Sainsbury's Bank Cash Passport -Prepaid MasterCard Currency Card by Travelex Help

mal2771

My girlfriend and I are going to Australia for 3 weeks in November and don't want to take all our money in cash. We saw the Sainsbury's Bank Cash Passport prepaid MasterCard Currency Card which is issued instore and provided by Travelex, and was going to get one each to use in Australia to withdraw our money and pay for things using the MasterCard side of the card. On reading the application leaflet details it doesn't seem too bad, ATM free withdrawal, no fee for purchases, free load/reload, no card fee to get the card and a free additional/ secondary card. So all seemed ok, however on doing a quick search on google for reviews on using the card was surprised at some of the horror stories of people who have used one of the Travelex cards abroad. Cards not working, ATM not recognising the cards, cards being locked and a very unhelpful support service. So really not sure what to do now. Has anyone used one these cards in Australia? And what was your experience with using the card. Also if someone could enlighten me to the pro's and cons of using one of these cards it would be greatly appreciated. This will be our 1st long haul holiday and really don't want to be taking huge amounts of cash with us, so looking for another easy option hence the thinking with one of these cards, especially as they are chip and pin protected. Anybody who can help? Thanks Mal

Gloomendoom

Get yourselves a pair of Halifax Clarity credit cards. We have used them with no problems at all in Oz.

There are other options but, for more info, you will need to have a look back through the multitude of threads on the same subject.

Oh, and always take backup cards.

Backbiter

I got a Travelex cash Passport Globe last summer, having read many recommendations on this site. It came with a free second card, was free to obtain back then, and even came with Quidco cashback. It can be topped up online in sterling and can be used all over, so you are not restricted to just one currency. You get a very good exchange rate with no fees, although there is a £1 fee for every transaction in sterling, so always ensure you pay in the local currency. The website allows you to manage your spending, track purchases and exchange rates, and top up the card.
I've used it in the USA, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech republic with zero problems. I've used it online to pay deposits on hotels abroad.
So - based on personal experience - the card has been fantastic.

I gather that the card is no longer as good as it was. New cards are charged a fee and the exchange rate is not as good. So far, there have been no changes to the cards issued prior to these changes

NiftyDigits

Backbiter wrote: »

I got a Travelex cash Passport Globe last summer, having read many recommendations on this site. It came with a free second card, was free to obtain back then, and even came with Quidco cashback. It can be topped up online in sterling and can be used all over, so you are not restricted to just one currency. You get a very good exchange rate with no fees, although there is a £1 fee for every transaction in sterling, so always ensure you pay in the local currency. The website allows you to manage your spending, track purchases and exchange rates, and top up the card.
I've used it in the USA, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech republic with zero problems. I've used it online to pay deposits on hotels abroad.
So - based on personal experience - the card has been fantastic.

I gather that the card is no longer as good as it was. New cards are charged a fee and the exchange rate is not as good. So far, there have been no changes to the cards issued prior to these changes

Not really relevant to this discussion. A completely different animal and no longer available in that form.
Alternatives can be found by perusing the forum.