Debit card versus pre paid currency card

gweight

I have a Santander Select gold debit card. Is it cheaper to use this to withdraw money from a Santander Branch/ATM is Spain or to load up and use a Pre Paid Travel Card to withdraw cash
thanks

eDicky

Which 'prepaid travel card' do you mean?

'Loading up' foreign currency on a card is a mug's game when there are so many fee-free cards that exchange your pounds at ideal rates when used - see the MSE info. In particular, avoid any travel agent, supermarket or Post Office travel card, it would be cheaper to use any regular bank debit card.

Your Santander card may well give you fee-free use of Spanish Santander ATMs, check your T&Cs.

Any card can sometimes fail or be lost etc, so always have backup, even if it's your regular debit card. A good option is https://loot.io/

St_95

Have you heard of the "Revolut" card and app?

Take a quick look at that, it uses the interbank rate and instantly converts from GBP to the required currency when paying via card and/or taking cash from an ATM.

Lots of security features within the app to disable the card/magstripe etc. should you lose it.

Might be worth a look, I've used it all over the world and it has been an invaluable travel companion! :beer:

Alexd52

Monzo and Starling debit cards are excellent for use abroad, making use of the best exchange rates with no fees. Both are app based banks with instant notification of any activity.

huw01

With you select debit card you can withdraw free of charge at all Santander branded ATMs in Spain. These include Banco Santander and now Banco Popular ATMs as Popular is now part of the Santander group.

As long as they have the Santander logo on the ATM you will not be charged anything, you will get the exact daily rate charged by visa

Doshwaster

huw01 wrote: »

With you select debit card you can withdraw free of charge at all Santander branded ATMs in Spain. These include Banco Santander and now Banco Popular ATMs as Popular is now part of the Santander group.

As long as they have the Santander logo on the ATM you will not be charged anything, you will get the exact daily rate charged by visa

Just be careful when using Spanish ATMs (and any payment terminals) as in my experience the are just about the worst in the world when it comes to sneakily pushing DCC

huw01

The h yes, even your own bank Santander will try and offer youna crap rate with dcc. Always choose the euro amount

Doshwaster

huw01 wrote: »

The h yes, even your own bank Santander will try and offer youna crap rate with dcc. Always choose the euro amount

The problem is that the language used on the machines is often deliberately confusing . Even though I always watch out for it I still get caught occasionally (especially after a few vinos!)

You see things such as "To get a guaranteed exchange rate, press here -->" - the rate may well be guaranteed, but guaranteed to be crap.

Apart from Spain, Turkey is also bad for DCC being pushed at every opportunity. So much so that I use cash as much as possible to avoid the risk and hassle.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've just got back from a trip to Belgium and used my Halifax Clarity card multiple times but never saw DCC offered once.