Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

KTF

The card in the comparison table is the Santander Zero credit card (Mastercard).

Just to confuse things there is also a Santander Zero current account which comes with a debit card. No fees at all if you meet the qualifying criteria.

emilygilmore

Ah thanks! So not even interest on that? And i could take out $10 ten times at the same price as taking out $100 once (exchange rates permitting) ? Or pay for things in shops as many times as i want?

You know how US cash machines charge you $2 if you're from a different bank, is there any bank there that won't charge me the $2 for santander withdrawals?

thank you!!

KTF

Santander claim that there are no fees at all with the Zero current account so they shouldnt charge you interest for withdrawing cash (assuming you are in credit at the time).

You would use it just like you would a debit card over here.

I dont know of banks that charge or dont charge but when I was in Canada, the screen highlighted the charge but that was never applied to my account so it might be for US issued cards only or I might just be lucky (this was with a Halifax Clarity card).

emilygilmore

Thank you for your help

adindas

Dear Emily
There are two Santander Zero ..
Santander Zero Credit Card and
Santander Zero Debit Card as Part of Santander Zero Account.

What the people are refeering here is Santander Zero CC, not DC

As a general rule Debit Card is alwys better than credit card in term of cash withdrawal. But the problem with Santander Zero a/c not every people quality to have that a/c

emilygilmore wrote: »

I hope this hasnt been answered, I did google it..

From mse's cheap travel money page, in the card comparison, the Santander Zero is free-free apart from interest charged. But if it's a debit card, how can it charge interest? Sometimes it seems to say debit and sometimes credit.

?

adindas

Halifax Clarity do not accept Faster Payment, so even you pay off immediately after you withdraw cash, there are still slacks a few days before it hit your account to clear the balance.

In my personal experience, Santander Zero is better if you want to pay off immediately as as soon as you transfer, it wil hit the a/c within minutes ...

A.Jones wrote: »

When using the Clarity abroad at ATMs, I usually try to log on within a couple of days and pay it off. The charges are farirly minimal for those 1 or 2 days between withdrawal and paying it off.

adindas

In some countries like in Thailand, in the US (I know for sure in Las Vegas as I have tried it, do not know about the other states), they will charge you (US$3-5) every time you use their cash machines, this is beyond Santander or Halifax control.

But the good thing is that they will give you a warning so you could decide whether you want to continue or cancel it.

KTF wrote: »

Santander claim that there are no fees at all with the Zero current account so they shouldnt charge you interest for withdrawing cash (assuming you are in credit at the time).

You would use it just like you would a debit card over here.

I dont know of banks that charge or dont charge but when I was in Canada, the screen highlighted the charge but that was never applied to my account so it might be for US issued cards only or I might just be lucky (this was with a Halifax Clarity card).

iblametheparents

CountryGoose wrote: »

Have you challenged this with FairFX - there seem to be a number of these queries popping up recently.

I found out why it appears that FairFX are charging you more commission than what they should be. They add a 2% "padding charge" to transactions done through a currency on the card just incase there are any major changes in FX rates from the time you do the transaction to the point when it goes on your statement.

dzug1

iblametheparents wrote: »

I found out why it appears that FairFX are charging you more commission than what they should be. They add a 2% "padding charge" to transactions done through a currency on the card just incase there are any major changes in FX rates from the time you do the transaction to the point when it goes on your statement.

Don't quite understand what you are saying there - is this an actual permanent charge - or a temporary accounting thing that is resolved when the transaction is finalised?

unknownking123

I'd be grateful if someone could help me and recommend a prepay card for me.

I'm travelling to India for a month on a backpacking trip and I can't decide between getting the Travelex Cash Passport Global and the STA Travel MasterCard.

Has anyone used any of these? Views?