Halifax Clarity card questions

rsooty

I have just activated my Clarity credit card which I have got in preperation for my holiday in May but I need a few questions answering to help me have a hassle free holiday.
1. How long does it take for a payment/cash withdrawal made on the card to appear on my online account?
2. How long does it take for a payment made TO clear the balance to clear?
The reason I ask is...
We are going to Spain for 2 weeks May into June and have approx £1000 of accomadation to pay when we arrive and I will want to withdraw approx £1400 cash whilst we are there. The money is sat in a savings account now, ready for the holiday. But my credit limit is only £1600. If I pay the £1000 and straight away clear the balance will I then be able to withdraw cash the same day? Or am I best taking £800 in euros or on a prepay card to tide me over?

guesswho2000

Should be available to you to withdraw as soon as it clears, which is usually instantly.

rsooty

I will see how long it takes to clear with uk payments and hope it works the same with the euro. Is it worth advising the bank when I am travelling so they dont stop the card?
I'm hoping the exchange rate keeps going the way it is. It will make it a much cheaper holiday if it does.

YorkshireBoy

rsooty wrote: »

I will see how long it takes to clear with uk payments and hope it works the same with the euro.

?????

You'll be repaying the card with Sterling won't you? It's only your location that's different.

Is it worth advising the bank when I am travelling so they dont stop the card?

Always! And don't forget to take a back up or two. I travel with Santander Zero, Nationwide Select, and Metro Bank debit...but I also take another 2 or 3 cards just in case.

One thing you might want to note is the 50% cash limit on the Clarity card.

rsooty

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

?????

You'll be repaying the card with Sterling won't you? It's only your location that's different. ;)Always! And don't forget to take a back up or two. I travel with Santander Zero, Nationwide Select, and Metro Bank debit...but I also take another 2 or 3 cards just in case.

One thing you might want to note is the 50% cash limit on the Clarity card.

50% Won't be a problem as i'll just take out a few days worth at a time. I usually take my other bank/credit cards in case of emergency and leave them locked away with the passports in our accom.
I cant see there being a problem with the card clearing in time but thought I'd make sure. Nothing ruins a holiday like not having access to money. I usually just take cash and split it equally into envelopes so we have €x each day, then 1 extra envelope to put left over cash in which we spoil ourselves with on the last day or 2. Always nervous using cards on holiday for some reason, even though I lived in Germany for 3 years lol.

YorkshireBoy

rsooty wrote: »

50% Won't be a problem

I don't have Clarity (as you'll have gathered), but my concern with such a low limit would be whether the 50% relates to:

At any time
Per calendar month
Per statement period
Etc

Hopefully some regular Clarity users will post and put your mind at ease.

If you're near/in London I'd suggest getting a Metro Bank account for your cash withdrawals, and just sticking purchases on Clarity.

King_Of_Fools

rsooty wrote: »

If I pay the £1000 and straight away clear the balance will I then be able to withdraw cash the same day?

Even if a payment to the card clears straight away, the £1000 purchase would probably not appear on your online statement for at least a couple of days although your credit limit will reduce instantly. If you made a payment to the card of £1000 before it appears on the statement you could effectively be breaking the terms and preloading the card.

wwfc_2

Do you really need to withdraw so much cash? I hate having cash sitting around on holidays and therefore I just withdraw a couple of hundred in local currency for where I cant use the card and then just withdraw more if needed, saves bringing unused cash home, I then pay for items on the card, i.e meals out, shopping etc where accepts card.

jcsc01

i activated a clarity card in December for a break in NYC..
Transactions appeared online within 1 to 5 days. if taking cash from ATMs you will be charged interest immediately on this until you clear the cash balance. You can overcome this by pre loading money onto your card thus increasing the credit limit.
i paid everything with the card (within reason) meals, shopping and attractions. I Was charged for withdrawals from the machines but nothing for a regular transaction.
you can pay your card off at any Halifax branch, it will be credited to your account the next day.
Give the dates you are away they will put them in the system.
BEST card i have ever had, paid off in full on my return with no additional charges.
Its now tucked safely away till my next holiday abroad.:-)

YorkshireBoy

jcsc01 wrote: »

Transactions appeared online within 1 to 5 days. if taking cash from ATMs you will be charged interest immediately on this

How can you be charged interest for something that isn't yet posted to your account? The interest begins to accrue from the posting date, not the transaction date.

You can overcome this by pre loading money onto your card

...which of course breaches the T&Cs (condition 16.9) and could mean your card is blocked.

thus increasing the credit limit.

Does it though? Are you sure you can still spend more than your credit limit?

jcsc01

rsooty, you can confirm what is in my post by speaking to a member of staff at any branch.

Yorkshire boy, you can put money onto the card prior to using it, then when you withdraw at ATMs its your own money so you won't incur charges.