Digital nomads are losing up to €3,000 a year in FX costs

Digital nomads – professionals who work remotely while living in multiple countries – now number an estimated 40-50 million worldwide, reflecting rapid and continuing changes in the way people earn and spend across borders.

Growth is being strengthened by remote working trends and government-backed visa programs such as the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa, Spain Digital Nomad Visa and Dubai Virtual Working Programme, as well as increased adoption of multicurrency cards such as DeVare Vault, demonstrating how financial behavior is evolving with this trend.

Nigel Green, CEO of Deavere Group, says: “As this group of workers grows, so does the risk of foreign exchange costs, often in ways that are not immediately visible.

“Many digital nomads are paid in one currency, hold savings in another, and spend in many other currencies.

“Traditional debit and credit cards, built around a single base currency, typically automatically convert transactions at the point of sale, applying foreign currency spreads that are typically between 2% and 3%, and in some cases higher if fees are involved.”

For individuals spending €3,000 to €5,000 per month internationally, this equates to €60 to €150 lost each month solely through conversion. Over a year, this rises to €720 to €1,800 – before accounting for additional friction.

Those frictions are important. Double conversion – where the income, account base and expense currency are different – ​​can apply multiple FX spreads in a single transaction. Recurring payments for subscriptions and professional services, often billed in foreign currencies, create persistent low-level leakages.

Converting funds at the point of transaction removes any ability to manage time in volatile currency markets.

“Together, these factors could increase total annual losses to €3,000.

“It’s a structural inefficiency. People are earning in one currency and spending in multiple currencies using devices that were never designed for that reality.

“The costs are increasing, but they are constant.”

In many countries, the effects of prolonged exposure are intensifying. Digital nomads are increasingly staying in jurisdictions for extended periods, with their spending spanning across currencies on a daily basis rather than focused on short-term travel.

This is bringing change in behaviour.

Nigel Green comments: “We are seeing a move from passive spending to active money management.

“It is our experience that people are increasingly questioning how their money is being moved and what it is costing them over time.”

DeVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset management organizations, says this trend is reflected in growing demand over the past 12 months for its multicurrency card, DeVere Vault, a prepaid MasterCard® multicurrency card that enables users to hold balances in multiple currencies and spend globally.

By allowing users to spend directly from pre-held currency balances rather than converting at the point of transaction, multicurrency cards often reduce FX fees and give users more control over how and when exchanges occur.

“As digital nomadism continues to expand, it is becoming harder to ignore the financial implications of living and working in different currencies.

“For a growing segment of the global workforce, managing foreign exchange efficiently is moving from a secondary consideration to a core part of everyday financial decision making,” concluded the CEO of Deavere.