Fairfx vs. Caxtonfx

Dizzie87_2

Hello
Sorry if this has been mentioned before but I am travelling to south America (Peru, brazil and Argentina to be specific) and I want to know which card to use. I have received a Caxton fx us dollar card and my brother has a fairfx us dollar card which he said I can use. I am using the card mainly for withdrawals and sometimes card payments. I know there is Alot of debate about the two, but Caxton rate seems only slightly less (1.6 usd for each £1) compared to fairfx's 1.602, however withdrawal at ATM is free while fairfx charge 2usd. I have been told most ATMs out there can withdraw in us dollars so I dnt need to worry about currency conversion rate etc. Surely the 2usd charge each time adds up?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

stilltheone

Dizzie87 wrote: »

Hello
Sorry if this has been mentioned before but I am travelling to south America (Peru, brazil and Argentina to be specific) and I want to know which card to use. I have received a Caxton fx us dollar card and my brother has a fairfx us dollar card which he said I can use. I am using the card mainly for withdrawals and sometimes card payments. I know there is Alot of debate about the two, but Caxton rate seems only slightly less (1.6 usd for each £1) compared to fairfx's 1.602, however withdrawal at ATM is free while fairfx charge 2usd. I have been told most ATMs out there can withdraw in us dollars so I dnt need to worry about currency conversion rate etc. Surely the 2usd charge each time adds up?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Wrong cards.

Throw them away and start again.

Travelex Cash Passport Globe purchased via Top Cashback/Quidco is the best for your trip.
Though it might not be a bad idea to have a Visa card as a backup solution. In that case O2 Load & Go of Caxton Global can be considered.

free_korps

from the O2 money website...

"O2 Money's getting a makeover"
We're giving O2 Money a makeover. The shiny new O2 Money will work even better and it'll have a ton of new extras (more than ever before, in fact). But that means you won't be able to apply for the Cash Manager or Load & Go card any more.

If you're an existing customer, keep using your card as normal and we'll be in touch about our new product.

We'll be looking for people who'd like to try it out before we officially launch it. So keep an eye on these pages to find out how you can be involved.

stilltheone

free_korps wrote: »

from the O2 money website...

"O2 Money's getting a makeover"
We're giving O2 Money a makeover. The shiny new O2 Money will work even better and it'll have a ton of new extras (more than ever before, in fact). But that means you won't be able to apply for the Cash Manager or Load & Go card any more.

If you're an existing customer, keep using your card as normal and we'll be in touch about our new product.

We'll be looking for people who'd like to try it out before we officially launch it. So keep an eye on these pages to find out how you can be involved.

Oh, so only Caxton Global for a viable VISA alternative for now.

Dizzie87_2

stilltheone wrote: »

Wrong cards.

Throw them away and start again.

["]Travelex Cash Passport Globe[/URL] purchased via Top Cashback/Quidco is the best for your trip.
Though it might not be a bad idea to have a Visa card as a backup solution. In that case O2 Load & Go of Caxton Global can be considered.

Can i ask why i shouldnt use either of them please? It seemed to make sense since i am getting a very good rate (better than cash) and being charged either nothing (by caxton fx ) or $2 (by fairfx) for withdrawing cash.

When i went to central america couple of years ago i was bullied by atm charges through hsbc and especially natwest.

Imustjustsay

Whenever you are considering a cash card, you need to look at the T&Cs not just charges as you will often find out what additional charges there might be and also if VISA or a Mastercard would suit you....there are other players rather than Caxton and Fair who provide excellent cash cards....whilst they are very good, along with travelex, ICE also do pre-paids and they often have better rates, well the do for home delivery when I got some currency earlier this year....however it easy to go round in circles deciding which is the best one...!!!

stilltheone

Dizzie87 wrote: »

Can i ask why i shouldnt use either of them please? It seemed to make sense since i am getting a very good rate (better than cash) and being charged either nothing (by caxton fx ) or $2 (by fairfx) for withdrawing cash.

When i went to central america couple of years ago i was bullied by atm charges through hsbc and especially natwest.

Because the one I have suggested to you is much better.

stilltheone

Imustjustsay wrote: »

Whenever you are considering a cash card, you need to look at the T&Cs not just charges as you will often find out what additional charges there might be and also if VISA or a Mastercard would suit you....there are other players rather than Caxton and Fair who provide excellent cash cards....whilst they are very good, along with travelex, ICE also do pre-paids and they often have better rates, well the do for home delivery when I got some currency earlier this year....however it easy to go round in circles deciding which is the best one...!!!

Not if you listen to the people who know....

marcopolo123

STILLTHEONE I suspect you work for Travelex or have a vested interest.
You have given no reasoning as to why other prepaid cards should not be used or why Travelex is better. Personally I think your advice should be completely ignored. Travelex has a record for giving lousy FX rates to customers. eg have you noticed how bad their rates are at airports?
I've also used other prepaid cards before and they have always worked for me. In fact my wife and I are about to go to Argentina and Chile for several months. We will get a couple of global Caxton FX cards (one each) as well as having our UK bank debit/credit cards for back-up. We will not be getting Travelex cards though.

Doshwaster

marcopolo123 wrote: »

STILLTHEONE I suspect you work for Travelex or have a vested interest.

Sometimes I think StilltheOne is on commission from TravelEx for every time he mentions their card.

There is no doubt that the Globe card is a very good one for travelling but pre-paid cards in Dollars and Euros also have their advantages and are better than almost all High Street bank debit cards. I have Euro and Dollar cards from Caxton and I have been very happy with the way they work. I may have been able to save a few pounds over the course of a two week trip by using the TravelEx Globe card (then again, with currency fluctuations, I could have been a winner) but it's not something I'm going to lose sleep with or have an argument over.

The main thing that I like about the Caxton currency cards is that if you have, say, €200 in the account and withdraw €50 then you know you have €150 left. With a Sterling card you never know for certain as it depends on the daily exchange rate.

There is no cost-free way of spending abroad. You just need to do your own research and make your own judgement between the various options in terms of cost, convenience and security.