u/Former_Banana_890

I’m building a travel-finance app that helps people spot hidden costs when they use their cards abroad.

It’s still pre-launch, so I’m not really trying to push the product yet. I’ve mainly been using Reddit to get feedback from travellers and other builders, while posting more casual content on X about exchange rates, card fees and the whole “pay in local or home currency” problem.

Reddit has given me some genuinely useful conversations. X is easier to post on regularly, but so far it feels more like impressions than anything that proves people would actually use the app.

I’m now wondering if I’m focusing on those two channels because they’re easy to start with, rather than because they’re the best fit.

The other things I’m considering are short-form videos, working with small travel creators, reaching students who travel or study abroad, SEO around common travel-money questions, and eventually some kind of referral loop.

I’m building this solo and don’t have a large marketing budget, so I can’t do everything properly at once.

Would you keep focusing on Reddit and X until one shows real traction, or run small tests across a few different channels now?

Also, what would you treat as a meaningful early signal? Impressions and followers feel pretty weak. I’m thinking landing-page signups, people volunteering to test it, or users actually sharing it with someone else.

I’m working on a consumer fintech idea around spending abroad.

The first version would let someone look back at their foreign card transactions and see where they may have lost money through bad exchange rates or DCC, and which of their cards performed worst.

My main worry is that the first reveal might be interesting, but only once. Someone sees the number, thinks “that’s annoying,” and then never opens the app again.

The more useful version would probably help during future trips by flagging expensive charges and telling people which card would be better to use next time. That sounds stronger, but it also means building a lot more before knowing if people actually care.

How would you test the repeat-use side without overbuilding it?

I was thinking of looking at whether people come back before another trip, turn on alerts, or check which card is best for a destination. Curious what other signals or small experiments you’d use before investing too much into the full version.

I realized on my last solo trip that I’m pretty careful with some parts of money, but weirdly casual with others. I’ll compare hostels, flights, trains, food prices, all that. But once I’m actually there, I just tap my card and move on. Later the banking app shows the final amount, and I don’t really question whether the rate was good.

It matters more when traveling solo because there’s no one to share the blame for mistakes. If I pick the wrong ATM, wrong card, or the wrong currency option at the terminal, that’s just on me. Do you actually check the rates your card gives you, or do you just use one travel card and assume it’s fine?

Also, have you ever been caught by the “pay in your own currency” option, or is local currency just automatic for you now?

I’ve been thinking about this after travelling recently.

Whenever I use my card abroad, my banking app shows me the final amount, but I never really know if the exchange rate was actually good or bad. I also feel like a lot of people accidentally choose “pay in home currency” at card machines because it looks safer, even though it can sometimes be more expensive.

So the app idea is pretty simple: it looks at your past foreign card transactions and tells you, in normal language, whether you probably lost money through bad exchange rates, which card was worst abroad, and what you should maybe use next time.

Not really a budgeting app. More like a “did I get rinsed by my travel card?” checker.

I’m curious if people would actually use something like this. Would you trust bank linking for this, or would you prefer uploading a CSV manually? Also, would you care enough to check after a trip, or is this the kind of problem that sounds annoying but people would ignore?

Not promoting anything, just trying to see if this app idea makes sense.

I’m working on a small fintech idea because I realised I basically never check the exchange rate my card gives me when I travel.

I’ll compare flights, hotels, food, everything… but when I tap my card abroad, I just accept whatever shows up in the banking app. The annoying part is that the cost isn’t always shown as a clear fee. Sometimes it’s just hidden in the rate, or from choosing “pay in your home currency” at the card machine.

The idea is to make something that looks at your past foreign card transactions and tells you, in plain English, whether you probably got a bad rate, which card was worst abroad, and what you should use next time.

I’m stuck on whether this is actually painful enough for people to care about, or if it’s one of those things everyone agrees is annoying but nobody would pay for.

Would you validate this with a very manual MVP first, like auditing a few people’s travel transactions by hand, or would you just build a basic version with CSV upload and see if people use it?

Also, does this sound more like a subscription product, a one-off travel audit, or just a feature that should exist inside a banking app?

Not linking anything because I’m not trying to promote it. Just trying to work out if this is worth building properly.