Halifax Clarity or Nationwide Credit Card

adp

Any views on Halifax Clarity or Nationwide Credit Card to take abroad. Both seem pretty fee free as long as you pay up at the end of the month?

forestwn6

We tend to use Halifax, but have used N/Wide as well. If you pay off at the end of the month there are no problems.

Nebulous2

I have both. There are differences. The Nationwide select gives 0.5% cashback on purchases. I use it regularly at home for the cashback. It is fee-free on purchases abroad but not on cash withdrawals.

The Clarity is fee-free on both cash withdrawals and purchases abroad. So it is better if you will be withdrawing cash. They do charge interest from day 1 on cash, but if you pay it off quickly that will be minimal.

Clarity is Mastercard, Nationwide is Visa. People say Mastercard exchange rate is slightly better. I've never noticed.

It might be worth considering what other cards you have. If all your others are Visa then having a Clarity would give you coverage for both networks for back-up.

Finally - I don't know about this as I generally only travel in Europe - there maybe exotic places where one network is much more widely accepted than others. Check where you are going has wide acceptance of the card(s) you have.

adp

So Clarity is fee free as i know for atm withdrawal, so what is the "interest from day 1 on cash"?

rtho782

adp wrote: »

So Clarity is fee free as i know for atm withdrawal, so what is the "interest from day 1 on cash"?

You don't pay a withdrawal fee but you do pay interest.

We use a Nationwide Select Credit card for purchases abroad, which is fee free, and then our Nationwide FlexPlus debit card to withdraw cash, which is fee free for cash withdrawals (but not purchases).

bigadaj

adp wrote: »

So Clarity is fee free as i know for atm withdrawal, so what is the "interest from day 1 on cash"?

It means that you pay interest from the time you withdraw the money.

It's not a lot, assuming you are on the 18% rate and pay back on return to the uk say two weeks later then that is interest of 0.75%, so 75p on £100 withdrawn.

You can pay back near immediately if you have a secure bank connection whilst you're away which would mean pretty much zero cost.

Ebe_Scrooge

adp wrote: »

So Clarity is fee free as i know for atm withdrawal, so what is the "interest from day 1 on cash"?

All cards will charge interest on cash withdrawals, from the date of withdrawal until you pay the balance. Many cards also charge a fee for each withdrawal - either a flat fee, or a percentage of the amount. The Halifax card doesn't charge the fee - but you'll still be charged interest. The interest won't be a huge amount if you pay the statement in full on the next statement date ( or as soon as you return home, you don't need to wait for the statement to arrive ). If you have access to a secure internet connect whilst you're abroad, you can even log on to your account and pay the balance as soon as you've withdrawn the cash, then you'll pay no interest.


But even if you do have to wait a week or so before making a payment, many people think the relatively small amount of interest is worth it for the convenience - and it may even work out cheaper than withdrawing money on your debit card, if your debit card charges a withdrawal fee ( which many do ).

PeacefulWaters

adp wrote: »

So Clarity is fee free as i know for atm withdrawal, so what is the "interest from day 1 on cash"?

Typically around 4p per £100 per day.

Finding a cheaper hotel, cheaper flights, cheaper car hire, cheaper bars and restaurants etc is going to be a more effective thing to worry about,

Roger1

adp wrote: »

Any views on Halifax Clarity or Nationwide Credit Card to take abroad.

Which Nationwide card are you talking about? There are several. AFAIK it's the Nationwide Select Visa card that's commission free.

Nebulous2 wrote: »

I have both. There are differences. The Nationwide select gives 0.5% cashback on purchases ...

... in the UK, not abroad. AFAIK it's only the fee-free Aqua reward MC that offers cashback on purchases abroad.

rtho782 has it right.

rtho782 wrote: »

We use a Nationwide Select Credit card for purchases abroad, which is fee free, and then our Nationwide FlexPlus debit card to withdraw cash, which is fee free for cash withdrawals (but not purchases).

Candyapple

Also, the Nationwide Select credit card offers 0% for 12 months on purchases, if that helps sway things for you.

chattychappy

Agree with the above. I have both and use both.

Suggest you apply for both, unless you have other backups (eg you're travelling with others with a CCs). Either card could get blocked when overseas. Never rely on a single card.