It's fairly common to see people mixing up concepts when talking about international and foreign exchange (FX) payments. However, the difference between them is quite simple:
International payments are purchases made to foreign vendors, regardless of the currency used.
FX payments are purchases made in foreign currencies, regardless of the country of the vendor used.
Availability
This is an easy one: Yes, Alaan cards are corporate Visa cards, which means you can use your Alaan card with any vendor that accepts VISA cards - All 200+ countries 🌍 🌎 🌏
Linking back to the previous point, this means that you can use Alaan cards with foreign vendors and/or pay in foreign currencies.
Currency
When paying foreign vendors, there is often a way for you to choose your payment currency.
If you choose your local currency (e.g. AED for cards issued in the UAE), the vendor's bank will often charge a very high markup to convert their currency to your local currency.
To avoid this, consider paying in the vendor's local currency when presented with the option to. In this case, it will be Visa, not the vendor's bank, who will convert your currency using a rate close to the "Google rate".
Fees
Depending on your Pricing Plan, you may be charged a fee when making purchases from international vendors with your Alaan card. These fees are applicable irrespective of the currency used to make the purchase.
Reach out to your Customer Success Manager for further details on this topic.