Say no to Nationwide cards for travel

ferf1223

photome wrote: »

Dont you have to be a mortgage customer with them to get it though

You do have to be a mortgage customer for the debit card - at least for now - the credit card doesn't have that limitation, though I think you have to have a current account with them. We have a PO CC already so haven't bothered with the Abbey/Santander Zero CC (we never cash advance on a CC so that benefit of the Zero CC is lost on us), but the Zero bank account is great if you can get it.

photome

ferf1223 wrote: »

You do have to be a mortgage customer for the debit card - at least for now - the credit card doesn't have that limitation, though I think you have to have a current account with them. We have a PO CC already so haven't bothered with the Abbey/Santander Zero CC (we never cash advance on a CC so that benefit of the Zero CC is lost on us), but the Zero bank account is great if you can get it.

I also have a PO CC, It is the debit card i would be interested in to replace/add to my nationwide debit card

wr1ght

you have to have a morgage or investment to get a zero bank account

davidlizard

As others state, its essential to have alternative sources of cash when abroad rather than relying on a single piece of plastic - and this also holds true at home.

We have a Nationwide Flex account, along with their credit card. The credit card is only ever is used abroad, and the Flex account we usually keep a couple of weeks worth of cash in it.

A couple of years ago I had problems with my main Natwest account (they lost all records of it ever existing, so could get no cash). Fortunately, I was able to live off the contents of my Flex account to get by for a couple of weeks until this was sorted.

anna42hmr

its not only a nationwide thing, several banks have the same issue, when i was travelling in australia in 2007, my handbag had been snatched resulting in the credit cards that i had been using their being stolen, i had a nationwide card, mbna card and a halifax card, none of them would send cards to me in australia, (they all said they would have to send them to the uk so would have had to wait for family to forward them on for me)

thankfully i had american express travellers cheques, and as outdated they are were fantastic, my bag was snatched at 7pm, and by 9.30am the next day, i had replacement cheques in my hand, and because my passport was in my bag i had no id, so they set up a security password system so i could cash them in the american express branches or banks.

ps before any one says i was careless to have all my funds in one place, i am well aware of that, a few days before my bag got snatched, the clasp on my underclothes security belt had broken and i had been too lazy to replace it, my own fault i know, but for those few days had my passport, drivers licence, cards, cash and travellers cheques (along with ipod, camera etc) on my person when we were travelling from one place to another before i got to the accmodation with safes etc

bairn7

sorry, ignore this post

dickydonkin

It goes without saying that if the potential consequences of the loss of or inability to use a single credit/debit card were to be stranded overseas, then the trip planner needs to shoulder a sizeable amount of the responsibility for not having ensured alternate payment/funding options were available.

A valid point and I did have alternative methods of payment, however, my point was that despite all of the security precautions that an individual can take, some people may not legislate for a bank not conforming to their own procedures and potentially leaving you in the lurch.

As I alluded to earlier, many people will be quite happy with the service provided by Nationwide, and I had been for many years, however, like many banks, standards and service have declined dramatically IMO and MrsP and I closed all of our accounts with them.

dickydonkin

photome wrote: »

Dont you have to be a mortgage customer with them to get it though

No.
I don't have any accounts with Abbey/Santander although I suspect that is why the application process was somewhat protracted.

photome

dpassmore wrote: »

No.
I don't have any accounts with Abbey/Santander although I suspect that is why the application process was somewhat protracted.

Thanks I have just read the criteria for the Zero account with debit card and you are correct you dont need a mortgage with them but you do need to make it your main account and pay in £1000 a month

I might do that.

Qualifying criteria
You are eligible if:

• You have a mortgage with us that is not in arrears, or an investment with Santander ISA Managers Ltd, Santander Portfolio Management UK Ltd or Santander Unit Trust Managers Ltd; and
• it is your main current account and you pay in a minimum of £1,000 each month; and
• you switch your current account using the Account Transfer Service (new current account customers only).

dickydonkin

photome wrote: »

Thanks I have just read the criteria for the Zero account with debit card and you are correct you dont need a mortgage with them but you do need to make it your main account and pay in £1000 a month

I might do that.

Qualifying criteria

You are eligible if:

• You have a mortgage with us that is not in arrears, or an investment with Santander ISA Managers Ltd, Santander Portfolio Management UK Ltd or Santander Unit Trust Managers Ltd; and
• it is your main current account and you pay in a minimum of £1,000 each month; and
• you switch your current account using the Account Transfer Service (new current account customers only).

photome - I don't have any accounts with Abbey or Santander (current, savings or otherwise).

The ZERO credit card does not require any additional accounts, however, the Zero debit card by nature of taking money directly from an account- will need a relevant account to debit the money from.