Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

NadineTravelExpert

miss.appropriate wrote: »

I am going to Turkey in august and i don't know what the best currency is to take.Can anyone advise me plz.

Hello!

Re Turkey it's best to use their own currency, Turkish Lira and as far as changing money, it would be best do so over there as you will get a better rate.

alipeecha

Hi.

I am going to Australia for two months and Thailand on the way home and am wondering what my best option is with regards to money/travellers cheques/credit/debit cards? Any help would be much appreciated.

Sammy85_2

Hi.

I too am travelling to Thailand, going for 6 weeks so dont want to carry enough cash to last me about but also dont want to get stung by the fees with my natwest debit card!

If i open a nationwide current account do i have to switch everything to them? i dont want to as i have all my banking with natwest for instant transfers between my accounts and my partners.

I have the abbey zero card (which was brilliant on our months trip around europe earlier this year), but its 0% on purchase deal has ended and we will need a credit card that we can spend on whilst away and then clear on returning home (without incurring interest during our 6 weeks away), leaving what cash we have in our current account free for spending in places not accepting plastic (eg food carts and markets) rather than paying off what we've spent on the plastic.

With that in mind i see that PO credit card is 0 fees for purchases abroad and 0% on purchase for 3 months. It would be purely for purchases - eg hotel bills, not for ATM use. Is this a good card to get or should i get the nationwide credit card??

Thanks

dodwelltim

I find it useful when travelling to have both credit and debit card. In principle only use the credit card for emergencies.

It is worthwhile considering to have different types of cards, visa, solo, mastercard, circuus etc. Simple because some places dont accept a specfic type.

I also normal load my credit card with some money, so in emergencies I can also use at the ATM, with out having to pay instant interest.

Pontoon

Just wanted to say a big Thanks to everyone posting advice and help on here. Thanks to a read of it all, i've decided to load my PO Credit card and take a small amount of currency with me to New Zealand. That should see me through!

I can't wait to get there now.

shona3378

New to posting...wanted to ask if anyone has tried reclaiming the 'load' charge from credit cards on overseas transactions. Thought I had done my home work but that one sneaked past me...

chrismoore

When I was planning to travel around the world last year, I wanted to find the best card so I didnt get charge for taking money out at an ATM. And still get all the other benefits of a secure reliable bank. I found this information on Nationwide Flex Account (here), and save me alot over the year! Hope this helps!

jamesnc

Sammy,

the PO Credit card is good as nationwide credit card when buying or paying for goods & services as neither charge foreign currency fees but if you want to take out cash of an ATM then both are expensive. For that you need to Nationwide DEBIT card with the flexaccount which doesn't charge for getting money out of foreign cash machines. Sorry to make it really obvious but there is a big difference between Nationwide's debit & credit cards.

As for transferring all your accounts over to them I didn't when I opened my account but that was a few years ago, maybe just call them in pop into a branch & ask.

Hope this helps

hasani007

Hi, im going Morocco for christmas, any tips on getting Moroccan Dirham at a good rate?

lampard8_2

manolo wrote: »

Beware - ABBEY ZERO - abbey zero transactions!

If I bought something for $10 on my Abbey Zero Card in New York, how much would it cost me when I get my bill at home? Do they charge me on the exchange rate at the time, or is it a set amount?