Pre-paid currency card

Gloomendoom

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Why do people use these?

Whats wrong with just getting cash?

Here's pretty good reason...

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g190384-i9212-k11481866-o10-Burglaries-Paphos_Paphos_District.html#91292194

Three grand in cash. Stolen, untraceable, never to be seen again.

parking_question_chap

takman wrote: »

Plus you save money by using a card like Starling and it's safer to carry less cash. So why wouldn't you use them !

Depends what you mean by safer.

If you lose a pre paid card thats all your money until you figure out how to get it replaced, if even possible where you are.

Potential fees for withdrawing cash, and hassle of finding any such place in the first place.

Not everywhere in a holiday resort has chip and pin so you often need to carry cash around anyway.

Easier just to pay cash and walk out to settle up a bill or bar tab.

ATM might be out of cash, plus I often Holiday in Greece and with their financial situation of late I dont fancy being solely reliant on ATMs.

I did get a cash card once for a holiday once, by the end of the week I just found it more of an inconvenience than a help.

Gloomendoom

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Depends what you mean by safer.

If you lose a pre paid card thats all your money until you figure out how to get it replaced, if even possible where you are.

That is why all the advice on here is not to rely on one card. What would you do if you lost or had all your cash stolen? I suspect sorting that out would be a bit more difficult than contacting the card provider.

I haven't taken cash abroad in over 25 years and I have had no problems whatever.

eDicky

parking_question_chap wrote: »

I did get a cash card once for a holiday once, by the end of the week I just found it more of an inconvenience than a help.

Nobody here is advocating a 'cash card' that needs loading with foreign currency, if that's what you mean.

The modern convenience is in cards that only convert your pounds, at the ideal rate with no fees, when you spend or withdraw.

Having backup card(s) or cash is always wise of course.

NoodleDoodleMan

If you lose a pre paid card thats all your money until you figure out how to get it replaced, if even possible where you are.

And if you lose your cash, or have it stolen................... ?

takman

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Depends what you mean by safer.

If you lose a pre paid card thats all your money until you figure out how to get it replaced, if even possible where you are.

I would much rather loose a card than any amount of cash that i will never get back.

I have three cards that i take abroad that allow me to spend and withdraw cash with no fees and an almost perfect exchange rate. I have never lost a card or had one stolen ever but if it did i would just go and get the one i leave in my accommodation as a backup.

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Potential fees for withdrawing cash, and hassle of finding any such place in the first place.

Not everywhere in a holiday resort has chip and pin so you often need to carry cash around anyway.

I've never really found it a hassle to find a cash machine or to use my card to buy things abroad. I usually carry a small amount of cash with me anyway then get more if i spend it and it's always worked fine. At the end of the day if the locals can get access to money then usually i can as well.

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Easier just to pay cash and walk out to settle up a bill or bar tab.

ATM might be out of cash, plus I often Holiday in Greece and with their financial situation of late I dont fancy being solely reliant on ATMs.

I did get a cash card once for a holiday once, by the end of the week I just found it more of an inconvenience than a help.

If your changing a large amount of cash before you go then you will be wasting money by getting a poorer exchange rate. You will also waste more money because you have to estimate how much to take so either end up with cash left over to change back at an even worse exchange rate or spend extra you didn't plan to use it up.

Also as other have said we aren't on about outdated cash cards. I have two current accounts and one credit card that offers almost perfect exchange rates. I don't see how using these is in anyway inconvenient, having to change cash before i go and keeping it safe is far for inconvenient to me.

But even if you just got one of these cards and withdrew a large chunk of cash when you got there you would do much better than changing it before you go.