Which card shall I use in Europe?

chattychappy

joedenise wrote: »

Yes, debit card. I never use a credit card to get cash these days. Done it once years ago but never again.

Denise

m0ns00n wrote: »

The Halifax Clarity credit card is the best way to withdraw cash abroad.

You shouldn't necessarily rule out doing something in the future based on a bad experience in the past.

Agreed, though we don't know what Denise's experience was!

In my case I always use Zero (no fee/no loading, as with Clarity) for cash overseas. I have many credit cards, if it gets swallowed it's no big deal. If its compromised - well, it's their money. Still a hassle, granted. But the rot stops with that account.

My debit card gives access to my current account. If it got compromised and my current account cleaned out, that could cause some serious knock-on effects - bills not paid, bounced payments. Difficult to resolve remotely (I'm often overseas for long period). Also, I need to put the debit card in a card reader to do online banking. If it got lost/stolen, again I could end up missing payments etc.

For that reason, when travelling, I never use my debit card except in my card reader. It stays locked up.

penelopeB_2

MasterCard and visa are commonly used.