Halifax Clarity card

pattyb101

I can't get a sensible answer from Halifax re their Halifax Clarity credit card (which MSE says is the best card for spending abroad). All I want to know is: if I make, say, a £200 cash withdrawal abroad, using the Halifax Clarity CREDIT card, and then log in to online banking a few days later and pay back the full £200, will the interest on that £200 ONLY be for that few days?

Or does Halifax charge interest for that whole month ? Halifax did tell me that the interest is charged daily and you only know how much that interest is when the monthly statement comes out. But they won't tell me an answer to the following:

I know cash withdrawals incur interest at 12.95% per annum and you can't have a credit balance on the card. It's apparently not as simple as saying 12.95% interest on £200 = £25.90, divide by 365 days = 7p per day !! But how can I know whether to use this card or not, if Halifax won't tell me??!!

Has anyone else got this card, and used it abroad?

Thanks

lisyloo

will the interest on that £200 ONLY be for that few days?

Yes - providing you have no purchases on there.

The example is correct provided nothing else is going on.

If your going to use it for purchases as well then it's gets a bit more complicated because your payment might be assigned to the purchases and not the cash (depending on whether they are statemented or not).

The simplest thing to do is to pay it all off completely (purchases as well) then it will work as you expect.

Has anyone else got this card, and used it abroad?

Yes.
If I have safe and free wifi then I pay it off after every cash advance and pay zero interest.
If I don't have internet access, it's not sufficiently safe, or it's expensive, then I wait till I get back and pay £2-£3 which is a lot less than you'd pay via any other method assuming you're talking normal holiday and not extended periods. This is usually about the price of a cafe latte, so not worth getting in a lather about.

Bear in mind that internet access may cost you more and cruise ship via satellite is extortionate.

pattyb101

BRILLIANT - thanks for that! Why can't Halifax be that helpful ??!! One more question: I've been reading other posts about the subject and a few people have mentioned about other countries ATM charges. I'm going to Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China. Has anyone used the card in any of those countries?

Thanks