Clarity Card Confusion

Indieguy82

Hi guys,

I got myself a Clarity card for my holiday to Cyprus last Summer but I got currency online and took the Clarity as a backup (Never used the card)

I'm off to France next month for 2 weeks :j

I don't know whether I should use the card and don't get any Euros in the UK.

I'm confused about the charges involved.....

Cash Withdrawals are FREE? what about paying with the card at a restaurant?

I would pay off the bill in full on the return to the UK....would I still be hit with charges?

Can someone clarify

Thanks in advance

Indie

19lottie82

No charges for using the card at all (card transactions or ATMs), unless the ATM provider charges you a service fee, like the robbing holes in the walls here that charge you £1.99 to lift cash....

You will get the best rate possible on your euros if you use the card to lift them from an ATM, while you are there. Your "cash limit" is 50% of your total limit.

If you use the card when you are away and pay it off in full when you return, there will be no interest applied to what you spent while you were away.

CLAPTON

if you withdraw cash you do pay interest on the amount until paid off

otherwise there are no charges

lisyloo

If you use the card when you are away and pay it off in full when you return, there will be no interest applied to what you spent while you were away.

This is incorrect.
There is interest on cash from the day it hits your account - typically 12.9% APR which is about 0.5% for 2 weeks.
Personally I think that's very cheap for 2 weeks and cheaper than you'll get elsewhere so I'd go for it (although your personal APR may be different).

It might also be worth giving Halifax a call especially as you haven't used your card for nearly a year.
There are no guarantees but if you tell them where you are going and give them the dates then the chances of your card being stopped are reduced.
Personally I think it's worth calling them.

Take spare cards as well as a back up.
If there is an issue of any kind (theft, loss, stopped, doesn't work) then you are better off using an expensive card then having none at all.
Remember you don't have to carry your wordly goods with you if you go out.
If you're only going a short distance from the hotel then I'd take one and leave the rest in the hotel safe.

Biggles

Indieguy82 wrote: »

I don't know whether I should use the card and don't get any Euros in the UK.

Of course use the card, it's what it's for.

The only decision you have to make is how to manage it; ie if you draw cash from an ATM, whether you rush to pay immediately in order to pay little or no interest, or whether you just pay on the normal date and pay a few pence or maybe a pound or two.

defaultuser7

Use your card wherever you can - you can't beat the exchange rate. However, a couple of things to look out for
I) Some (not all) credit card terminals will notice that you have a UK credit card and will try and charge you in £ Sterling. Never accept this option as you will get a worse exchange rate. If you see the terminal showing £ Sterling, ask to pay in local currency - the terminal will have a option of paying in local or £.


ii) When you withdraw money from an ATM, although there is no charge for this and the exchange rate is excellent, you will be charged interest from the day you withdraw the money to the day you pay it off.


It may be too late for this holiday, but you are better off with the Post Office credit card for ATM withdrawals. They use the same great exchange rate as Halifax but they have a fee. However, there is a legal way to not only have no fee to pay, but also no interest on the withdrawal.


Simply, load money on to your Post Office credit card before you leave (meaning pay off more than your balance). The Post Office credit card lets you do this (I've checked with their customer services department and I've used it myself), the Halifax credit card strictly forbids you from having a positive balance on your card - see clause below:-


7.7 You must not make payments or transfer funds from another credit or store card to your account that would leave a credit balance on your account. We may return any funds that exceed the balance owing on your account to the account from which the money was sent.

Hope this helps

Biggles

defaultuser7 wrote: »

It may be too late for this holiday, but you are better off with the Post Office credit card for ATM withdrawals. They use the same great exchange rate as Halifax but they have a fee. However, there is a legal way to not only have no fee to pay, but also no interest on the withdrawal.

Simply, load money on to your Post Office credit card before you leave

But this won't prevent the 2.5% (min £3) cash withdrawal fee, will it?

virgo17

defaultuser7 wrote: »

ii) When you withdraw money from an ATM, although there is no charge for this and the exchange rate is excellent, you will be charged interest from the day you withdraw the money to the day you pay it off.

To be pedantic, you are charged interest from the day the transaction hits your account. If you withdraw on a Friday it might not hit the account until Monday or Tuesday. Small point I know.

Indieguy82

Guys, thank you all for your advice. Will definitely contact Halifax before we go. My girlfriend has informed me we have about £250 in cash from prior trips so we can use that first and use the card when I'm sure the card will work!