Charity donations from UK travellers using a money-saving travel card have removed 1.75m plastic bottles from the ocean since 2020.
Travellers using the Currensea card, a card that links to existing bank accounts and offers the lowest foreign exchange (FX) fees, can opt to support environmental causes by donating some or all of the savings they make on FX fees when using the card overseas.
Currensea users have also contributed to almost 120,000 trees being planted by donating savings made when using the card.
Working alongside Plastic Bank and Eden Reforestation Projects, Currensea customers can choose to donate a proportion of their savings on FX fees – with every 12p donated planting one tree and every £1 removing 100 plastic bottles from the ocean.
The Currensea card allows card users to save at least 85% - and up to 100% - on every transaction abroad by removing the normal fees leveraged by banks and other card providers.
Members and supporters can opt to donate all or part of the savings they make when spending abroad. For example, a user spending $1500 while visiting the USA can choose to contribute 50% of their savings – which would equate to more than £20 – while still saving money.
James Lynn, co-founder of Currensea, said: “Currensea’s aim isn’t only to offer travellers the lowest foreign exchange (FX) fees, we also wanted to provide them with an effective method for supporting environmental and sustainable causes. The travel industry has been criticised for not doing enough to tackle its environmental impact and travellers need a simple, convenient and cost-effective way of offsetting their holidays.
“Even though this is our first summer since launch which hasn’t been severely hit by Covid, the environmental contribution of our users indicates the appetite to give back to the causes close to their heart and protect the planet. This is a vital approach enabling travellers to have more control over their money, saving money when abroad as well as minimising their environmental impact.”
As part of the fintech’s wider mission to support causes, last year Currensea launched its ‘powered by’ programme enabling charities to launch their own branded cards for supporters to drive donations and attract new donors. Partnerships include:
• Surfers Against Sewage - a marine conservation charity
• Royal Society of Medicine - a global membership organisation of 20,000 healthcare professionals
• Royal Trinity Hospice - the oldest hospice in the UK
• St Martin-in-the-Fields Trust - which works with many of London’s most vulnerable communities