Best card for long stay in USA

aardar

Hello

My son is going to usa end of March this year for a year. Can anyone give me advice on the best card for him to use. His debit card has big charges so I was thinking of getting him a cash card so I can load money on to it from here. Whats the best card for him to get and won't charge him big fees for withdrawing at the ATM in Usa.

Thanks cos I'm really confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doshwaster

Get a Caxton FX Dollar card http://www.caxtonfxcard.com/ - you can load it online and the funds are converted to dollars immediately. There are no charges for withdrawals and it can be used as a debit card everywhere.

It's also safer than using a card associated with your main account as if it is stolen or cloned it can be immediately stopped and nobody can have access to the rest of your money.

photome

Have you read the travelmoneymaximiser on this site

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

I know it is aimed primarily at holidays but I am sure it will help

jamesbrownontheroad

Doshwaster wrote: »

Get a Caxton FX Dollar card http://www.caxtonfxcard.com/ - you can load it online and the funds are converted to dollars immediately. There are no charges for withdrawals and it can be used as a debit card everywhere.

Beware - it is standard practice for US banks to charge "foreign" cards (i.e. cards from other banks, not other countries) an ATM usage fee, normally $1 - $2.50 for the use of the ATM. Regardless of your own card provider's terms, your son needs to check the screen at every transaction for notification of those terms.

Unlike in the UK, where we have at most a dozen national banks with easy ATM interoperability, the US has a handful of banks with national coverage (Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) and then hundreds if not thousands of regional or local banks with fractured coverage just about everywhere. For example, my partner comes from a rural town in the mid-west with a population of just 16,000, and her bank has just three (!) branches, all located in that one town. She can't do counter transactions anywhere else, and pays fees to use any ATM other than the eight they own and operate themselves!

Doshwaster

jamesbrownontheroad wrote: »

Beware - it is standard practice for US banks to charge "foreign" cards (i.e. cards from other banks, not other countries) an ATM usage fee, normally $1 - $2.50 for the use of the ATM. Regardless of your own card provider's terms, your son needs to check the screen at every transaction for notification of those terms.

Yes, that's true - but if you use an normal UK debit card you can be charged twice for ATM withdrawls, the the ATM owner and your own bank. At least with a Caxton (or similar) card you will only get charged once at most.

People complain about banks in this country but we have got used to virtually free banking. In the US and elsewhere you have to pay for almost everything.

NFH

Doshwaster wrote: »

People complain about banks in this country but we have got used to virtually free banking. In the US and elsewhere you have to pay for almost everything.

You can get mostly free banking in the US. I have an account there with no monthly fees. However, the thing that really annoys me is having to pay $15 to receive domestic "wire transfers" into the account from within the US. Banks in lots of countries charge to receive payments from abroad, but paying to receive domestic payments is unheard of except in the US.

neilbond007

NFH wrote: »

You can get mostly free banking in the US. I have an account there with no monthly fees. However, the thing that really annoys me is having to pay $15 to receive domestic "wire transfers" into the account from within the US. Banks in lots of countries charge to receive payments from abroad, but paying to receive domestic payments is unheard of except in the US.

The US banking system does seem antiquated compared to the UK.
Having to pay for cheques...
Charges for using another banks ATM....
Saying that, I don't get any charges now. I never use cheques (pay bills online) and have only drawn cash out about 5 times in the near 2 years I've lived here. Long live the credit card!!