Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

NiftyDigits

BillboBaggins wrote: »

Hi, I have religiously used my halifax clarity credit card abroad, having followed the advice on MSE. However, I recently came across a page on the halifax website (see travel/help-guidance/using-debit-credit-cards-abroad/) that has got me worried as it looks like their debit card actually outperforms the clarity card (even when the non-sterling fee is taken off). Could someone give me some clarity (sorry!)? Thanks, bill

Don't post the same question on different threads. It's already been answered on the other thread.

eDicky

NiftyDigits wrote: »

be aware that the emergency card likely has no name on it, so useful only for cash advances and online payments.

I never had any problems using my nameless emergency Revolut card for physical transactions.

NiftyDigits

eDicky wrote: »

I never had any problems using my nameless emergency Revolut card for physical transactions.

Good to know. I imagined that some retailers might have any issue with no name being on the card.

Saddler1975

When I go to the states I usually use a travel money card, my question is, if I get one of these cards and top it up with $100 (which is part of the 'application') can I then order $'s from another company at a better rate, have then delivered and then go and top the card up with said physical $'s?

NiftyDigits

Saddler1975 wrote: »

When I go to the states I usually use a travel money card, my question is, if I get one of these cards and top it up with $100 (which is part of the 'application') can I then order $'s from another company at a better rate, have then delivered and then go and top the card up with said physical $'s?

No

..........

Sarah-2202

Hi everyone, I'm going to Italy in Feb & have a question. I understand that the Halifax Clarity card is one of the best cards to get a good rate when spending abroad. But how does this compare to changing money now & using cash? E.g. If the pound weakens further against the euro, will I get a better rate in Feb by spending on the card than I would now by changing cash?

alan_p_brown

Crystal ball time!
- convert now at less than ideal rate (cash rate will never be as good as Clarity rate)
or
- convert later at near perfect rate (with Clarity).
That rate difference is something that cannot be ignored.

For myself, I am going to Austria at the end of Feb, and I will be getting what little cash I need from an ATM in Austria.

If you want to do the maths, start by comparing today's rates...
- work out how much you plan to spend
- look up today's Clarity exchange rate at Mastercard
- find out what cash exchange rate you would get today (including any fees into the effective rate).
Now decide if you think that the pound/euro will move that far. Second question; how much is the difference in actual pounds and pence, is it enough to lose sleep over?

One place you will lose out quite heavily (even before shifts in the pound/euro rate) is if you bring any cash back and want to convert it. At least with Clarity, you can minimise that. If you do take cash, take no more than your minimum expected spend, and then use Clarity to top-up and minimise cash-in-hand on your return.

larysbeanie

Hi, I'm getting married in Cape Town in Feb and we need to take a large amount of cash across to pay for things. Has anyone any good suggestions on how to do this without carrying large amounts of Rand around?? Is it worth paying on a travel card? We can withdraw £1000 at a time but want to try and work out the best way to minimise charges and get the best exchange rate??

PeacefulWaters

larysbeanie wrote: »

Hi, I'm getting married in Cape Town in Feb and we need to take a large amount of cash across to pay for things. Has anyone any good suggestions on how to do this without carrying large amounts of Rand around?? Is it worth paying on a travel card? We can withdraw £1000 at a time but want to try and work out the best way to minimise charges and get the best exchange rate??

Do the people you're planning to pay take plastic?

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/travel-credit-cards

Daren_L

Hi All, I opened an account with WeSwap after reading guidance on the site, had issues on a recent trip to the US (las vegas) tried at 3 different ATM's to withdraw cash and the card was always declined. Contacted WeSwap on my return and asked for a refund they told me I would have to pay a £5 fee to get my own money back. I said this was not acceptable so they agreed toe scalate to the customer services team and mail me back, 3 weeks on and no response so i have changed cash back to Sterling and withdrawn at a till here losing a small transaction fee.
Plenty of prepaid card options out there but i would avoid this one if travelling to the USA.