International dollar card fees
IOF, spread, conversion and fees: understand the real cost of an international card, line by line, and how to compare properly.
International card fees, item by item
- IOF: 3.5% on international purchases with Brazil-issued cards (Decree 12.499/2025).
- FX spread: the margin baked into the rate; at banks it can reach 7% over the commercial dollar, without showing on the statement.
- Dynamic conversion (DCC): when the terminal offers to convert the purchase, almost always at a worse rate.
- Withdrawals abroad: many cards charge a fixed fee plus a percentage per ATM withdrawal outside the country.
- Annual or maintenance fee: some cards charge a monthly or annual fee just to keep the account.
The 3.5% IOF and the global-account route
The spread the bank does not show
What it costs on a US$1,000 purchase
- Brazilian card: 3.5% IOF (US$35) + a 2% to 7% spread (US$20 to US$70) = US$55 to US$105.
- Ruvo card: 0.5% to add dollars from reais (US$5) and dollar spending free = ~US$5. If you already earn in dollars, you spend at no cost.
How Ruvo charges
Watch out for dynamic conversion (DCC)
Brazilian card vs Ruvo card
| Fee | Ruvo card | Typical Brazilian card |
|---|---|---|
| IOF | 0% | 3.5% |
| Convert reais to dollars | 0.5% (commercial rate) | 3% to 7% (baked-in spread) |
| Spending in dollars | Free | Subject to IOF + spread |
| Purchases in other currencies | 1% FX, 0% IOF | IOF + spread |
IOF, the FX spread, possible dynamic currency conversion, and fees like maintenance and withdrawals. On the Ruvo card, IOF is 0% and the dollar spread is 0%.
It is when the terminal or ATM offers to convert the charge into dollars for you, instead of charging in the local currency. That markup can run 10% to 20%, it is set by the machine and Ruvo has no control over it. Abroad, always choose the local currency and let Ruvo handle the conversion (1% on non-dollar purchases); if there is no local-currency option, decline the conversion. In the US, the card is simply charged in dollars, the local currency.
Spending the dollar balance is IOF-free. Loading the card from reais costs 0.5%.
No. Receiving dollars, fiat or digital, is free and instant. The only fee is the 0.5% conversion if you load the card from reais.
Decree 12.499/2025 unified it at 3.5%. On top of that, the bank adds a spread that can reach 7%, so the real cost is typically 4% to 10.5% above the commercial rate.
Yes — a 1% FX fee, with 0% IOF. Dollar purchases have 0% on both. So spending in euros or sterling costs 1%, not the 4%+ of a Brazilian card.
