Using cards abroad

tightgit_2

I know as has been said several times on here that it is cheaper to use cards rather than travellers cheques abroad, but what would happen if you lost or damaged your cards or for some reason or the card was refused ?

I know that trav.chqs can be replaced in a couple of days.
Also where I am going in June there are no cash points except in the main town which is a long bus ride away and I am not sure if it was compatible with my cards. There were some exchange places in the resort.

can someone enlighten me ? The last thing I want is any worry about getting hold of cash on hols. I just wanna spend ,spend ,spend.

blindman

You have found the weak link in the card theory.

I usually get a small amount of currency before I go,take the NW debit and credit card and another credit card.

Leave one credit card in the hotel\flat etc for emergencies and spend on the NW one.

I also phone up the card companies to tell them I'll be overseas doing some spending and they should not block the card.

Where are you going??

sunderblund

Nothing to stop you going into a bank and asking for a cash advance off your card with your signature had to do that years ago in corfu, Take 2 cards with you and keep one safe for emergency in a safe deposit box and keep the other with you.

Fortyfoot

sunderblund wrote:

Nothing to stop you going into a bank and asking for a cash advance off your card with your signature had to do that years ago in corfu, Take 2 cards with you and keep one safe for emergency in a safe deposit box and keep the other with you.

I agree, a few years ago in Slovinia we found that you had to have an account in Slovina to withdraw cash from a machine. We did as sunderblund suggests and got a cash advance on the card.

We also took cash and intended to use it to pay for the accomodation. Went to the bank with £200 and got it changed. They gave me currency worth £2000! Took the balance back the next day.

In Sydney over the Xmas period, before I got my Flexaccount, I only had two Lloyds cards. Neither of them would work over that period, so we had to use our emergency cash. No, I did not put the cards in upside down!
Fortyfoot

Yeknodathon

Yeh! Got my Nationwide card today for cheap, cheap $s! Yeh!

tightgit_2

sunderblund wrote:

Nothing to stop you going into a bank and asking for a cash advance off your card with your signature had to do that years ago in corfu, Take 2 cards with you and keep one safe for emergency in a safe deposit box and keep the other with you.

Thanks for your replies.
There are no banks in the resort that I can remember, only exchange places. Which means a long bus ride or car hire into the main town. Banks there close about 2.00. I know it's a waste of money, but I think I'll stick with trav.chq's this time around.

Fatboy_NSS

I never take cash abroad and always rely on cash machines when I get there. I'll admit that me and my gf have current accounts with 4 banks between us (she has Barclays and Nationwide and I have Abbey and HSBC) but we've never had to use our 2nd choice account. Getting cash from an exchange in the UK is a rip off as they charge you the tourist rate and travellers cheques are a double rip off as they'll probably charge you commission for cashing them locally even if they're in local currency.

tightgit_2

Fatboy_NSS wrote:

I never take cash abroad and always rely on cash machines when I get there. I'll admit that me and my gf have current accounts with 4 banks between us (she has Barclays and Nationwide and I have Abbey and HSBC) but we've never had to use our 2nd choice account. Getting cash from an exchange in the UK is a rip off as they charge you the tourist rate and travellers cheques are a double rip off as they'll probably charge you commission for cashing them locally even if they're in local currency.

Yes that's o.k. if there are cash machines handy. Where I am going there are hardly any. I have decided to take some traverllers cheques and also use cards.

tightgit_2

Well I'm back from a lovely holiday and I must say I was glad that I took travellers cheques. I was right, there were no cash machines in the resort. The nearest one was about 40 mins away by bus which ran about every hour or so. The machine did not take my cards. It cost me £20 to cash £1000 of travellers cheques. This may seem alot, but it was worth it for the piece of mind and lack of hassle. :beer:

I will get a Nationwide card before I go to Portugal, as I believe it is much more touristy there and I hope to be able to use it there.

pin

It all really depends on where you are going on what sort of currency to take. I always take my debit card (for ATMs) and credit card (for purchases). I also take some US$ Amex TCs ($100) and some greenbacks (again about $100) as backup. Sometimes take € and £ depending on where I'm going and for how long.

I also take a spare credit card. Also the backup currency options stay in my main back wherever I'm staying. I normally just take the debit and credit card with me.

I also normally change £25 - £50 of local currency in the UK just in case I can't get currency when I arrive to my destination.

Re lose of cards. I have a NW Gold card which means if I lose the card while I'm away, they will courier a card over to me.

markmat

pin wrote:

Re lose of cards. I have a NW Gold card which means if I lose the card while I'm away, they will courier a card over to me.

Would that be Nationwide or Nat West? I've just got a Nationwide Gold Card and I hadn't realised this was a benefit.