Halifax Clarity abroad

stryker

Hi all, first post :j

I have a new Clarity card to use abroad for cash withdrawals and was wondering if i could pay the balance of the card plus a couple of grand extra before going on holiday, would i not get charged any interest on the cash withdrawal as long as i stay in a positive balance whilst away?

Hope this makes sense but i have not had to worry so much about cash abroad as we usually go all inclusive. :beer:

thebritishbloke

You wouldn't be charged interest, but I'm not sure how positively Halifax would view this.

giblet10

No, don't do this. It is against the terms and conditions to put your credit card account into credit - the Halifax are very sensitive to this as well. You risk having your account closed.

Apart from that though, I've just got one too - hoping it'll be useful.

Don't forget to call them before you go so they are less likely to suspend your account if their fraud system throws up a marker when using abroad.

zagfles

Yes don't do it, it's against the T&Cs. Don't worry about the interest unless it's a long holiday (3+ weeks), it'll be trivial and far cheaper than other ways of getting cash. Just pay it off as soon as you get home, don't wait for the statement, check the balance online/phone and pay the whole lot off.

eskbanker

As above, don't do this - their FAQ at http://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/low-rate-no-fee/clarity-card/#Can_I_put_money_on_my_card is quite clear:

Can I put money on my card to increase my available credit whilst on holiday?
Credit cards are not designed to be used this way. Using the card in this way breaches the product's Terms & Conditions, which state:
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.

stryker

Whooo, thanks for the responses guys! I won't be doing it now. I will just pay off the balance as soon as i get back to Blighty.

The rate of £ to EURO you get with Clarity is great isn't it? 123 at present compared to 118-119 at the supermarket.

Once again big thanks.

giblet10

stryker wrote: »

Whooo, thanks for the responses guys! I won't be doing it now. I will just pay off the balance as soon as i get back to Blighty.

The rate of £ to EURO you get with Clarity is great isn't it? 123 at present compared to 118-119 at the supermarket.

Once again big thanks.

Yes, the rate is the official Mastercard rate

Katiehound

What you could do is pay off part of the balance almost as soon as you have spent on your card. I have done this twice recently. Mine wasn't cash but "shopping." Nothing to stop you doing that. I spent E1000 and transferred about £700 from my Halifax Reward a/c a few days later with a phone call rather than wait for the statement date. This would prevent interest accumulating on your Clarity card- but I think it isn't that expensive. I only ever shop with mine, I don't visit bank machines!

stryker

I read somewhere previously that you should opt for local rate at cashpoint but cannot find this info at present. Does this seem right?

giblet10

There is an official con known as 'Dynamic Currency Conversion' - where the cash machine could 'helpfully' offer to bill you in Sterling - avoid that as you'll get the providers exchange rate which is probably lower than Mastercard's official rate.

If you are withdrawing Euro, asked to be billed in Euro - not just at the cash machine but when spending with your card at a retailer.

stryker

Katiehound wrote: »

What you could do is pay off part of the balance almost as soon as you have spent on your card. I have done this twice recently. Mine wasn't cash but "shopping." Nothing to stop you doing that. I spent E1000 and transferred about £700 from my Halifax Reward a/c a few days later with a phone call rather than wait for the statement date. This would prevent interest accumulating on your Clarity card- but I think it isn't that expensive. I only ever shop with mine, I don't visit bank machines!

If your not withdrawing cash then it doesn't matter as when you pay the balance when the statement arrives you won't be charged interest anyway.