Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

geckofabulous

where is the best high street place to get Euro's changed back into pound sterling?

Dawks

Based on the recommendations from MSE I got a Zero card to use on holiday in France.
I informed Santander when I was going and it worked fine for purchases and cash withdrawals.
My gripe is with the interest charged for cash withdrawals. OK they don't charge for the withdrawal itself but interest is charged from the momemt you take out the cash. So you could go on holiday, withdraw cash on the first day and not be in a position to pay it off for another few weeks - all the time clocking up interest. My latest statement doesn't show all the withdrawals so although I can pay off the statement in full I am still clocking up interest.
OK, MSE does point this out and so does the small print but when I queried this with Santander I was told interest was not charged till the statement arrives (I had to speak to someone else to get the true position).
I (and the second person I spoke to at Santander agrees) think that it is all too easy for someone to assume they have paid off the full amount on the statement not realising there are additional interest charges being applied till the next statement.
Next time I'll take cash and just use the Zero card for purchases.

Losinmoney

I'm going to the States, New York, in a couple of months, on a package holiday. I might want to buy excursions out there, from the holiday rep. They do get fussy about what cards they accept, and seem to like credit cards and cash. Does anyone know if they accept the FairFX card?

Radsteral

I got hsbc plus(12 quid a month) as it was worth for us the benefits it offered.
Before i went abroad this july i went to the bank and bingo-- hsbc free abroad to withdraw, free to buy and no loading charges etc..
i think the only drawback using it abroad is the exchange rate they may offer may not tbe the best.
Used it few times in france germany albania and checked my statements- No extra charges

drolma-la

I signed up for a Nationwide Gold VISA credit card simply to use it overseas. They no longer have 0% fees on purchases outside Europe, but their rates are still much lower than other credit cards for use in the States.

But I thought I'd warn everyone of a very strange experience I've been having with the card when travelling with it in the last year. In December I used it for one or two purchases in the States, and then it kept getting refused. At first I chalked this up to irritating American systems, but finally I telephoned Nationwide (at vast expense) and learned that they had blocked it because I was spending on it abroad. They feared fraud. They recommended that I telephone them before travelling to avoid this problem in the future.

So before my trip to the States this August, I did just that. I phoned Nationwide and told them the dates when I would be in the States. Again, after using the card in the States a couple of times, it kept getting refused. Again, I telephoned them at vast expense. It was the same story. It didn't matter, they said, whether or not I phoned to advise my US travel dates, as these were not and would never be recorded where they would influence the behaviour of their anti-fraud systems. The very fact of spending on the card oversears triggers a block on the card.

So Nationwide's rates may be great in comparison to most other cards, but its policies make it rather inconvenient to carry, and expensive to use in terms of long-distance phone calls to re-activate the card after it's been blocked.

Greenwell

I am afraid I am still rather confused over using debit cards in Europe.
I am going to France soon and I do have a Nationwide Flexaccount and Debit card.
I was going to take some Euros with me, which I will need, getting the best rate I could here, and then use my Nationwide Credit card for some purchases as this, from experience, would give me a better rate than using cash, ie Euros, purchased in England.
However, am I right in thinking that I can actually get a better rate for Euros by using my Nationwide Flexaccount Debit card in France to withdraw the cash?

I would be grateful for clarification. Thanks.

luci

The rate for purchases using your N/W credit card and withdrawals using your N/W debit card will be pretty much the same.

Nessie23

Greenwell wrote: »

I am afraid I am still rather confused over using debit cards in Europe.
I am going to France soon and I do have a Nationwide Flexaccount and Debit card.
I was going to take some Euros with me, which I will need, getting the best rate I could here, and then use my Nationwide Credit card for some purchases as this, from experience, would give me a better rate than using cash, ie Euros, purchased in England.
However, am I right in thinking that I can actually get a better rate for Euros by using my Nationwide Flexaccount Debit card in France to withdraw the cash?

I would be grateful for clarification. Thanks.

For cash withdrawals you should use the debit card, as with the credit card you will incur a cash advance rate of 27.9%. You are right in that you should get a better rate by withdrawing Euros using your Nationwide Flexaccount Debit card compared to buying Euros in England. In addition it seems French banks will not charge for using their cash machines acording to this article http://gofrance.about.com/cs/travelplanning/a/exchangetips.htm but I would double check this just in case!

For purchases cost is the same on a Nationwide debit or debit card. However for purchases over £100 you will get section 75 protection by using the credit card. (see MSE's article on http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases )

jonesjw

If I understand correctly, the (Abbey) Santander Zero has zero charges for withdrawals & zero for purchases.
Of course there is interest, but if I pay some money in before going on holiday, then the account will remain in credit & this will be a very competitive source of holiday money.
Has anyone tried this?

SIRUSKEY

if when i travel to tenerifie in 3 weeks i use my nationwide debit card for cash withdrawls how do i know what exchange rate im getting?

ie how can i compare it to buying euros here