Finding yourself short of money abroad, through loss, theft or running out, is alarming, but there are several ways to get emergency cash, especially if you have prepared. Knowing the options helps you stay calm and sort it out. This guide explains how to get emergency cash abroad. It is general information, not financial advice, so know your providers' procedures, but the options below will help you access money in an emergency.
When you might need it
You might need emergency cash abroad if your card is lost or stolen, your money runs out, your cards stop working, or you face an unexpected large cost. Whatever the cause, the priority is accessing funds safely and quickly. Understanding the situations that can leave you short, and that there are established ways to get money in each, helps you approach the problem calmly rather than panicking, knowing that being temporarily without money abroad is a solvable situation with several possible routes.
First, use your backups
Before seeking emergency help, use any backups you have: a second card kept separately, emergency cash stashed apart from your main money, or funds on a prepaid card. This is exactly why carrying backups matters. Our guide on the best way to take money abroad stresses this. Turning first to your own backup card and reserve cash, if you have followed the sensible practice of keeping them separate, often solves the problem immediately without needing any emergency service at all, which is the simplest solution.
Contact your bank or card provider
Contact your bank or card provider, as many offer emergency assistance for customers stranded abroad, such as an emergency replacement card, emergency cash, or help accessing your account. Have your details and their emergency number ready. Our guide on what to do if your card is lost or stolen abroad covers this. Asking your provider what emergency help they can offer, which can include getting cash to you, is often the most direct route to funds when your normal access has failed, so it is worth contacting them early.
Money transfer services
International money transfer services let someone at home, or you from your own account, send money for collection abroad, often quickly, at agent locations or to a card or account. These are a widely used way to get emergency funds. Knowing that money transfer services exist, and how they work, gives you a reliable option to receive money quickly in an emergency, whether sent by family or transferred from your own funds, when you cannot access your money the usual way.
Ask family or friends to help
If you cannot access your own money, family or friends at home may be able to send you funds via a transfer service or into an account you can access. Agreeing how they would help in an emergency before you travel can speed this up. Having people at home who could send money if needed, and knowing how they would do it, provides a valuable fallback. A quick transfer from a trusted person can resolve an emergency shortfall when your own options are temporarily unavailable.
Emergency funds and insurance
Check whether your travel insurance offers any help in a money emergency, such as assistance if your cash and cards are stolen, as some policies include emergency support. Our guide on whether you need travel insurance is relevant. Knowing what your travel insurance covers in terms of money emergencies, and contacting its assistance line if relevant, may provide help or cover in certain situations, so it is worth checking your policy and keeping the assistance number to hand alongside your other emergency contacts.
Embassy help as a last resort
In a genuine crisis, where you are stranded with no other means, your country's embassy or consulate may be able to offer limited assistance or advice, though this is a last resort and not a source of free money. They can sometimes help you contact people or access funds. Knowing that consular assistance exists for serious emergencies, while understanding its limits, provides reassurance for the worst case, but it should be seen as a final option after exhausting your backups, bank and transfer routes.
Avoid scams and stay safe
In a money emergency, be cautious, as desperation can make you a target for scams, so use only legitimate, official services and transfer methods, and be wary of anyone offering suspicious help. Protect your remaining money and details. Sticking to recognised banks, transfer services and official channels, rather than informal or too-good-to-be-true offers, keeps you safe when seeking emergency funds. Staying alert to scams, even when stressed, ensures that solving one money problem does not lead you into another through fraud.
Prevention is best
The best approach is to reduce the chance of needing emergency cash by carrying backups, a second card and reserve cash kept separately, keeping emergency contacts handy, and budgeting so you do not run out. Our guide on how to avoid running out of money helps. Preparing properly before you travel, with backups and a sensible budget, makes a money emergency far less likely and much easier to handle if it does happen, which is far better than relying on emergency measures.
Keep your contacts and details ready
Keep the information you would need in an emergency ready and accessible, separate from your cards, including your bank's emergency number, your travel insurance assistance line, and details of how family could send money. Having these to hand saves precious time in a crisis. Preparing this information before you travel, and storing it somewhere you can reach even if your wallet is lost, means that if an emergency strikes you can act quickly and calmly rather than struggling to find contacts when you most need them.
Do not panic
If you find yourself short of money abroad, try not to panic, as there are several routes to emergency funds and the situation is usually solvable. Staying calm helps you think clearly and work through your options in order, from backups to your bank to transfers. Remembering that being temporarily without money abroad is a problem with known solutions, rather than a catastrophe, helps you respond methodically. A clear head lets you use the available options effectively and avoid rushed decisions or scams that could make the situation worse.
Deal with a lost card promptly
If your money emergency stems from a lost or stolen card, deal with the card itself promptly too, freezing or reporting it to prevent misuse while you arrange emergency funds. The two go together. Our guide on what to do if your card is lost or stolen abroad covers the steps. Addressing both the immediate need for cash and the security of the lost card at the same time ensures you not only get money but also stop any further loss, resolving the whole situation rather than just part of it.
In short
To get emergency cash abroad, first use any backup card and reserve cash you have kept separately, then contact your bank, which may offer emergency assistance. Money transfer services let you or family send funds for quick collection, and your travel insurance may help if cash was stolen. An embassy can assist in a genuine crisis as a last resort. Avoid scams, prepare with backups and emergency contacts, and budget to prevent it. This is general information, not financial advice.
Find more in our Travel Money guides.