Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

RS62

Well that's what I would have thought but loading the Post Office card using my Lloyds debit card before leaving the UK was classed as a foreign transaction and was charged £4.50. The loading was done at the Post Office counter in the UK.

The same charge was applied while away and loading the card, using the Post Office web site.

Both transactions were classed as foreign currency.

KTF

Did you do it via a different method to how you would make a payment i.e. via bacs?

dzug1

beriberi wrote: »

I booked a great rate from Travelex to pick up foreign cash at the airport. Paid over internet by my Lloyds debit card (only card I have). Then got stung by lloyds for charges, thereby negating the great rate. If you see a great rate, how do you pay by cash so missing the card charges?

You use a card that doesn't charge - ie change banks

Nationwide for one doesn't charge in this circumstance - and there are others.

dzug1

RS62 wrote: »

Well that's what I would have thought but loading the Post Office card using my Lloyds debit card before leaving the UK was classed as a foreign transaction and was charged £4.50. The loading was done at the Post Office counter in the UK.

The same charge was applied while away and loading the card, using the Post Office web site.

Both transactions were classed as foreign currency.

Are you talking about a Post Office CREDIT card - or a Post Office Travel Money card? They are two different beasts and the latter is the one that you would 'top up' or 'load'. And yes it would attract a foreign transaction fee from those banks that charge

karena

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask! Daughter going to Santiago Chile as part of uni course, and will spend two months travelling in south america. Which travelmoney card would work in that area, I remember reading people having a card of this type which didnt work - problems with the pin, etc. Which is the most reliable please?

TakeThis

karena wrote: »

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask! Daughter going to Santiago Chile as part of uni course, and will spend two months travelling in south america. Which travelmoney card would work in that area, I remember reading people having a card of this type which didnt work - problems with the pin, etc. Which is the most reliable please?

Why take a chance? Have one of each. Travelex Cash Passport Globe or Kalixa for Mastercard and CaxtonFx Global for Visa.
You don't have to topup the Caxton Card until it's needed.

No chance for a CC such as the Clarity(Mastercard)?

John_Pierpoint

karena wrote: »

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask! Daughter going to Santiago Chile as part of uni course, and will spend two months travelling in South America. Which travel money card would work in that area, I remember reading people having a card of this type which didn't work - problems with the pin, etc. Which is the most reliable please?

Last Summer I used Metro bank debit card and Halifax clarity credit card in Peru without any problems.
In near bankrupt defaulted Equator the previous year I did have the occasional local problem with hole in the wall teller machines refusing to perform, so just try a different bank or a different card.

I would recommend at least two debit and two credit cards, kept in different places on the body.

Just one final thought, should it not be your daughter who is trying to sort out this situation? It is called growing up.

TakeThis

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Last Summer I used Metro bank debit card and Halifax clarity credit card in Peru without any problems.
In near bankrupt defaulted Equator the previous year I did have the occasional local problem with hole in the wall teller machines refusing to perform, so just try a different bank or a different card.

I would recommend at least two debit and two credit cards, kept in different places on the body.

Just one final thought, should it not be your daughter who is trying to sort out this situation? It is called growing up.

Ecuador?

Perhaps the daughter is not a member of this forum and plans to use the Student cards already in her possession.
In every family there are people who specialise in different aspects of family life. Perhaps the mother is the money saver....and perhaps gradually she can instill those traits to other members of the family.
A bit of a leap to suggest that the daughter should do it herself.

It's a bit like saying that everyone in the household should fix their own computers.

John_Pierpoint

How many 18 year old children have you had on a gap year phoning up in the middle of the night to say they have been robbed of money credit card and passport?

Bit difficult to fix their lap top when you are 6,000 miles and a transfer in Madrid away = might help if they understood which sort of lap top they had.

Seriously though your daughter is likely to have a wonderful time.

There are numerous young people from USA, because it is the nearest of the far away places for them.

Many of them are motivated to do good works, though I'm not sure what the locals make of this "charity".

huw01

Just come back from australia after having christmas over there. Used my halifax clarity credit card for purchases and norwich and peterborough debit card for atm cash withdrawals. Both have been excellent.

Also using Westpac, ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB and Bendigo Bank ATMs and they did not levy any charges at the ATM.

Thinking of making Norwich and Peterborough as my main account now as I am very impressed with them to date.