Best Current Account for Overseas Use (apart from Nationwide)

marklee

Hi All,

So I currently bank with Nationwide, who I don't have any real grumbles with so far.

However, I have just been advised by their customer services staff that if your card is lost/stolen aborad, they don't provide any kind of emergency overseas card replacement - this kind of threw me a bit, as I know plenty of people from many different banks that have had emergency replacement cards abroad, and I thought that it was a standard service provided by Visa Europe.

This is a bit of a huge issue for me as whenever I've travelled abroad in recent years, I've always just taken my Nationwide card and a credit card for emergencies, and never mucked around with travellers' cheques / bureaux de change etc, as using ATMs when I got there was always the cheapest option for me. I now realise that if my wallet was ever stolen, I'd be totally up a creek without a paddle.

So. Are there any current accounts out there apart from Nationwide that don't completely violate your account with fees and charges for overseas cash withdrawals? Do they provide emergency overseas card replacement?

Baldur

marklee wrote: »

Are there any current accounts out there apart from Nationwide that don't completely violate your account with fees and charges for overseas cash withdrawals? Do they provide emergency overseas card replacement?

As far as I'm concerned, Nationwide offers the only reasonable Debit Card for use abroad. Like you I take mine (I have two), plus back-up Credit Cards.

See the alternatives at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

marklee

Thinking about it... the best bet for me would be to sign up for CPP or similar... they will wire you an advance of £3000 or so if your card is stolen overseas. So would ensure that I'm covered...

456789

what is CPP?

Baldur

456789 wrote: »

what is CPP?

http://www.cpp.co.uk/cardprotection.html

dzug1

Cumberland Building Society are another possible - but only if you live in their area.

Don't know if they provide a replacement service though.

gt94sss2

If you are interested in CPP, it seems that HSBC CardGuard also uses them but charges less than going directly via CPP's website.

You may find other banks also offering cheaper deals rather than going 'direct' to CPP - looking quickly for instance it seems Nationwide also offer a similar deal/pricing, though if using cards abroad it makes sense to keep 2/3 cards handy (from different providers)

You may also be covered for replacement/lost cards on some home insurance policies

Regards
Sunil