Credit Card for work trips

mkr10001

Hi

Right, with my job I will need to be going to europe. I'm not sure exactly how often but multiple times a year I believe. I get expenses paid but I need to pay for stuff myself when I'm there and then claim it back.

I was considering a metrobank current account due to no fees in europe when purchasing and using cash machine so I'm OK for personal spending on that front.

I was thinking of a halifax clarity card though as I will need to pay for my own hotel rooms which I then claim back so that will be in the hundreds of euros. Am I right in thinking there are some T&Cs with the clarity card about having to pay interest daily possibly? Not sure if I imagined that.

I also considered getting a card with benefits like cashback or maybe avios points, as the extra charges for using abroad won't be an issue really as I can be reimbursed

So basically, any thoughts on this and any recommendations for someone who would like a credit card for buying things on expenses?

edit: I'm 23 by the way, I assume that and my lack of credit history may limit my options

grumbler

Metrobank or Halifax Clarity for personal needs.
Any cashback card for all business spending:

• Cashback Credit Cards

You'll find a soft eligibility checker in the article.

GingerBob_3

I do a fair bit of business travelling in Europe, and I pay up front on a credit card and claim it all back from the company. The CC is only used for business expenses, whether they be in the UK or abroad

I use Visa/AMEX, the two card option from MBNA, with 1% cash-back on the AMEX and 0.5% cash-back on the Visa. This is good, because lots of places, especially in Germany don't take AMEX but they nearly all take Visa, so I use AMEX if possible but have the Visa to fall back on.

The only gripe I have with MBNA is their over-the-top approach to "security" if you have to contact them via phone or internet logon.

zagfles

mkr10001 wrote: »

Hi

Right, with my job I will need to be going to europe. I'm not sure exactly how often but multiple times a year I believe. I get expenses paid but I need to pay for stuff myself when I'm there and then claim it back.

I was considering a metrobank current account due to no fees in europe when purchasing and using cash machine so I'm OK for personal spending on that front.

I was thinking of a halifax clarity card though as I will need to pay for my own hotel rooms which I then claim back so that will be in the hundreds of euros. Am I right in thinking there are some T&Cs with the clarity card about having to pay interest daily possibly? Not sure if I imagined that.

You don't pay any interest on purchases if you always pay it off in full, just like other credit cards.

You do pay interest on cash advances. This is probably what you've seen - as despite paying interest, using the Clarity is one of the best ways to get cash abroad as there's no exchange rate markup or any cash advance fee. Just interest which you can minimise by paying it off asap.

I also considered getting a card with benefits like cashback or maybe avios points, as the extra charges for using abroad won't be an issue really as I can be reimbursed

Some cashback cards don't do cashback on foreign spending - check this.

g6jns_2

mkr10001 wrote: »

Hi

Right, with my job I will need to be going to europe. I'm not sure exactly how often but multiple times a year I believe. I get expenses paid but I need to pay for stuff myself when I'm there and then claim it back.

I was considering a metrobank current account due to no fees in europe when purchasing and using cash machine so I'm OK for personal spending on that front.

I was thinking of a halifax clarity card though as I will need to pay for my own hotel rooms which I then claim back so that will be in the hundreds of euros. Am I right in thinking there are some T&Cs with the clarity card about having to pay interest daily possibly? Not sure if I imagined that.

I also considered getting a card with benefits like cashback or maybe avios points, as the extra charges for using abroad won't be an issue really as I can be reimbursed

So basically, any thoughts on this and any recommendations for someone who would like a credit card for buying things on expenses?

edit: I'm 23 by the way, I assume that and my lack of credit history may limit my options

Have you asked your employer to provide you with a company credit card? It is unreasonable to expect employees to finance this sort of expenditure using their own credit.

zagfles

g6jns wrote: »

Have you asked your employer to provide you with a company credit card? It is unreasonable to expect employees to finance this sort of expenditure using their own credit.

Using their own credit can be very beneficial to employees. They can get cashback, build a credit history, and should get the expenses repaid well before they have to pay the credit card off.

This obviously assumes the OP can get sufficient credit limit to cover the expenses.

With company credit cards employers often insist people who have them use them for all business expenses - so it may not be possible to do a bit of both.

g6jns_2

zagfles wrote: »

Using their own credit can be very beneficial to employees. They can get cashback, build a credit history, and should get the expenses repaid well before they have to pay the credit card off.

This obviously assumes the OP can get sufficient credit limit to cover the expenses.

With company credit cards employers often insist people who have them use them for all business expenses - so it may not be possible to do a bit of both.

In an ideal world you may be correct. However, employers are not always fast payers and employees may not have suffiently good credit.

Quimoi

I think the OP's question has been answered already but another point is to use cashback sites (quidco, topcashback etc.) for your airport parking/hotels/flights if you are arranging those yourself.

I average somewhere around 8-10% cashback on those purchases which quickly pays for the odd lost receipt or even some interest if I've been late submitting my expenses

lisyloo

Not all companies will offer a corporate card especially small companies.
If you ha issues then talk to your boss.
My company don't have corporate cards as they claimed they needed 0.5 person to recocile employee expense claims with credit card statements, but they do offer cash advances so I'm not out of pocket, so do consider other solutions. Your boss is busy so will appreciate solutions not problems.
Company cards are not a good solution off small companies with tiny finance depts.

giblet10

We no longer have a choice - the company used to pay all invoices directly with the hotel (well via HRG anyway) but now we have to pay and claim back.

On the plus side, the points I've made are paying for my flights in Business Class to Florida next year with BA/AA.

NiftyDigits

mkr10001 wrote: »

Hi

Right, with my job I will need to be going to europe. I'm not sure exactly how often but multiple times a year I believe. I get expenses paid but I need to pay for stuff myself when I'm there and then claim it back.

I was considering a metrobank current account due to no fees in europe when purchasing and using cash machine so I'm OK for personal spending on that front.

I was thinking of a halifax clarity card though as I will need to pay for my own hotel rooms which I then claim back so that will be in the hundreds of euros. Am I right in thinking there are some T&Cs with the clarity card about having to pay interest daily possibly? Not sure if I imagined that.

I also considered getting a card with benefits like cashback or maybe avios points, as the extra charges for using abroad won't be an issue really as I can be reimbursed

So basically, any thoughts on this and any recommendations for someone who would like a credit card for buying things on expenses?

edit: I'm 23 by the way, I assume that and my lack of credit history may limit my options

Once you get a Metro Bank debit card and keep it in good order, you are more likely to be able to obtain their credit card. In the EEA, it is equal to the Clarity. They may even offer you one straight away if you ask.