Best way of spending money in Euroland

Judwin

Hi,
I've read a large number of posts here, and just want to check I've understood properly. I've booked a ski holiday with Crystal to France next weekend. In previous years I've used a Nationwide Flex Card to get vin-chaud/glu-wine/bombardino vouchers from a hole in the wall, and a Nationwide Gold Credit card to pay for lift passes etc.

This year, I've got...
Nationwide Flex Account
Nationwide Gold CC
Halifax Reward CC
Santander Zero CC

So For beer vouchers, I take the money out of the hole in the wall using either the Halifax or Santander CC, and then watch the online accounts using an internet cafe or free WiFi like a hawk. As soon as the cash withdrawl shows up I make a transfer from my current account into the CC account for the amount of the cash withdrawl. Or do I have to clear the whole balance shown if I've also bought "Duty Free" at the airport on the way out using the same card?

For big money items - lift passes are £150-£200 - I again pay using the Halifax or Santander CC.

I know to avoid buying lift passes from the rep on the transfer bus to the resort, regardless of how much they complain. They typically !!! a 2-3% 'handling charge' when paying by CC. I've never been charged a handling charge by the resorts lift pass office.

Cheers,
Judwin

dzug1

The Nationwide Gold card doesn't charge for purchases either so you've got a choice of 3 for that..

Doshwaster

I'm just back fro a week in Spain and used a Caxton FX card and it was fantastic for restaurant bills and withdrawing "beer vouchers" from the ATM. I had a Nationwide Flexaccount card as a backup and my regular credit card for emergencies.

JPD23

Judwin wrote: »

Hi,
I've read a large number of posts here, and just want to check I've understood properly. I've booked a ski holiday with Crystal to France next weekend. In previous years I've used a Nationwide Flex Card to get vin-chaud/glu-wine/bombardino vouchers from a hole in the wall, and a Nationwide Gold Credit card to pay for lift passes etc.

This year, I've got...
Nationwide Flex Account
Nationwide Gold CC
Halifax Reward CC
Santander Zero CC

So For beer vouchers, I take the money out of the hole in the wall using either the Halifax or Santander CC, and then watch the online accounts using an internet cafe or free WiFi like a hawk. As soon as the cash withdrawl shows up I make a transfer from my current account into the CC account for the amount of the cash withdrawl. Or do I have to clear the whole balance shown if I've also bought "Duty Free" at the airport on the way out using the same card?

For big money items - lift passes are £150-£200 - I again pay using the Halifax or Santander CC.

I know to avoid buying lift passes from the rep on the transfer bus to the resort, regardless of how much they complain. They typically !!! a 2-3% 'handling charge' when paying by CC. I've never been charged a handling charge by the resorts lift pass office.

Cheers,
Judwin

In exactly the same boat as you, except I've got Halifax Clarity rather than Reward (and I also have a Post Office Mastercard...) Have just come back from a week skiing in Euroland too!

I used Santander Zero for all cashpoint withdrawals (fine as long as you don't want to withdraw more than the daily maximum, which I think is £300 or £350). I didn't even wait for it to show up in on-line banking, literally as soon as I made the cashpoint withdrawal I then made a payment from my on-line banking (Halifax current account) onto the Santander card. Their clearing account accepts incoming faster payments, and Halifax accepts them outgoing. I used an exchange rate of £1 = 1Euro so my account did end up in credit (I took out 300 Euros a day for 7 days!) but I've now had a statement and don't seem to have come to any grief as a result. Technically I suppose I never pre-loaded!

To save confusion I used Nationwide Gold and Halifax Clarity for all purchases rather than the Santander. For info I consistently got a 0.01 better exchange rate on the Nationwide Gold/Santander Zero then I did on the Halifax Clarity (e.g. 1.17 Euros to pound on Nationwide/Santander but 1.16 on same day from Halifax). Haven't had the Post Office statement yet.

Hope that helps!

PS - If you do end up getting your Santander Zero into credit by "too much" - which happened to me on one foreign trip about a year ago - they will simply block it for cashpoint withdrawals but will still allow it to be used for purchases to bring the card back into debit again, then you can use it in cashpoint again!