savings, where the system automatically rounds transactions to the next whole number and saves the excess change for you. With time, money that you save in a small quantity can grow to a substantial sized amount.
The bug of shopping online which sometimes becomes the biggest problem can very well be solved by paying in the local currency when shopping online. Often visitors of many websites and vendors have a possibility to pay in their national currency, however, the facility sometimes comes with a price tag. Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) may seem attractive, but it statically hides fees and gives you a less good conversion price. Choose to shop in the store by using local currency as an alternative so it will save you from covering expensive costs in the future.
Besides using credit cards conversion charges,you can also decrease your spending currency exchange transactions by being cautious. You allocate additional fees each time you utilize your credit card for currency exchange. These fees can go up to 3% from the total amount being transacted thus this will diminish your savings. The fees attached to various cards could be avoided by using a credit card without foreign transaction fees or by using a prepaid travel card at an exchange rate that works its favor.
You will probably be charged some extra fees for the use of your credit card at an ATM or at a place outside your country. There are some taxes to be paid once the account is opened but the withdrawal or charges are almost in the same proportion with 1%-3% of the transaction amount that eventually chips from your savings. The credits to avoid the extra fees are cards that almost don’t have some fees on foreign transactions.
Finally, the best and practical way to save money and also get some profits is to start participating in the exchange market. Achieving a saving and acquiring money out of foreign payment transactions become possible if you have the right strategies and tools in place. Through utilization of digital banking platforms, paying close attention to conversion fees and exploring fx markets, you will be a master at maximizing your monetary resources and have the most gain in international transactions.
Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.