Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

adindas

I tranfer my payment from HSBC to Santander Zero Credit Card (Not Santander Bank a/c). It is instant FP. You could do trial by sending about £1.0 and see how long does it take

ADINDAS

svm wrote: »

I have a Santander Zero card for use in America. My problem is they only gave me a credit limit of £900 and I have some hotel bills to pay over there. I had a balance transfer on the card and paid it off on time over 6 months and then rang to ask them about increasing the limit. They said that they did not increase any limits on customer request but reviewed accounts very six months and let people know if they could increase them.
My question is - we are in America for 3 weeks, if I pay the balance on the card off after 10/11 days via internet banking will I then have the full £900 available again. I don't want to go through applying for another card but need some more cash for the holiday thanks to Crown Currency

CountryGoose

rorylando45 wrote: »

Hi everybody,

I am going to this Germany this weekend, fortunately a couple of weeks before the new increased charges will apply to the Nationwide Debit Card.

So if I were to use my Nationwide Debit Card to withdraw at a German ATM, I would just be charged 1% of the transaction amount, is that correct?

And if I were to use it to pay for something in a shop, would that also be 1%?

I have a Halifax Clarity card too, I'm not sure which would be best for me to use. Any advice would be appreciated.

Best,
Ruaraidh

You're better off with the Clarity card, if you settle the bill in full. No % loading on shop spends and less than 1% in interest on cash advances.

You are also better placed to review and dispute any transactions when you get the bill. Also, Sec 75 protection on purchases.

cralittlewood

rorylando45 wrote: »

Hi everybody,

I am going to this Germany this weekend, fortunately a couple of weeks before the new increased charges will apply to the Nationwide Debit Card.

So if I were to use my Nationwide Debit Card to withdraw at a German ATM, I would just be charged 1% of the transaction amount, is that correct?

And if I were to use it to pay for something in a shop, would that also be 1%?

I have a Halifax Clarity card too, I'm not sure which would be best for me to use. Any advice would be appreciated.

Best,
Ruaraidh

I don't think you would be charged anything for withdrawing other than the transaction amount.

I am going to Cyprus this weekend and will be using my Flex Account card to withdraw cash from the ATM, and will be using my Nationwide Credit Card to pay for meals etc.

peterdarlison

CountryGoose wrote: »

You're better off with the Clarity card, if you settle the bill in full. No % loading on shop spends and less than 1% in interest on cash advances.

You are also better placed to review and dispute any transactions when you get the bill. Also, Sec 75 protection on purchases.

Im due to live for a while in Europe.
Ive the clarity card and with the use of a netbook online surely i can draw cash on the clarity card and transfer the same amount from another account to pay the card hence only having the credit for a couple of days. (ie before the end of month and before bill is due)
This makes the charges about 10p rather than £1 per £100

If anyone knows different please say.

Pete

Returning_officer

CountryGoose wrote: »

On your Nationwide Credit Card you pay commission of 1% on spends. 1% on cash + a 3%, min £5 fee.

On your Nationwide Debit Card you pay 2% on spends and cash + £1 for each ATM use.

Compare to Halifax Clarity: No % on cash or spends, interest of less than 1% on any cash advances. No ATM fees.

You decide if it's worth applying for a new card.

Hi, newbie here off to Oz next month.
This quote above is what I dont quite understand.

If there are no ATM fees then why does the money supermarket page say that "The rate for cash withdrawals is a fairly low 12.9% APR (this rate is 'typical' which means two thirds of those that are accepted will get it, the rest will be charged up to 21.9%). This works out as around £1 per month for every £100 withdrawn"

Surely, that isnt free?
Simon

adindas

This is the thing where most of people are suggesting. This is what I have done myself.
The contra is that the concern of accessing online Banking while abroad. Just read for instance this report.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101014/tuk-home-wi-fi-users-urged-be-more-vigil-45dbed5.html


ADINDAS

peterdarlison wrote: »

Im due to live for a while in Europe.
Ive the clarity card and with the use of a netbook online surely i can draw cash on the clarity card and transfer the same amount from another account to pay the card hence only having the credit for a couple of days. (ie before the end of month and before bill is due)
This makes the charges about 10p rather than £1 per £100

If anyone knows different please say.

Pete

meher

We have so many boards, so many subboards but not even a single one about wire transfers for purchases abroad, specially now that online shopping is the trend? I searched this money saving site all morning, high and low, and didn't find even one article or thread on this topic.

za28

Hi all I am going to thailand for a couple of months travelling and wondering if traverllers cheques r an option. I bank with santander and hsbc and hold a credit card from post office. what should i use at ATMs and what in shops

meher

There's an article here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money?dd#topcards and about cheap travel money here http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/?dd that might help you. I don't know anything about ATMs, sorry.

Picasso7

I've read the lot and am still unsure. Can someone help please?

To buy things abroad, is it cheapest to use a Clarity CC or a Post Office CC? (Martin mentions the PO one but this Forum seems to be ignoring it.)

To withdraw money abroad, it seems to be a straight choice between:

1) Halifax Clarity, no cash w/dwl fee but you do have to pay interest. Am I right in thinking this is from when you take the money out to when you pay it back?

2) Santander Zero, no cash w/dwl fee but you pay interest in the same way as the Clarity card but at a higher rate. (I take the point about the hazards of online banking abroad -- would it be just as risky to use Teamviewer to access my PC at home?)

3) Saga, cash withdrawal fee of 2% (min £2) but no interest payable.

Have I understood this correctly and, if so, which is the best for withdrawing money abroad please?

Thank you!