Do you need to take much cash if you have a 0% travel credit card?

Keep_pedalling

I don't have much choice this year. I still have €650 left over from last year, which is mainly made up of the return of my damage deposit on the Villa we rented in France last year. We have an even bigger deposit to pay this year, but at least the owner is prepaired to take Stirling so I won't have two lots of conversion losses to deal with.

callum9999

eDicky wrote: »

The whole point is that you can draw your cash from an ATM in-country using your 'overseas' credit card, at the best possible rates.

Why pay more, by buying cash from a bureau de change beforehand..?

£30 worth left over from previous trips should be plenty to get you into town, in case there's a queue for the airport ATM etc.

Who says they have £30 in local currency left over from previous trips? I don't for almost every destination I've ever been to!

Taking £50-100 seems more than reasonable given you can get pounds free of fees and can deposit or spend them back in the UK free of fees. It's also a good backup for card issues.

eDicky

callum9999 wrote: »

Who says they have £30 in local currency left over from previous trips? I don't for almost every destination I've ever been to!

Taking £50-100 seems more than reasonable given you can get pounds free of fees and can deposit or spend them back in the UK free of fees. It's also a good backup for card issues.

I think I had the euro/dollar context of leftovers in mind. By all means take some cash pounds - I also do, as backup. But there's no need to purchase more than a minimal amount of foreign cash, if any, if you can obtain it cheaper by card.

Doshwaster

Sharon87 wrote: »

What's wrong with taking £50-£100? It's not much!

I personally prefer cash on holiday, even if I have an overseas credit card. The things I spend money on on holiday are mostly cash based transactions (bars for example!)

I mostly prefer cash too as it's easier to keep track of how much you are spending (especially in bars!). I just take out enough cash for the day, a card for unexpected expenses and leave a backup card and extra cash in the hotel.

travellerboy

Withdrew 540 euros in Cyprus a month ago with my Halifax Clarity Credit Card, had 1.285 euros to GBP and it cost me 84p interest charges, Zero transaction fee, no ATM fee and also received £5.00 bonus for spending over £300.

Don't buy Euros in the UK, wait until you get overseas and use the ATM's but ensure you have a Halifax Clarity, Creation Everyday Card or a Saga Platinium Card then ZERO fees and the best exchange rates available. Better if your card is a Master Card which gives a higher exchange rate than Visa Card.

benjus

Last time I changed money before travelling was for Argentina - but that was when the currency controls were still in force and you could get a lot more for your money by taking US dollars and finding an unofficial money changer. For my next trip I won't bother with that.

For Europe (Western and Eastern), North and South America and any developed countries I wouldn't bother changing any cash before travelling. For developing countries outside those areas I might - I would research the individual country beforehand.

s_b

always have a contingency plan, ie some money in local stuff just in case