Nationwide - No more free cash withdrawals abroad!!!

Biggles

simax wrote: »

The card cost me nothing (as I have a Silver account), and I will carry sufficient money on me for general spends. Card will only be used for purchases, in Euro. Card will be disposed of when it expires. So charges won't apply to me.

Only the initial £7.50 is free to Silver customers, nothing else (eg the subsequent £5 re-issue charges, or the £1.50 ATM charge). You may be carrying cash, but you will have been charged by whoever sold you that if you don't have a Nationwide card, probably at 5-6% or more.

And, as someone else mentioned, they can't be used for hotel rooms, car hire or to buy fuel from an automated pump.

And, of course, no Sec 75 protection for purchases.

Broadwoodboy

apt wrote: »

Liverpool Victoria changed to be as bad as everyone else and sold out to Morgan Stanley. Post Office, Abbey Zero and (closed to new applicants) Lombard Direct are the MasterCards that do not charge for foreign purchases. Abbey Zero does not charge a fee for cash withdrawals but does charge 27.9% APR. You can aviod this by pre-loading.

Not any more. They seem to have closed that loophole. I would not risk preloading that card!

pauleesti

Just a minor point but NW remains the best account for travel convince them they need to give you a Basic Bank Account and you can withdraw worldwide for free!

If you are set on paying by card then you will pay for the pleasure some way or another!

Baldur

pauleesti wrote: »

Just a minor point but NW remains the best account for travel convince them they need to give you a Basic Bank Account and you can withdraw worldwide for free!

From memory, there are posts either on this board or the Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning board which suggest that the Cirrus rate which applies to the Cash Card is poorer than the Visa rate which applies to the Flex a/c debit card, so even the 1% Visa fee outside (mainly) Europe may still make the debit card a better way to withdraw local currency from ATMs.

simax

I couldn't decide wether to use my NW debit card when I go to Tenerife next week or use my LTSB Travel Money Card, so I just got Euro cash instead

Inactive

simax wrote: »

I couldn't decide wether to use my NW debit card when I go to Tenerife next week or use my LTSB Travel Money Card, so I just got Euro cash instead

You would have been far better off using your NW Card. ( subject to all things being equal on the exchange rates ).

missile

simax wrote: »

I couldn't decide wether to use my NW debit card when I go to Tenerife next week or use my LTSB Travel Money Card, so I just got Euro cash instead

You run a risk of lost or stolen cash ruining your holiday. That (for me:A) is the main reason for using NW Debit Card.

Baldur

missile wrote: »

You run a risk of lost or stolen cash ruining your holiday. That (for me:A) is the main reason for using NW Debit Card.

At the exchange rates which tend to be offered by high street outlets, you've effectively already 'lost' some cash if you accept those rates as opposed to using the NW Debit Card.

Biggles

Baldur wrote: »

At the exchange rates which tend to be offered by high street outlets, you've effectively already 'lost' some cash if you accept those rates as opposed to using the NW Debit Card.

Plus, of course, you're ripped off for a second time if you over-estimate the amount you need for your holiday and have to change it back to GBP afterwards.