UK resident - best/safest way spending in US

rnoon

I will shorty be travelling from the UK spending 3 weeks in the US, visiting various states. Can anyone advise the best way to handle my spending money, i'm not keen on having it all exchanged as hard cash, so looking at the following option:

$x small amount in hard cash and the rest on one of the following:

-Revolut Card
-Monzo
-FairFX dollar card

Or open to other suggestions. Looking to use UBER to get around too, so would be good to link one of the above cards to my account.

Thanks

Neil49

I would suggest a combination of a Starling debit card (similar to Monzo but without atm restrictions) and a Halifax Clarity credit card (if you are able to get one).

Use the credit card when checking into hotels or car hire (as they lock out a big chunk of your available funds in case you run up large unexpected charges) and Starling etc for day to day purchases and cash withdrawals.

If you have a smartphone and a data allowance that can be used in the USA then you can track transactions on your Starling /Monzo account real time.

You need a minimum of 2 cards but ideally more in case one gets locked out. Make sure you have their 24 hour contact numbers on your phone and know your passwords and other security details.

Aside from Uber there is Lyft which is a very popular taxi service. Try both out but get the apps set up before you leave.

Grumpygit

I echo the Starling card.


We were in the US for 3 weeks in May and this is basically all we used unless we had a prebooked hire car or hotel and had to show the credit card.


I only got charged twice for cash withdrawals (or maybe 3 I can't remember now) but it was no more than that and ironically, it was banks that charged me not the stand alone ATM's but there were no non sterling transaction fees for using the Starling card.


As mentioned, you get a real time notification when you've spent on it if you have data or they will appear when in a wifi zone and you're connected to that.


It was brilliant.


We had worked out that on our last holiday in 2017 to the US, that all the non transaction fees that we had been charged either by using the credit card more or debit card for cash withdrawals, we had paid over £300 over the period. Compared to the approx £10 for using the Starling card - that was a huge chunk of extra spending money in our pockets!


Because it's marketed as a mastercard - it was accepted everywhere - the only place that gives you trouble out there are garages but we found that it was the case with credit cards as well - in their automated pumps - prepaying at the till was no problem and if we had prepaid more than used, it was all adjusted when the actual transaction was finalised within a few days. I realise that you're talking about using taxi's but it's all information