Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

shere1

Do Halifax still make the cash charge (1%) if you overpay your credit card so you are just withdrawing your own money?

dzug1

shere1 wrote: »

Do Halifax still make the cash charge (1%) if you overpay your credit card so you are just withdrawing your own money?

Halifax T&C say thou shalt not overpay your card. They say they MAY return the overpayment if you do so - in reality no idea. For small amounts probably not

But why risk wrecking it for those who run their card 'correctly'? If too many people do this they will probably do a Nationwide and change the rules.

CountryGoose

zaffi wrote: »

cheers for the reply, I can honestly see us spending that amount, we'll be in vegas for 1 week to get married, so will be gambling but not too much! But we will be travelling about and with no fixed itinery we could spend quite a lot in accom, assuming say $100-200 per night for 21 nights that adds up, plus the travelling whether it be car hire or air fare or train/bus fare. Not even mentioned food or entertainment.

I think tbh your suggestions seem to make sense probably the cc for spending and the fairfx for withdrawals? or the cc for everything with the fairfx only as a backup?

Martin's calculations show that even taking cash on the Clarity card is cheaper than FairFx (about 1%, vs 1.5%). Someone who has studied the T&C more than I will be able to tell you if pulling a cash advance then affects the interest due on the normal spend. Wiht some cards it can get messy.

I would take a couple of Free FairFx cards, just in case. You can load them on the fly are they are a reasonable standby, compared to using debit cards from hell.

Personally, if you could get two Clarity cards, (One each) I would keep one for spends and one for cash. You may run into issues with hotels and cars over pre-authorizations when you check in and rent, locking up your credit. To get around this, use another credit card - with a decent limit upfront when you check-in or rent a car. When you check out, use your Clarity Card to pay. The pre-auth will stay on your "other" card, leaving you free to spend on the other. This means that you can't quick check out for cars or hotels. The queues in Vegas can sometimes be brutal!

Also- beware of ATMs in the casino - some have brutal charges for cash.

To save on accommodation, you may want to pre-book a few places in areas you want to stay. Good rates can be had with a reasonable cancellation policy - 6pm day of arrival. That way you can be sure of a decent bed at a reasonable rate, or cancel if you have somewhere better already in hand.

Have a great trip and say hello to Elvis for me!

Beancounter

Do different Post Office branches have different rates? My local branch was offering a paltry $1.45 to the pound but my wife has just gone into the nearest town and went into the branch there and they are offering $1.51 to the pound. Do they vary? I would have thought that the whole network would be the same?

At least I have my Post Office card for commision free spending whilst away. Vegas here I come:j

luci

Don't know about that, but I believe you get a better rate from the PO if you order in advance rather than walk in off the street.

Jen25

what is the best way to carry money while travelling around the world for a year? don't want to get hit with all the bank charges for using my cards or withdrawing money. i'm off to south africa, oz, new zealand and america.....help please, i leave in 7weeks.

dzug1

Step 1 - realise that whatever you do somewhere along the line you are almost certain to get hit with some charges


Step 2, To minimise them, read and understand this article:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

Step 3 - apply for whatever cards you need that have low or no charges.

On a trip of this length it is wise to have several sources of funds

gbysea

Hi
Does anyone know anything about 'escape travel money card' by 'EZ Pay' they say that there is no charge for oversea's ATM cash withdrawalls.!
gbysea

jicms

Hi

I've read about FairFX Mastercard to avoid Ryanair credit card booking fees. It looks like I need to go for the Euro card as the Anywhere card charges a fee unless you load £500.

I really just want to apply for the card as I've got no imminent travel plans wth Ryanair, however I'm confused about the application process. Do I have to choose to buy Euros paying in Sterling? How does this work when I want to pay for a Ryanair flight in Pounds Sterling?

dzug1

gbysea wrote: »

Hi
Does anyone know anything about 'escape travel money card' by 'EZ Pay' they say that there is no charge for oversea's ATM cash withdrawalls.!
gbysea

It's a variant on FairFx - run by the same company.

The charges are hidden in the exchange rate - but it's quite a good one.