As the Scottish holiday season looms ahead, it pays to plan your money tactics in advance.

Banks show their overseas money charges separately on statements, rather than being merged into the amounts spent, so it might pay to have a look at last year’s post-holiday statements.

Take your credit card for instance. The bank is probably charging you a foreign usage fee for all purchases. Among the big players, the top rate is levied by VirginMoney, First Direct, HSBC, MBNA, Barclaycard and M & S Bank , who all make a 2.99 per cent loading charge for using the card overseas.

Sainsburys Bank and Tesco Bank knock it down to 2.75 per cent, while at Nationwide there is a maximum two per cent charge on the standard card.

On top of the usage fees, there are typically extra fees of around three per cent, which means shelling out an extra £6 for every £100 withdrawn.

Then you will have to pay interest on top, because most cards add this from day one on cash withdrawals and often at a far higher rate than for purchases – typically a punitive 29.9 per cent.

For the canny traveller preparing well ahead, there’s a chance to apply for the MBNA Everyday Plus or Halifax Clarity credit cards. There’s also the Creation Everyday MasterCard. None has any overseas usage or withdrawal fees.

If you are already a Nationwide customer, the Select credit card offers existing customers free overseas transactions. You will find your purchases translated into sterling using the wholesale Visa rate which was current on the day, which you can also check online.

Now check your old bank statement. Here too you will probably find your bank charging you a usage fee for cash withdrawals, of 2.75per cent up to 2.99per cent, and a hefty fee just for using a cash machine which can range from £1.50 to £5.

But they haven’t finished yet, says Andrew Hagger at Moneycomms. “The card charges that catch most people out are those levied for debit card purchases which are subject to the usage fee above, plus up to an additional £1.50 per transaction regardless of the amount.The most expensive debit cards are Halifax (£1.50 per purchase transaction), Santander (£1.25), Lloyds Bank and TSB both £1.”

If you travel a lot, and are also considering switching banks, Nationwide would give you access to the Select card, plus a debit card with a two per cent fee, and a choice of three accounts which have made the building society the most popular switching choice in recent months.

But if you’re looking for a fee free debit card for using overseas, there is vitually no choice. You would need to open a current account with Norwich & Peterborough Building Society or Metro Bank.

Prepaid cards, allowing you to load up your spending budget onto a fee-charging card at a pre-set exchange rate, may well be the most cost-effective option.

Mr Hagger says: “Prepaid currency cards from Centtrip, Cash Passport, Caxton FX and myTravelCash are amongst the most competitive.....and the cost savings make it worth packing a specialist travel card with your passport whenever you go abroad.”

He adds: “Looking at a scenario where you spend £1500 currency equivalent including three £200 value ATM withdrawals and nine purchase transactions, it would set you back less than £19 with a prepaid currency card from Cash Passport or MyTravel Cash whereas using a debit card from TSB or Lloyds Bank would cost you £62.85 .”

Which.co.uk recommends FairFx's Anywhere card, which charges 1.4 per cent for foreign exchange, £1 for ATM use and allows free top ups, and CaxtonFx's Global Traveller, which has a 2.49 per cent exchange fee and free ATM use and top-ups.

Which's favourite cards with euro and dollar options are Revolut, AceFx and Moneycorp's White Explorer.

Prepaid currency cards are chip and PIN secure, accepted wherever you see the MasterCard symbol and tend to be much cheaper than most debit and credit cards, and you will know exactly what you are paying for all your holiday transactions.

A golden rule of holiday spending is never pay in sterling. Mr Hagger says: “Beware of an increasingly common custom (particularly in Europe) where the foreign retailer or ATM gives you the option to pay in pounds sterling....although you know exactly how much you’ll be debited, the downside is that it gives the retailer the opportunity to use an uncompetitive and costly exchange rate.”

If you do decide to apply for a new credit card, do it now, as it could take several weeks to arrive. Switching your current account, however, is guaranteed to take only seven days under the switching service.

Before you head off into the blue, phone your bank and tell them. Otherwise, their laudable security systems will kick in and assume that debits and transactions in faraway places signify a possible fraud, and you will have to deal with a rash of automated phone calls and a blocked account