Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

Pixm7c

I'm going to australia in January for 7-8 months not working so not earning each month. I should have just over £7,000 - £10,000. Which debit card, credit card or pre-paid card would be best for cheap or even a no fee account for withdrawing money from a cash point and just typically paying for thing like food and accommodation? Thank you

jamieboy

Hi, I've just checked the rate with Travelmoneymax and it's showing 116.10 per £100 with Halifax Clarity Card, I phoned the Halifax to order some euros and was told the rate was 113 and there would be credit card charges, am I doing something wrong.

NiftyDigits

jamieboy wrote: »

Hi, I've just checked the rate with Travelmoneymax and it's showing 116.10 per £100 with Halifax Clarity Card, I phoned the Halifax to order some euros and was told the rate was 113 and there would be credit card charges, am I doing something wrong.

What the matter with you? That rate is for withdrawing from a ATM whilst in Europe.

The rate is currently €1.170039

jamieboy

NiftyDigits wrote: »

What the matter with you? That rate is for withdrawing from a ATM whilst in Europe.

The rate is currently €1.170039

Sorry, should have read it properly, trying to do too many things at once (no excuse tho) ::o

dzug1

jamieboy wrote: »

Hi, I've just checked the rate with Travelmoneymax and it's showing 116.10 per £100 with Halifax Clarity Card, I phoned the Halifax to order some euros and was told the rate was 113 and there would be credit card charges, am I doing something wrong.

If you are getting actual cash from Halifax then that rate would be different - and worse - from what you could get from an ATM

smokeyjoe99

when travelling to india, is it better to get an indian bank-issued card such as ICICI, or something like caxton or fairfx? the indian ones seem to have an upper limit/balance of only 50,000 rupees, which is only £500...if I get a Uk one will I be stuffed with transaction fees when in India?

Wcrvif

Hey all,
Need some advice - I'm off to Oslo in Norway in early January and want to maximise my savings when I'm spending over there.

I don't have a credit card (due to poor score from the past) but have a standard NatWest Current Account with their Debit Card.

Can someone please set out what I'll pay if I use my existing debit card there to a). Pay for stuff via Chip & PIN and b). Withdrawing cash from a local ATM before paying for anything.

Also - can anyone please tell me the best prepaid card I could alternatively use to pay via C&P or withdrawing from local ATM in local Norwegian Kroner.

Finally - is there any prior stuff I can do with regards Natwest so my card won't be blocked on grounds of a false alert for "suspicious activity" when I'm spending over there

Inka

Hi,

I am travelling to South America for 2 months and then the USA for a month in January, I was going to get the STA prepaid cash card but it is not mentioned on here... is it ok or is it a bad idea?!

All the other cards mentioned are for limited currencies.

Thanks

murphydavid

Inka wrote: »

Hi,

I am travelling to South America for 2 months and then the USA for a month in January, I was going to get the STA prepaid cash card but it is not mentioned on here... is it ok or is it a bad idea?!

All the other cards mentioned are for limited currencies.

Thanks

Are you saying that you have checked and discovered you can't use a Halifax Clarity Credit card in South America? I am also going there for the first time.
I have heard that most S.A. countries have two prices on everything. One in local currency and one in US dollars. If you use a card while in the country you get charged at the local rate and if you get cash from an ATM that is also local currency but if you leave the country with local currency cash it is virtually value less outside the country. I have also heard that it is best to have some US dollars cash to use at the end to enable you to carry on spending cash but avoid having local currency left over.

murphydavid

I decided to Google my own comment and found this
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/clarity-credit-card-halifax-no-cash-withdrawal-fee-no-balance-transfer-fee-1186076
Someone says they used Halifax Clarity "during my trip through south america". So It sounds OK to me