Prepaid Travel Cards guide

NiftyDigits

JeM wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply! I would go for a Metro card but unfortunately my nearest branch is about 70 miles away, and I'm going away in about 2 weeks otherwise I definitely would, they look very good.

The only thing putting me off Revolut is the seemingly large amount of negative comments it has been getting recently, particularly regarding the app being buggy and cards being rejected/not working. But then other people seem to have no problems at all with it....

Seventy miles is nothing.
It takes just an hour or two to walk out with their debit card. Call them beforehand to check that you have the documentation necessary, visit a branch and walk out with a debit card within an hour, hopefully.
No need to visit a branch again after that, so distance should not be an issue.
Go with Metro Bank. You'll have a physical card quicker than you would with Revolut and no restriction on ATM withdrawals.

Casciana

I currently have euros in an account with Barclays Bank, but they do not do a debit card with their Euro Accounts, so can anyone advise me what is the best and most secure way to be able to access this money when I go on holiday at the end of the month, without having to take it all in cash with me! The woman I spoke to at Barclays suggested a pre paid travel card, but I'm not sure you can put your own euros on them, and that you have to load them in sterling, which is how they make their money from the exchange rate they offer?
Many thanks in advance for any steer on how this is best managed

NiftyDigits

Casciana wrote: »

I currently have euros in an account with Barclays Bank, but they do not do a debit card with their Euro Accounts, so can anyone advise me what is the best and most secure way to be able to access this money when I go on holiday at the end of the month, without having to take it all in cash with me! The woman I spoke to at Barclays suggested a pre paid travel card, but I'm not sure you can put your own euros on them, and that you have to load them in sterling, which is how they make their money from the exchange rate they offer?
Many thanks in advance for any steer on how this is best managed

Revolut

Though take note of the ATM withdrawal caveat.

eDicky

Casciana wrote: »

The woman I spoke to at Barclays suggested a pre paid travel card, but I'm not sure you can put your own euros on them, and that you have to load them in sterling,

Clearly she knows less than you!

But as Nifty suggests, there is now Revolut, which can be loaded directly in euros by debit card or bank transfer. The only fee will be if Barclays charges for the transfer from your euro account to that of Revolut, which is also with Barclays UK. Please let us know if you find out whether they charge or not for this.

Neil_Robinson

WeSwap

Tried to get the card and registered, uploaded proof of identification. Drivers license and electric bill ad the items on list. Said this wasn't valid and wouldn't and couldn't load alternatives.Via about 4-5 emails over a week with customer services. Joke service IMO.

Casciana

Thanks for this eDicky, I'll look into Revolut and will report back re charges for transferring the cash onto it

JeM

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Go with Metro Bank. You'll have a physical card quicker than you would with Revolut and no restriction on ATM withdrawals.

Thanks again for your advice, but thinking about it Revolut is probably a better option for me as I'm also going to be travelling to North America and Australia over the next 12 months


For this trip to Europe it turns out one of my friends travelling with me has a Halifax Clarity card which is apparently cheap and easy. If this is the case then we will probably end up using this for the 3 of us and transferring money in order to cover most things.

I still want a back up, particularly if I happen to go off from my group or the Halifax card just stops working or something, so it seems Revolut is the best option. I'll also take my Halifax Current account card as a back-up to the back-up just in case, but I don't intend to use it much as I'll probably pay €5000 for a €15 purchase.

MUDGUTS

I recently applied for the FairFX prepaid Euro MasterCard.

It arrived very quickly and there was no waiting to get the PIN, it's obtained over an automated telephone service.

If you use the voucher code wujvkdlg the card is free, so the £9.95 fee will not apply.

Each time I've loaded money, it's been on in a few minutes and there is also a very handy app to check the balance.

eliotr91

I'm planning to fly over to the US from the UK in 2 weeks time, my Revolut card is currently on its way in the post.

I will be over there for 7 days and will need to take a lot of spending money, I've added my debit card to the app so I can transfer whilst over there, as from my own understanding it is free of charge to do whilst abroad. My main question is it safe to put a large amount on to the card all at once or just Top Up via debit card as the holiday goes along for safety reasons? (reading past comments of money going missing or customer services not replying to messages)

My main concerns are the mixed reviews involved with using Revolt as it seems to have a very hit and miss response and I don't know anyone who has used it in person. I will obviously be taking my debit as back up but don't want to be in a situation where I have to pay overseas charges.

eDicky

eliotr91 wrote: »

My main question is it safe to put a large amount on to the card all at once or just Top Up via debit card as the holiday goes along for safety reasons?

Just top up amounts as you need it until you become more confident, the fee will remain zero.

Be ready to verify your debit card when they ask, you have to enter the four digit code found with the Revolut debit entry on your bank statement - eg *1234*.

I have a feeling that many problems that people have come from not learning how to use it correctly or not reading the FAQs - then they clog up the CS chat with unnecessary issues.