Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

willowcottage11

I've been using FairFX cards for ages and I am yet to find a card that can offer a better rate, is free to use globally and only charges £1 to get money out. I look every time before I go away and compare, but nowt out there. Plus they give you a link to get free cards for friends and family! I hope they dont mind me sharing this with you, they did say to pass it to as many people as you like:

fairfx.com/refer/jacksims

They've also got an apple store app so its easy to top up as well

:-)

zagfles

willowcottage11 wrote: »

I've been using FairFX cards for ages and I am yet to find a card that can offer a better rate, is free to use globally and only charges £1 to get money out. I look every time before I go away and compare, but nowt out there. Plus they give you a link to get free cards for friends and family! I hope they dont mind me sharing this with you, they did say to pass it to as many people as you like:

fairfx.com/xxxxxxxx

They've also got an apple store app so its easy to top up as well

:-)

Rubbish, there are lots of better options. They mark up the exchange rate 1.4%. Kalixa is better value, and there are much better options than pre-paid cards, such as Metrobank, Clarity etc.

Busymumof2

I'm travelling to Malaysia soon, and having read the travel money guide have the following plan for maximising currency/minimising charges:

1.Take some cash with us using best available exchange rate
2. Use existing Santander zero card for as many transactions as possible abroad.
3. If we need more money, withdraw on SZ card, and repay immediately via online banking to prevent interest charges.

Can anyone confirm that this plan should work/ have any other advice?

Thanks

NiftyDigits

Busymumof2 wrote: »

I'm travelling to Malaysia soon, and having read the travel money guide have the following plan for maximising currency/minimising charges:

1.Take some cash with us using best available exchange rate
2. Use existing Santander zero card for as many transactions as possible abroad.
3. If we need more money, withdraw on SZ card, and repay immediately via online banking to prevent interest charges.

Can anyone confirm that this plan should work/ have any other advice?

Thanks

No need to take cash. The cash points at the airport are generally in working order.
Which is your 'fall back' card?

If no time to apply for a mainstream card, think about a few hundred pounds on a Kalixa Card.

I've had no problem with my Zero card abroad, but I still wouldn't depend on a single card.

stu1892

I'm a little puzzled. I'm currently trying to figure out whether to sign up to a CC to take to Vegas in a couple of months, or a FairFX card.

My current account is Santander and if i buy currency with my Debit card, i get charged through the nose for it. Loading my FairFX Card would be the same as buying currency, wouldn't it?

Cheers
Stu

NiftyDigits

stu1892 wrote: »

I'm a little puzzled. I'm currently trying to figure out whether to sign up to a CC to take to Vegas in a couple of months, or a FairFX card.

My current account is Santander and if i buy currency with my Debit card, i get charged through the nose for it. Loading my FairFX Card would be the same as buying currency, wouldn't it?

Cheers
Stu

Same advice as everyone else.... Metro Bank or N&P debit card or Halifax Clarity CC.
If Prepaid, Kalixa Card loaded with at least £50 before the 14th of March.

stu1892

...and would i be hit by Santander for buying currency, loading on to a FairFX or Kalixa Card or would it be deemed I was crediting a card with sterling? That's my predicament.

tia86

Hi all

Could anyone help me understand the best card to take to Europe. I posted a discussion a while ago and was going to get a prepaid card but have now left it too late.
I do however already have a Halifax Clarity card as well as the Santander Zero card (although I dont think I got them at the same rates as the guide suggests - it was higher for me). Could someone explain in simple terms what the charges would be for withdrawing cash using these cards as I didn't want to take loads of cash with me but want to be able to not have to always pay by card e.g. for trains etc.

Many thanks (and sorry if this is the wrong place)

KTF

The charge is the APR you have been given divided by 12 divided by the number of days you have a cash advance on the card.

tia86

KTF wrote: »

The charge is the APR you have been given divided by 12 divided by the number of days you have a cash advance on the card.

Thanks - err in simple terms then I have found the clarity is 21.9% apr but cannot find anything on cash advance...
I would be making repayments in full. So is it reasonable to use this card to withdraw money?? (this is why I wanted to take the prepaid debit style card - I understand that better than credit cards!!)