Nine of Briton’s biggest banks now charge for every time you use your card abroad, the charge is around £1.19 which nets the companies around £65m a year.

Mike Naylor, personal finance expert at uSwitch.com said: “Charging a fee for every purchase made overseas on a debit card is a lucrative bandwagon and one that is well worth providers jumping on. The revenue from these charges represents 9.5% of the total income made from fees on overseas transactions.”

“Any consumer who holds a debit card with a bank levying these charges should think carefully before handing their card over the counter whilst abroad. On a two-week holiday, it's not unfeasible for someone to pay for 14 meals with a debit card – with a transaction charge of up to £1.50 for each use, the charges could soon add up to £21 with foreign exchange fees on top.”

This comes off the back of the credit crunch and loss of money as increasingly people turn to secured loans for lines of credit.