Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

KTF

Tbh you might as well buy them when you go as the gain/loss will be minimal given the amount that people normally take on holiday.

liamod

The Pound is currently at a 3 and a half year high against the euro, there are many experts predicting that the rate could dramatically drop over the next few months maybe even to 1.15 so whilst it is at this high currently at 1.2440 it might be worth your while to buy now. However like KTF just said it really does depend on the volume.

horse54101

Needed some euros cash for the weekend - £120 worth (the rest I loaded onto my wonderful fairfx currency card-best exchange rates!) Checked on line before I went shopping-Post Office quoted £120 would buy 145 euros. Down I went to the post office expecting to get the cash, well it turns out that this rate only applies to £500+!!!! (yes.... in the very small print!). Did a bit of surfing and found myself in Sainsburys, £120= 145 euros!

Moral of the tale don't assume PO will give the best rates, who's going to carry 500 euros in cash?!! They are making a nice fat 5% from us by not quoting the exchange rate before you buy (is that legal?) and always ask what the exchange rate is before you buy! I wonder how many people would just give in and take their offer after queuing up for ages to get to the counter?!

thebhoyquinn

I am due to travel around eastern europe on the 5th of june, and i am planning to get a pre-paid travel card, but do you think i would be best getting two? One Euro traveller and one Global (I intend to use the caxton card as I believe the slight exchange rate trade difference is better than withdrawal fees as this will be my primary source of cash abroad). Or would I be best served just getting a global one and using it within the Euro-based countries as well?
Apologies if this has been mentioned before, didn't read all 95 pages of the thread.
Thanks, Paul

TakeThis

thebhoyquinn wrote: »

I am due to travel around eastern europe on the 5th of june, and i am planning to get a pre-paid travel card, but do you think i would be best getting two? One Euro traveller and one Global (I intend to use the caxton card as I believe the slight exchange rate trade difference is better than withdrawal fees as this will be my primary source of cash abroad). Or would I be best served just getting a global one and using it within the Euro-based countries as well?
Apologies if this has been mentioned before, didn't read all 95 pages of the thread.
Thanks, Paul

Travelex Cash Passport Globe, 1.49% as opposed to 2.75% with Caxton, though make sure that your bank card does not charge for the initial top-up.

If you can't be bothered to peruse the last few pages of the thread, you can't really expect anyone to be bothered either.

Look here. Try not to be quite so lazy, that information is on page 94..

Sanders567

penelopeessence wrote: »

FairFX was totally unreliable when I went round the world recently. It was hit and miss whether I could pay a merchant in Aussie dollars and I ultimately resorted to ATMs which worked fairly consistently but had a 1.50 charge on each transaction. I had my card declined at first in my Singapore hotel and then it was accepted. The whole thing caused great inconvenience, embarassment and extra costs. I was emailing FairFX the whole time and they have not so far offered to refund the extra charges incurred.

I would not advise anyone to use the Travelex Cash Passport in New Zealand either. We had no end of trouble trying to use it, it was incompatible with the vast majority of card machines throughout the North Island. So in the end we could only use it to draw cash out from ATM machines.
NZ Cash Passport...NOT recommended.

TakeThis

Sanders567 wrote: »

I would not advise anyone to use the Travelex Cash Passport in New Zealand either. We had no end of trouble trying to use it, it was incompatible with the vast majority of card machines throughout the North Island. So in the end we could only use it to draw cash out from ATM machines.
NZ Cash Passport...NOT recommended.

Do you imagine that any other Prepaid currency card would have been compatible?
Buying a currency card such as this goes against the ethos of this forum. Which is why you have never seen it recommended.

Cash Passport Globe
Kalixa
Caxton US$ & Euro
Fairfx Anywhere

These are the names you will see time and again. NZ$ currency card? Never.

WelshSun

I second the Travelex Cash Passport Globe. Its the best value prepaid travel card.
Don't buy a currency card, get the Globe card.

Aaron

TakeThis wrote: »

Do you imagine that any other Prepaid currency card would have been compatible?

Kiwibank's card worked in 2010. Of course, seeing as it's sold in NZ, you'd expect it to. It's not good value, but has its uses if you suddenly lose your main bit of plastic...

guriinii

Hi,

I'm starting traveling and working abroad in about a month and have no idea when I'll be back in the UK. I've been looking at many resources for back accounts, debit cards and so on and I haven't been able to find a reasonably cheap/ free debit card.

Does anyone has any advice on debit cards?