Most people have heard that the Abbey/Santander Zero Credit Card and the Nationwide Flex Account are probably the best ways to use Cards abroad.

Santander have just brought a new Current Account in the UK for Santander Mortgage holders which seems to offer the best of both worlds. The Santander Zero Account.

This and other accounts/cards have recently been discussed here:-

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=654346