Cash on holiday

NotVeryTechie

Hi there

I hope someone can give some advice. I am taking my parents to Paris and Italy in September. Due to the nature of the various bookings for hotels and excursions that I have made, I am going to need an awful lot of cash. I do have a credit card, but there is always a huge cash advance fee on that. I am scared to carry a couple of thousand Euros hidden about my person. Any advice?

Thanks so much

tori.k

Travellers Cheques or a Fairfax card and just draw the max at the ATM as you need it.

NiftyDigits

Metro Bank account if you are in London.
Otherwise look at a Prepaid Mastercard, such as Cash Passport Globe(for all round usage) or the Kalixa Card(funded via Bank Transfer) if you intend to withdraw larger amounts.

Go via TopCashBack to get the Kalixa card fee back or TopCashBack - Travelex - Globe card to get 0.5% back of the initial load of the Cash passport Globe.

NiftyDigits

tori.k wrote: »

Travellers Cheques or a Fairfax card and just draw the max at the ATM as you need it.

Not the best advice.

Voyager2002

There are plenty of fee-free credit cards that you can use to pay for things like hotels and excursions: I use the Post Office but there are many more, and if you apply now it should arrive in time.

Getting fee-free cash is a little more tricky, but again there are a few options.

tori.k

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Not the best advice.

Why? the fairfax has no load fees, it has a consistently better exchange rate than most pre-paid cards it has a withdrawal fee but it less then most debit cards and doesnt cost to spend on, the OP hasn't asked about additional creditcards like the halifax clarity just cash, traveller cheques are on the decline but still easy to exchange in tourist area's and still a safer way that cash to carry currency.

NiftyDigits

tori.k wrote: »

Why? the fairfax has no load fees, it has a consistently better exchange rate than most pre-paid cards it has a withdrawal fee but it less then most debit cards and doesnt cost to spend on, the OP hasn't asked about additional creditcards like the halifax clarity just cash, traveller cheques are on the decline but still easy to exchange in tourist area's and still a safer way that cash to carry currency.

It's just poorer value overall than the cards in the my post and TCs will also be relatively poor value. Not huge differences, but still not the best advice.

blindman

NotVeryTechie wrote: »

Hi there

I hope someone can give some advice. I am taking my parents to Paris and Italy in September. Due to the nature of the various bookings for hotels and excursions that I have made, I am going to need an awful lot of cash. I do have a credit card, but there is always a huge cash advance fee on that. I am scared to carry a couple of thousand Euros hidden about my person. Any advice?

Thanks so much

Read the helpful info?

tori.k

we will have to agree to disagree on that one but i can't see how when the Globe card charges 1.49% on the total purchase and ATM withdrawal amount, and the fairfax cost nothing for purchase and £1.50 for ATM withdrawals. to me it would be better to just load a fairfax card as your going along the journey

NiftyDigits

tori.k wrote: »

we will have to agree to disagree on that one but i can't see how when the Globe card charges 1.49% on the total purchase and ATM withdrawal amount, and the fairfax cost nothing for purchase and £1.50 for ATM withdrawals. to me it would be better to just load a fairfax card as your going along the journey

You can disagree if you like, but it does pay to actually check your facts before posting.
It has been documented hundreds of times on this board alone.

Cash Passport Globe uses the Mastercard rate, which is currently: 1.264601 to the £. So even after the 1.49%, you get a rate of 1.2457585.

The FairFx Euro card to which you refer currently offers 1.2425 to the £.

Just takes a few moments....

AppleMatt

I'd also like to add that more and more outlets are refusing Traveller's Cheques, at least this has been my personal experience and that of friends. Too easy to forge, apparently!