Help with taking money abroad

musashi10

Hello, I am going to Guatemala for a month in March.

I haven't been outside of europe for a long time and wanted some advice.

So I don't want to take lots of cash with me, maybe just minimal US dollar amount.

So I will need to get cash out while I am over there.

So, I only have lloyds debit card. I used to have terrible credit history and I cut up all my credit cards - so no longer have them - and my credit rating is not great still (although getting better all the time).

So I am concerned to take only one card with me and am thinking perhaps I need a back up card?

Are there any recommended pre paid cards or something like this I could get?

Or travel credit cards (even though my credit rating is not perfect)

Or any other help or suggestions on what to do?

Thank you

Gloomendoom

Try getting a Halifax Clarity. There is a pre-application tool on their website that gives you the odds of getting approved. Using it doesn't affect your credit record.

musashi10

Thank you very much.

agrinnall

The Revolut pre-paid card seems to be the one that is topping the recommended lists at the moment. Whatever you do I would make sure you do indeed take more than one card with you, I speak from experience of having one stolen and being able to fall back on another.

eDicky

musashi10 wrote: »

Are there any recommended pre paid cards or something like this I could get?

Or travel credit cards (even though my credit rating is not perfect)

Or any other help or suggestions on what to do?

If you use a smartphone (Android or iPhone) you can open a Revolut prepaid Mastercard account using their app. Load it as needed with your Lloyds debit card, taking that with you as backup.

You may have more chance applying successfully for the Creation Everyday or Aqua Reward (still available?) credit cards than the Clarity.

Look for the MSE advice on specialist travel credit cards and prepaid cards etc. (It's laborious to post the links with my phone. )

pmramsay

After using the revolut for 4 weeks in south africa i would really recommend it. Easy to top up and had no real problems using it, the only time I had a problem was when trying to link it to my uber account but that wasnt a huge problem.

musashi10

Hi, the reolut card looks awesome thanks.

But they don't convert to Guatemalan local currency. So I'm guessing it would mean taking out dollars, then physically changing it to local currency in a shop?

Or how would it work?

Thanks

eDicky

musashi10 wrote: »

Hi, the reolut card looks awesome thanks.

But they don't convert to Guatemalan local currency. So I'm guessing it would mean taking out dollars, then physically changing it to local currency in a shop?

Or how would it work?

It looks like you are right, the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ) is not one of the ninety currencies supported by Revolut. (Unless they have already added it - it might be worth checking.)

How do you mean, 'taking out dollars'? Unless the dollar gets a relatively much better rate than the pound in Guatemala, I would not buy dollars with my pounds to take there and suffer the loss on exchanging twice. Or is the USD widely accepted as a parallel currency there..? Have a look on Tripadvisor etc. If they happen to have any US dollar ATMs, you should be able to withdraw dollars using Revolut card, or if purchases can sometimes be billed in dollars... I've never been to Guatemala.

It's an interesting problem. Do a little research and let us know. Also check the MSE credit card eligibility tool to see if you're likely to get a suitable one for travel.