Which card would you choose ?

Jlawson118

There's a few I can think of really. Aqua is mainly for people who need to build up their credit score, but their Aqua Advance card is free to use abroad.

I was using the Lloyds Avios card when I was abroad over the summer which earns you Avios points as you spend. 1.25 points for every £1 on the AMEX card and 1.25 points for every £5 on the Mastercard. This was a good card although there is a £24 yearly fee. I was a little let down by them though because I used to spend quite a lot of money on that card and always pay my bill way before it was even due, yet they wouldn't increase my credit limit. I've recently closed the account down now as I joined Barclaycard which do charge a fee to use abroad but their general loyalty scheme seems more for me.

And then there's the Halifax Clarity card that's free to use abroad, there's no loyalty or anything, but they're very hard to be accepted for sometimes.

Finally, without a credit card, Metro Bank allows for free transactions and cash withdrawals in Europe. This is a bank account though, not a credit card although the only downside to this is that you have to apply in branch, and most of them are down South and in London whereas I live in Leeds so I can't apply. If ever I visit London in the upcoming months then I plan to apply and use this abroad instead

theburningcat

Amex's FX fees negate their points for foreign transactions. I would consider Revolut (not a CC but will save £££ on FX).

Anthorn

eDicky wrote: »

I can't resist recommending the Revolut prepaid MasterCard as a handy backup, simple, easy and free to obtain and use without the application process and credit checks of a CC.

Today in Indonesia I wanted to exchange some cash SGD for IDR, but preferred to avoid the police road block on the way to the money changer. So instead I put my Revolut card in a nearby ATM and withdrew a million rupiah from my euro balance. In the booth I remembered it was blocked for ATM use, so I opened the app on my phone, unblocked it, then blocked it again after becoming a rupiah millionaire. Mr Anthorn will recommend instead the Soldo card, which I believe has a similar anti-fraud feature.

So you can't resist recommending the Revolut card. Well, quelle surprise, But the fact is that the Travelex Supercard beats Revolut hands down.

The Soldo card's controls can be said to be anti-fraud in that the card can be turned off if it's misused. But the controls can actually be proactive: i.e. turn off the card when not being used, turn it on to use it and then turn it off again. Personally, I have mine permanently turned off for foreign purchases and on for everything else.

eDicky

Anthorn wrote: »

But the fact is that the Travelex Supercard beats Revolut hands down.

I think not, having used both, although a comparison of their totally different modes is not simple and perhaps not appropriate.

The Supercard's only apparent advantage is that any card (except Amex), including those with features such as cashback and 0% interest on purchases, can be linked to it and used overseas without their normal fees for foreign use. But it has a 3% fee for foreign cash withdrawals, and it cannot be switched off when not in use.

Revolut is a complete system in itself for both spending and sending money overseas without fees, including for cash withdrawals up to £500/month (2% fee thereafter). It has an array of selectable security features whereby ATM withdrawals, Magstripe payments or E-commerce transactions can be disabled, sophisticated location based security, and the card can also be temporarily blocked completely. I don't think a card can be more 'fraud proof'.

System

Supercard's main benefit is that you don't pre-load it - so if you have any problems (with the supercard) you can just use the underlying card/s without having your money tied up.

I prefer to not lodge funds with anyone with just an emoney type licence too. A UK (or at least EEA) banking licence for me.