Prepaid Travel Cards guide

PeacefulWaters

Luckwudaveit wrote: »

Can you tell it's been over 5 years since I've been abroad? The market has changed considerably.

It has. I'd expect Starling to move the goalposts within a couple of years. But while they're best, why wouldn't you?

Gloomendoom

luckwudaveit wrote: »

ATM withdrawal fees at a £1, no load fee and no card fee. If I load £500 on to it I'll get the £8 currency bonus, but any balance left on the card after returning to the UK will cost me 1.75% on spend, or 1.75% at an ATM plus 1.50 euro. Seems they want you to just keep the money there, but I don't know if we'll use the card any time soon.

Of course they do. When you load up a prepaid card, you are giving the card company an interest free loan that they can make interest on themselves.

Perhaps a Starling debit card is the way to go?

No question about it. No free loans to third parties and you get to keep the interest on the money you haven't spent.

eDicky

Donkey_Oti. wrote: »

Having read the guide and opted for a Revolut card, I was surprised to find the "free" card actually costs £5, and another £10 to have it delivered by standard mail to a UK address. (10 days). The guide mentions neither. Just saying.

The MSE article states "Standard delivery is free as long as you load the card with at least £10." That doesn't mean the £10 will be taken as a fee, they just consider it's more likely you will actually use the card if you start loading some money on it.

As for the £5 card cost:
"If you apply via our link, you'll be sent a text message with a link to download the Revolut app. After installing the app, you'll be able to order a card for free as long as you top it up with at least £10."

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/prepaid-travel-cards

eDicky

Starling Bank (mobile only) is certainly the best (non credit card) option at the moment to keep your money in pounds and spend or withdraw cash overseas.

If you prefer prepaid to an actual bank account, want to have online access as well as phone app, and/or wisely decide to take a backup, the Loot prepaid account gives exactly the same benefits and simplicity as Starling except for the £1 fee for ATM withdrawals after the first two free per month:

https://loot.io/

Donkey_Oti.

I have preloaded the account with £10.
They still want £5 to order a physical card.
With £10 loaded onto the account, they want an additional £10 delivery charge.
I read on the Revolut forum that these charges are causing a lot of people to cancel. I am writing to cancel.

eDicky

Donkey_Oti. wrote: »

I have preloaded the account with £10.
They still want £5 to order a physical card.
With £10 loaded onto the account, they want an additional £10 delivery charge.
I read on the Revolut forum that these charges are causing a lot of people to cancel. I am writing to cancel.

Did you install the app and sign up via the MSE link? Otherwise the card costs a fiver.

I see in the help section that the 'delivery fee will be quoted at the time of ordering', presumably according to the country of address. Standard delivery to a UK address always used to be included in the card fee. So if, as you appear to have found, it now costs £10 for standard UK delivery then it should indeed be highlighted in the MSE Prepaid Travel Cards article.

Where is this Revolut forum with similar reports by others? I see nothing on https://community.revolut.com/

adindas

I understand with Loots.io

For ATM withdrawals in the UK & abroad, you get two free withdrawals each month and then they are £1 each time thereafter http://support.loot.io/going-abroad/can-i-use-atms-abroad

They have not clearly stated how they define a month. But as usual with card of this kind, one month will normally refer to calendar month (?)

So if your travel span along two consecutives months you will get four free withdrawal.

Has anyone really tried this and observed it that there is no £1 fee for this ??

TBH, I don't really trust their application. I have been trying to top it up using debotcard since a few days days ago and today I tried again it did not allow me to do this. But I could still top it up using bank transfer.

eDicky

adindas wrote: »

I understand with Loots.io

For ATM withdrawals in the UK & abroad, you get two free withdrawals each month and then they are £1 each time thereafter http://support.loot.io/going-abroad/can-i-use-atms-abroad

They have not clearly stated how they define a month. But as usual with card of this kind, one month will normally refer to calendar month (?)

So if your travel span along two consecutives months you will get four free withdrawal.

Has anyone really tried this and observed it that there is no £1 fee for this ??

TBH, I don't really trust their application. I have been trying to top it up using debotcard since a few days days ago and today I tried again it did not allow me to do this. But I could still top it up using bank transfer.

It could be a calendar month, Revolut did it that way when they first introduced withdrawal limits but later changed it according to your date of account opening or something else, I forget. Or could it be a month from the first withdrawal, etc..? I haven't withdrawn enough to gain experience - try asking them on the in-app chat.

What happens when you try to top up by debit card? Check the limits they impose and how much you are trying for. Faster Payments seem to go through as quickly as any bank.

adindas

eDicky wrote: »

What happens when you try to top up by debit card? Check the limits they impose and how much you are trying for. Faster Payments seem to go through as quickly as any bank.

Bank transfer is not bad take about half hour I will say. But not as quick as an instant FP.

I am aware the limit of 5 times a week to the total value of £250 and I am still within this limit when I did a Debit Card top up.

I had a chat with their CS, they said they currently have a problem with Debit Card top up and they are hoping to be resolved soon.

adindas

adindas wrote: »

I understand with Loots.io

For ATM withdrawals in the UK & abroad, you get two free withdrawals each month and then they are £1 each time thereafter http://support.loot.io/going-abroad/can-i-use-atms-abroad

They have not clearly stated how they define a month. But as usual with card of this kind, one month will normally refer to calendar month (?)

So if your travel span along two consecutives months you will get four free withdrawal.

Has anyone really tried this and observed it that there is no £1 fee for this ??

.

Just want to inform the forum that a month definition with loots is based on calendar month so if your overseas travel span within two months you could get 2+2 withdrawals (e.g four free withdrawals in total).

I got this confirmation from an agent from chatting with them.