Travel credit cards

Anthorn

A new kid on the block is the B credit card from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks. No FX fees and representative 9.9% APR. But you still pay for cash withdrawals.

I have a B current account and a B savings account. I applied and it was referred. I heard next day that I had been approved and I had to log in to the existing application to get the details and approve it. I got the 9.9% APR but a credit limit of just £500 which is my lowest ever in a Prime credit card and pretty much ridiculously low. App based so you need the B app on iOS or Android.

Lastly it has a big B on it

Here's a link:
http://www.ybonline.co.uk/personal/credit-cards/b-credit-card/

richardc1983

richardc1983 wrote: »

Anyone heard of Monzo prepaid card? Zero charges for using abroad.

https://monzo.com/about/

My card came and it's very easy to use. A good app too quite impressed.

cotton24

As it sounded too good to be true, I got the Barclay platinum travel card in July (for foreign use only) because of it's zero charges for 5 years and no interest charged if paid on time, especially by direct debit to be sure. In other words I don't have to carry wads of sterling when abroad and can just go to an ATM and get local best rate cash.
Wrong! I tested the system last week in Thailand and tried for 5,000 Baht but the machine wanted 220 Baht 'local fees' which equates to a whopping 4.4%. I also tried 2 other ATMs owned by different banks and they wanted the same fees. To make really sure, I tried Halifax Clarity and Saga Platinum cards and all the ATMs wanted exactly the same 4.4%!
Therefore beware, there may be no UK charges but Johnny Foreigner Bank wants his cut for cash! Needless to say, it's back to cash exchanges for me!

richardc1983

cotton24 wrote: »

As it sounded too good to be true, I got the Barclay platinum travel card in July (for foreign use only) because of it's zero charges for 5 years and no interest charged if paid on time, especially by direct debit to be sure. In other words I don't have to carry wads of sterling when abroad and can just go to an ATM and get local best rate cash.
Wrong! I tested the system last week in Thailand and tried for 5,000 Baht but the machine wanted 220 Baht 'local fees' which equates to a whopping 4.4%. I also tried 2 other ATMs owned by different banks and they wanted the same fees. To make really sure, I tried Halifax Clarity and Saga Platinum cards and all the ATMs wanted exactly the same 4.4%!
Therefore beware, there may be no UK charges but Johnny Foreigner Bank wants his cut for cash! Needless to say, it's back to cash exchanges for me!

Worked fine for me over in Spain but noticed one bank over there (Banco Sabadell) wanted to charge a withdrawal fee, that's nothing to do with Barclaycard though and is down to the bank your trying to use your card in. So its useful to try other banks when your over there.

Gloomendoom

cotton24 wrote: »

Therefore beware, there may be no UK charges but Johnny Foreigner Bank wants his cut for cash! Needless to say, it's back to cash exchanges for me!

You just happened to pick one of the few places on Earth notorious for excessive ATM charges.

If you go practically anywhere else, you will get free withdrawals. Check on here first.

eDicky

cotton24 wrote: »

Needless to say, it's back to cash exchanges for me!

For Thailand exchanging cash (in Thailand) is cheaper than withdrawing from ATMs, all Thai banks charge Bt220 per withdrawal using any foreign card. Some banks may allow an 'over the counter' withdrawal without fee.

PeacefulWaters

cotton24 wrote: »

As it sounded too good to be true, I got the Barclay platinum travel card in July (for foreign use only) because of it's zero charges for 5 years and no interest charged if paid on time, especially by direct debit to be sure. In other words I don't have to carry wads of sterling when abroad and can just go to an ATM and get local best rate cash.
Wrong! I tested the system last week in Thailand and tried for 5,000 Baht but the machine wanted 220 Baht 'local fees' which equates to a whopping 4.4%. I also tried 2 other ATMs owned by different banks and they wanted the same fees. To make really sure, I tried Halifax Clarity and Saga Platinum cards and all the ATMs wanted exactly the same 4.4%!
Therefore beware, there may be no UK charges but Johnny Foreigner Bank wants his cut for cash! Needless to say, it's back to cash exchanges for me!

And if you'd used a "normal" credit card you'd have been slammed for an extra 3% on top.

reusserg

Hi all,
I'm due to go on a 7 month sabbatical in November and have got a Starling account which I intend to use as my primary card for the duration. I'll be transferring from my Santander 123 account to Starling as I go to keep the interest coming in from Santander.
I've been saving for a couple of years and believe I have enough saved to cover the trip but would like to take along a credit card as a back up incase money gets tight.
If I use the credit card I won't necessarily be able to pay off in full until I return so I'm torn between a "travel" credit card and a "zero % purchase" card.
Can anyone suggest a card which ticks all the boxes?
Cheers!

Gloomendoom

Why does it have to be one card? Two or more would be more versatile and would give you multiple back-up options.

eDicky

reusserg wrote: »

If I use the credit card I won't necessarily be able to pay off in full until I return so I'm torn between a "travel" credit card and a "zero % purchase" card.
Can anyone suggest a card which ticks all the boxes?
Cheers!

Have a look at this one, 0% on purchases for 12 months but it's no good for cash withdrawals:

https://uk.virginmoney.com/virgin/credit-cards/travel-card/