Pre paid CaxtonFx card

reallyjammyjam · 16 August 2011 at 12:50PM

Hi there

I have been reading oodles of threads and to be honest I am more confused then when I started, I think I need someone to speak to me like I am 5!

Me and the boyfriend are off on a road trip around Germany next month. Applying for credit cards are off the agenda so I was thinking pre paid is best. Looking through the site I decided on CaxtonFx because of no ATM fees. As we will be camping we won't want to carry around loads of cash, but we will need to withdraw small amounts regularly probably to pay to get into sights, sarnies etc. We will need to buy a lot of diesel with it and pay for things in shops though so maybe I should just go for the FairFx (but I am sure I saw someone say you couldn't use the pre paid cards for petrol).....

So my question, is this card right for me? And has anyone had experiences of anywhere not taking it? It says on their site that if you pay for a meal 50 Euros, then 50 Euros will come off your card. but then I have read things abouts 2.99% rates (I still don't know what for) and people saying they are rip-offs.

Am confused, would appreciate anybody's help!

jen245 · 16 August 2011 at 1:00PM

I have a Fairfx card (issued by Newcastle Building Society, same as the Caxtonfx card), and havent had any issues with using it. Mine is a US $ card (works in the same way as the Euro card), and have used it for a few years there. The only charges on the the card are if you withdraw from an ATM, this is where the Caxton card may be a better choice, although the exchange rate for fairfx is marginally better, so it depends how much you will use it for ATM withdrawals. If you have a Euro card, and buy stuff in Euros, there are no fees, so to be honest, you cant really go too far wrong with either card

reallyjammyjam · 16 August 2011 at 4:42PM

Thanks Jen245, feel like a bit of a thicky asking as there are so many threads on here but they are sometimes conflicting and just wanted to make sure as I am in charge of this card thing and if I don't get it right my boyfriend will never let me here the end of it!

jen245 · 16 August 2011 at 6:13PM

No problem, there are lots of different cards, some with hidden charges etc, but fairfx and caxton are IMO the best pre paid travel cards. Enjoy your trip :beer:

hillcats · 16 August 2011 at 9:45PM

We have used Fairfx with no probs, but I don't think it is any use to you where your going...

jen245 · 16 August 2011 at 9:53PM

OP is going to Germany, why isn't it of any use? They have Euros in Germany, so OP can use the Euro card

ian_h · 16 August 2011 at 9:54PM

I use Caxton its now a Visa Card and works like any other card, never had problems getting it accepted it just works and like you the good exchange rate and the no ATM charges made it a better bet for me than FairFX