I have a Sterling-based card that allows me to make foreign currency withdrawals at no charge:
We don't charge fees when you spend abroad.
We don’t charge you a fee to withdraw cash outside the UK.
The ATM provider may charge you a fee for taking cash out.
Whatever you spend abroad will be converted to Sterling at a rate set by MasterCard®.
That second point is rather vague. Is it typical to be charged? By how much, and on what basis? Do the charges tend to vary by country, for example in the Eurozone, or elsewhere? How does one find out?
I've used another card (in the Netherlands) that also offers no-charge withdrawals. The statement slip for a transaction says:
02/07/18
Withdrawal: EURO 500
Transaction amount: GBP 457.37
Exchange rate: EUR 1 = GBP 0.914745
Markup = 3.24%
Well, 500 * 0.914745 is 457.37, so what is that "markup"? Is that the ATM's charge; i.e. the ATM charged an additional 3.24% of the € 500?