Halifax Clarity CCard

Takedap

I have a Halifax Clarity CC which I got at the recommendation from this site.  Several years ago, it was touted as being the best card to use for overseas cash withdrawals with no "loading (?)" for foreign exchange costs.  Can anyone please tell me if this is still the case?   I currently only use the card on very odd occasions just to "keep it going" with foreign holidays being postponed for obvious reasons.  Hopefully this will soon change.  If the Clarity card is not now the best, are there any recommendations for an alternative?  I already use a Nationwide Visa card for my main spending.

Thanks.

Ebe_Scrooge

It's still good for foreign spending, as it doesn't charge FX fees.  It's no longer the only card that does this : https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

But if you've already got one, may as well keep it for foreign spending if you don't particularly want to apply for a different one.

Cisco001

Takedap said:

I have a Halifax Clarity CC which I got at the recommendation from this site.  Several years ago, it was touted as being the best card to use for overseas cash withdrawals with no "loading (?)" for foreign exchange costs.  Can anyone please tell me if this is still the case?   I currently only use the card on very odd occasions just to "keep it going" with foreign holidays being postponed for obvious reasons.  Hopefully this will soon change.  If the Clarity card is not now the best, are there any recommendations for an alternative?  I already use a Nationwide Visa card for my main spending.

Thanks.

Halifax has interest on withdraw.

Barclaycard Rewards Visa is better.
Or get virgin money bank account is a good alternative debit card option.

Takedap

Thanks for the answers.   Is there a better card to use for withdrawing cash from an ATM?  Would it be better to use a Debit card (Halifax or Nationwide) instead?

Ebe_Scrooge

Takedap said:

Thanks for the answers.   Is there a better card to use for withdrawing cash from an ATM?  Would it be better to use a Debit card (Halifax or Nationwide) instead?

You'd need to check the T&Cs of your card - but most debit cards charge a fee for withdrawing cash from an ATM abroad.  This is where the "travel" credit cards win, since they don't charge a fee.  Yes, you'll pay interest on the withdrawal, but unless you're taking out thousands, it'll still be cheaper than the debit card fees.

You can lessen the amount of interest you'll pay by paying off the balance as soon as you get home (not necessarily waiting until the statement arrives).  Or even, if you have a secure wifi connection, as soon as the transaction hits your account whilst you're out there.  But you're talking about a couple of quid, and do you really want to be doing online banking when you're supposed to be on holiday? :-)

leonj

Takedap said:

Thanks for the answers.   Is there a better card to use for withdrawing cash from an ATM?  Would it be better to use a Debit card (Halifax or Nationwide) instead?

Starling debit card or even Monzo

Gerry1

Takedap said:

Thanks for the answers.   Is there a better card to use for withdrawing cash from an ATM?

Yes, Barclaycard Rewards.  As long as you pay by the due date, you can use it for purchases and cash withdrawals abroad with no charges or foreign loading.  It also pays 0.25% cashback on all purchases at home and abroad, although this is offset by the slightly less favourable Visa rate.

[Deleted User]

If you are only going abroad on an occasional basis then the difference is between Visa/MasterCard is negligible in practical terms.

Clarity does charge interest on ATM withdrawals and also recently changed their categorisation of cash transactions plus re-linked their APR to the BOE base rate; so has become gradually less useful from it's 12.9% APR start..!

anotheruser

Might swap to the Barclaycard as we only use Halifax CC abroad, very occasional purchases here in the UK.
Although the only benefit to us would be the 0.25% cashback, but that barely seems worth the effort.

jbrassy

Takedap said:

Thanks for the answers.   Is there a better card to use for withdrawing cash from an ATM?  Would it be better to use a Debit card (Halifax or Nationwide) instead?

I use Barclaycard Rewards for overseas spending then use Starling Bank for ATM withdrawals. Starling charges no fees for unlimited ATM withdrawals overseas. 

I appreciate that BC Rewards does not charge interest for ATM withdrawals if you pay off in full, but I prefer to use a debit card. Overseas ATM withdrawals show up on your credit report as I understand it. I'm planning on moving house in the next 12 months, so I'm keen to keep my record in the best shape possible. Other people will probably say overseas ATM withdrawals don't make much difference to your credit history, but I'd rather not out of an abundance of caution. Just something to bear in mind.