Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

antenna

Best Bdc wanted id for sums over £3000 but Ice didn't blink for £4000...Ice is tops in my book

tgon

I've always used the good ol' predictable Post Office for my Euro's (£ Visa Debit) but FairFX seems to be in the top of the MSE best rate list lately. How would you guys rate them for their quality of service? Thx

jim._2

ezglide1450 wrote: »

For those of us with alliance & Leicester or Santander current accounts with a visa debit card you can withdraw cash (euros) from thier ATM's in Spain/Spanish Islands for free ! I am off to the Canary Islands end of the month and clarified that this is true with customer services who also helpfully made a note of my trip so my card wouldnt be blocked whilst away for suspicious activity

Did that work out OK for you?

Tried to get info to make sure "ATMs in Spain" included Fuerteventura, but couldn't find the info.

Timewarp

dzug1 wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with it apart from the charges not being the lowest.

Beware of Thomas Cook Cash Passport when the country's currency does not match the card's. They recommended it to us for Turkey, found out later there were hidden charges in the exchange rate (4.75% IIRC) that ended up costing us £50 extra in fees.

Wannie_2

Rob_Leeds wrote: »

Beware of Thomas Cook Cash Passport when the country's currency does not match the card's. They recommended it to us for Turkey, found out later there were hidden charges in the exchange rate (4.75% IIRC) that ended up costing us £50 extra in fees.

It's 5.75%.

Terrible products.

Get yourself a Global use card. Best is the Travelex Cash Passport Globe, next Kalixa, Caxton Fx Global and FairFx Anywhere.

loonyloo_2

Hi,
I'm a bit confused about the Halifax Clarity card. I'm going abroad for a few months and was looking for the cheapest way to withdraw cash. In the Travel Money section on this website its recommended as the best card for use abroad, since there's no ATM or purchase fees abroad. So I've applied and have been approved, but got the higher APR of 21.9%.

I planned to simply use the card as an ATM card abroad, and pay off the balance in full straight away by transferring the exact amount from my current account by internet banking on the same day. I'm very very careful with money so this will not be a problem for me. (The reason I got the higher APR I think is because I'm on a fairly low income- barely above min wage- and have never had a credit card before).

But today I noticed this on the description of the card on the MSE site:
"Interest: Yes even if repaid in full"

So, does that mean that I'll be charged 21.9% on withdrawals even if I pay off the balance in full each time? I always thought that you were only charged interest on credit cards if you didn't pay the full amount off each month.

What if I pay the exact amount on the same day as the withdrawal? Can I avoid interest that way?

Or if I put money on the card prior to actually spending anything? EG, if I put £500 on it before I go, will that prevent interest being charged?

If there's no way of avoiding interest, am I better off to just use the debit card attached to my current account (Nationwide Flex account Visa debit)? I'm wary of taking just the one card though as there's no way I can get replacements sent out in case of loss/theft.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just want to be sure I know what I'm doing with this, I'm a bit scared of credit cards to be honest!

KTF

The 21.9% is the annual cash advance fee or 1.83% a month or 0.06% a day.

if you pay the amount you take out (plus a bit to account for rate variations) then the interest you get charged will be a few pence at most.

Another option (although against the T&C) is to pre-load the card before you go away. My Clarity Reward has had a positive balance on it for months as I clear it down but then they give me the £5 reward on top so I dont think they Police this.

Joe8

Hi

Apologies if this has been covered a million times already but reading through all the different options available is somewhat confusing!

We will be visiting Australia for 5 weeks (with short stop off's in Asia) and I'm trying to work out the best/cheapest options of spending our hard earned savings - about £3,000. Would using a credit card which could then be payed off in full on our return work out cheaper than using a pre-paid cash card or debit card? As we will be travelling around I'm loath to carry too much cash at a time so would probably be making fairly frequent withdrawals/card purchases. I hate the thought of paying credit interest on money we've already got but if it's cheaper than the other options then so be it. I just can't get my head around which card/option would be most effective!

Any advice would be much appreciated.

KTF

Imo the Halifax Clarity card would be your best option. Also have a read of this:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

Wannie_2

KTF wrote: »

Imo the Halifax Clarity card would be your best option. Also have a read of this:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

That article needs an overhaul. Some of the best value cards aren't even mentioned.

The Metro Bank credit card(Currently the best CC available for overseas travel), Travelex Cash Passport Globe(Probably the best Prepaid card for overseas travel)...and there is more.

Whilst the article can be used as a guide, it is by no means complete.