Can I use clarity card to get Euro's in UK

R34GTT

antenna wrote: »

Thye best walk in rate at this exact time is 1.4066....thisis from an "exchange house".....where do you get euros from without any charges whatsoever?......and if so,how much more would you get?
even the "pure" mastercard or visa rate includes some element of profit for them
the clarity card would still include a profit for Halifax

and today's Mastercard rate is 1.410408

R34GTT

antenna wrote: »

If you are in the vicinity of,say,Bishopsgate and get the crap Nat West exchange rate,why would you not be better going in to the top bdc in the Travelmoneymax listing?

As far as I know this particular ATM debits in Euros which means the issuing bank does the conversion not Nat West.

benjus

The last time I used my card with a EUR transaction was 28 Feb. I paid €120. According to this site at that day's spot rate I should have been charged £87.02; I was actually charged £87.00, presumably due to differences in the exact timing of the transaction. The spread used by Visa/Mastercard on currencies like EUR/GBP is so small that you won't even notice it on typical everyday transactions - but at the volumes they process they probably do make a reasonable profit.

Your rate includes a cut of about 0.9% - OK, it's not a lot but it's £4.50 on a £500 exchange. Worth saving if both options are equally convenient.

benjus

antenna wrote: »

Withdrawing euro from Bishopsgate Nat West atm will cost you...2% minimum £2 plus non standard trans fee of 2.75%

Have you ever used this ATM?

I have, and can confirm that you are talking nonsense. The ATM debits the card in EUR, so currency conversions are handled by the card. Just like using an ATM in Spain.

Whether it is still there or not I cannot confirm...

callum9999

antenna wrote: »

Withdrawing euro from Bishopsgate Nat West atm will cost you...2% minimum £2 plus non standard trans fee of 2.75%
so,to save 1 cent on the walk in rate you will spend at least 6 cents in the euro to withdraw from the bishopsgate atm.

Do you even know what the Clarity card is?

Withdrawing euros from that ATM with a Clarity card will cost you... 0% maximum, £0 plus a transaction fee of 0%. If you pay it back immediately, you'd possibly pay a couple of pence interest.

I generally pay it back as soon as the "available balance" drops, but before it reaches the account - I'm not sure if that incurs any interest at all?

benjus

antenna wrote: »

So,to get the "pure" mastercard rate from the Nat West bishopsgate atm will cost you 14.45 euro from your return on £300

What on earth are you talking about?

There are no charges at this ATM. As I said above, it's just like using an ATM in Spain.

R34GTT

antenna wrote: »

You are talking nonsense..........you might get the mastercard rate but from the nat west website you will pay nat west charges of 2% or minimum £2 PLUS Non Standard Transaction fee of 2.75%..so on £300 worth of euros withrawn you will pay charges to nat west of equivalent in euros 14.45 euros

I'm afraid you are mistaken. That information only relates to Natwest customers who use their Natwest debit card to withdraw Euros.

As this machine debits in Euros without any dynamic currency conversion the conversion will be done by the bank of the debit (or credit) card used in the machine, in the OP's case Halifax and more specifically the Halifax Clarity credit card which as discussed uses the standard Mastercard rate.

benjus

This is the transaction on my Metro Bank account last time I used the ATM in Bishopsgate:

13 May 2013
08/05/13 17:18 ULSTER BANK SOUTH LONDON EUR 250.00@1.18962645
ATM Cash Withdrawal
210.15

As you can see my account was debited €250, and converted to GBP at the Mastercard rate at the time.

benjus

antenna wrote: »

Ok......but it's a bit rich if Nat West customers pay these fees and charges and Metro and perhaps others dont pay any Nat West charges....the web site is pretty clear about their charges and dont make any distinction between other cards than nat west...would someone please paste the relevent paragraph from the nat west q&a regarding the bishopsgate atm charges...thanks

The charges you described were for Natwest card holders using any Euro ATM in whichever country. They don't apply to holders of any other cards, and just affect how foreign withdrawals are handled by Natwest.

As per the link posted earlier in this thread ( https://supportcentre.natwest.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1606/~/do-any-of-your-atms-dispense-euros%3F ), Natwest's subsidiary, Ulster Bank, operates Euro ATMs in the Republic of Ireland - these are standard Euro ATMs like in any other Eurozone country. For some reason they also operate one of these on Bishopsgate.

Some banks give customers preferential treatment when using ATMs operated by affiliated banks overseas (e.g. a Santander UK customer can make fee-free withdrawals in Santander Spain ATMs). Natwest has obviously decided not to do this.

benjus

antenna wrote: »

Foreign currency withdrawal from any cash machine (ATM) in the UK We will charge a Foreign Cash Fee of 2% of the value of the transaction (minimum £2, maximum £5). We will also charge a Non-Sterling Transaction Fee of 2.75% of the value of the transaction.
If you elect for the transaction to be converted into Sterling at the point of sale or withdrawal, we will not charge a Non-Sterling Transaction Fee, however the transaction handler may charge you a separate fee.
Cash withdrawals or the purchases of currency or travellers cheques outside the UK Purchases made outside the UK (for example, purchasing goods in a shop) We will charge a Foreign Purchase Fee of 2.75% of the value of the transaction (minimum £1).

That's what Natwest charges holders of its cards. But we're talking about using a Clarity card, not a Natwest card.