Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

m5rcc

I still have a Santander Zero card. Can anyone tell me is still OK to use abroad when it had its very competive rates?

Baldur

m5rcc wrote: »

I still have a Santander Zero card. Can anyone tell me is still OK to use abroad when it had its very competive rates?

See http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money under "The specialist overseas credit cards"

fazza_2

Hi nessie,

thanks for the info - unfortunately getting to London before I go is not going to happen - will remember for next time I am visiting tho! :-)

Does anyone have any thoughts/info on the prepaid cards pls?

Baldur

fazza wrote: »

Does anyone have any thoughts/info on the prepaid cards pls?

In addition to the Metro Bank Debit Card, I have the FairFX Anywhere card as a back up.

It charges 1.5% on the prevailing Mastercard rate applicable on the date of transaction (whether point of sale or ATM withdrawal) and currently appears to me to offer the best way of obtaining worldwide currencies such as SA Rand among the various pre-paid cards on offer.

It is currently available free (normally £9.95 for initial loads of <£500) via the following This is Money link - http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/currency-card

sacherlover

We are looking to ditch our Nationwide debit cards and applied for the N & P Gold card.

They have rejected us due to credit score (first time ever). Just because we don't have a job (or need one), despite me being an existing saver and both having existing cards and accounts that have always been run with no problems at all.

Has anyone else had this problem?

evosy1978

hello,

1) can someone explain which is the best between the metrocard an the fair fx card.

I will be going to europe and will be wanting to pay for meals in restaurants and also draw out cash from ATMs. Ive just ditched my nationwide flexi card.

Ive read martins article and the previous 4 pages if this thread. but im still confused...

2) Could someone also explain why the clarity credit card is better for using abroad than the metro or fair fx..

3) Also to confirm that you dont get charged for atm withdrawals and purchases with the metrocard and fair fx

4) were going january 3rd. will we be in time to obtain these cards?

thanks for any answers..

dzug1

evosy1978 wrote: »

hello,

1) can someone explain which is the best between the metrocard an the fair fx card.

I will be going to europe and will be wanting to pay for meals in restaurants and also draw out cash from ATMs. Ive just ditched my nationwide flexi card.

Ive read martins article and the previous 4 pages if this thread. but im still confused...

2) Could someone also explain why the clarity credit card is better for using abroad than the metro or fair fx..

3) Also to confirm that you dont get charged for atm withdrawals and purchases with the metrocard and fair fx

4) were going january 3rd. will we be in time to obtain these cards?

thanks for any answers..

1 The metrocard has no charges at all - the fairfx has very low charges. Metro is a bank account - fairfx is a prepaid card

2 It isn't, other than you can pay later

3 yes AFAIK

4 Metro yes Fairfx yes clarity probably

brazmond

Hays Travel now offer online currency. Egyptian rates are really good at the moment! Most others seem really competitive too.

If you go to their main website is and use the tab at the top to go through to the currency page. Can't post links unfortunately but if you google them you should find them straight away.

meher

I really spent some time trying to study what big crooks these so called cheap and free money conversion offers are. And guess what I settled for my dear old amex instead and paid the hefty fee of 2.99% fees and it still turned out to be exciting than the free offers from my post office account, the free offer from my halifax clarity card and their peanut offer of £5 is not good enough for me, my husband's dubious santander zero and even fairfx turned out to be unfairfx. Mind you I have a new platinum american express so it offers me 5% cash back. So I outwitted these freebies and cheapstakes that's on offer. This is precisely why I always go for proper cards and look at freebies and cheap offers quite cynically because I couldn't cope with crooks.

for $1000 the cheapbies offer you, you pay

fairfx: 651.47
clarity: 678
Santander Zero: I've no calculator on that but they line their pockest with at least 3% they've fleeced from us. My husband has spent it abroad recently and wasn't amused by their rates when he saw the bills.

whereas the unparalleled amex

Amex: 662.31 including fees, mind you I get 5% cashback round about £33 and effectively I'd have paid only £629 for $1000

I want it all upfront - I want to know my loss to make sense of the gain and not be told to accept that they are free or cheap. grr. I hope I've done a good job of putting you lot off from cheapbies :rotfl::o



:xmassign:

KeithWP

One thing to be careful with if you use a credit card in a country a bit off the beaten track where use of plastic is still not common. If the country's currency is not a 'mainstream' one, the hotel or up-market shop accepting the card may convert your bill into US dollars (almost certainly at a poor rate) before charging it to the card. Even worse, in a country with an active black market, you will be charged at the official exchange rate.