Barclaycard Rewards - US purchase from UK - fees?

cymruchris

I can't quite find the definitive answer here - so wondering if anyone has had any experience of purchasing online from the US?

I have a BC rewards which offers fee-free purchases when travelling (and even fee-free cash withdrawals as I utilised recently in Germany - paid in full immediately). 

I'm not clear though as to whether there's a fee for purchasing from a US website in US dollars from my armchair in the UK. (The product isn't available in the UK - and it's a leading website - not some back street setup - and I'm aware of the postage/import/customs fees etc.)

I just don't want to be stung for an additional non-sterling fee if the purchase is made here in the UK.

I've asked Barclaycard chat - but the chatbot drives me crazy, and the real human I finally reached didn't understand the question. They eventually told me there's a fee of 2.99 percent - but I'm sure that applies to the regular barclaycards rather than the rewards one. This is in my account T&C's under foreign usage - but is that foreign usage when overseas - or foreign usage purchasing abroad from the UK - or both?

If you've purchased from the US (or elsewhere) specifically with the Barclaycard rewards card for delivery of a product to the UK - were you charged an additional fee? Or just the regular interbank Visa/Mastercard rate?

eDicky

I don't have this card but I'm certain that it will not charge any fee or exchange markup when you pay in dollars online, it's no different to using it physically in US. I have made non-sterling purchases online with my Halifax Clarity, there's never any fee. Just make sure that the merchant doesn't bill you in pounds when your UK card is detected, you may have to opt out before paying.

cymruchris

eDicky said:

I don't have this card but I'm certain that it will not charge any fee or exchange markup when you pay in dollars online, it's no different to using it physically in US. I have made non-sterling purchases online with my Halifax Clarity, there's never any fee. Just make sure that the merchant doesn't bill you in pounds when your UK card is detected, you may have to opt out before paying.

Thanks - That’s very much my understanding - I’m just trying to make sure I don’t miss something evidently obvious and end up with a 2.99 percent transaction fee - the items are around 400usd. (I can only get them from the US - there is a europe division too - but they won’t ship to the Uk - thanks to brexit) 

cymruchris

They've just confirmed on Twitter that it's fee free... Whoever it was in the 'Barclaycard App Chat' that said it was 2.99 percent obviously wasn't paying attention to the fact I'd said it was the Rewards card - (and no doubt they should be able to tell that's what I have when they're answering my message in the secure environment of the app). I was a bit thrown when they said that - but luckily the Twitter account response was much clearer. 

Grumpy_chap

It's good that the OP has found the answer to the question, and the answer that was wanted.

One other thing to be aware of is that the transaction won't activate fraud block on the card.  This happened to me once by making international online purchases that showed as transactions in the abroad country and these were sandwiched between local purchases and flagged because of the implausible times being insufficient for the necessary travel.

cymruchris

Grumpy_chap said:

It's good that the OP has found the answer to the question, and the answer that was wanted.

One other thing to be aware of is that the transaction won't activate fraud block on the card.  This happened to me once by making international online purchases that showed as transactions in the abroad country and these were sandwiched between local purchases and flagged because of the implausible times being insufficient for the necessary travel.

It’s interesting that it’s gone through at their end (I’ve placed the order) - but it’s not showing in my ‘pending’ transactions yet. I’m not in any panic to get it though - so I’ll see how it all pans out.  Surprised there wasn’t any authentication - maybe the US doesn’t do that yet. It’s probably the worlds biggest photography retailer website outside of Amazon - so I’m not worried on any other front. 

born_again

Grumpy_chap said:

It's good that the OP has found the answer to the question, and the answer that was wanted.

One other thing to be aware of is that the transaction won't activate fraud block on the card.  This happened to me once by making international online purchases that showed as transactions in the abroad country and these were sandwiched between local purchases and flagged because of the implausible times being insufficient for the necessary travel.

Which no one will be able to give a definitive answer too. even they have access to the fraud system. Most reps do not & to be able to understand exactly what they see & work out the odd's on it happening. Even the guys that run the system will say. It might, it might not....
Far more likely to have a block on a large value john Lewis/Apple purchase than a overseas one. 👍

Grumpy_chap

I was just raising the fraud block possible as a point of awareness.

It happened to me on a trip to France and made paying for the hotel difficult.

Admittedly, bought dinner in Portsmouth, then gift for Nephew from online in Sydney then breakfast in France then car service at home (UK).  At lunch time in France the card was blocked.  

Whenever we travel now, we always use card at the port to give trace and don't buy stuff from other abroad places intermingled

john1488786

cymruchris said:

I can't quite find the definitive answer here - so wondering if anyone has had any experience of purchasing online from the US?

I have a BC rewards which offers fee-free purchases when travelling (and even fee-free cash withdrawals as I utilised recently in Germany - paid in full immediately). 

Sorry for going slightly off-topic but unlike other cards like Halifax Clarity, there is no interest charged on overseas cash withdrawals on the Rewards card provided they are paid off in full by statement due date - so no real need to pay them off immediately. The only other CC i know off which never charged interest on cash withdrawals (provided they were cleared by statement due date) was a Sainsburys issued Mastercard but that card was withdrawn donkeys years ago. 
HTH.

sausage_time

john1488786 said:

The only other CC i know off which never charged interest on cash withdrawals (provided they were cleared by statement due date) was a Sainsburys issued Mastercard but that card was withdrawn donkeys years ago. 
HTH.

Still have it, still use it! I do miss the £60/year travel insurance that once came with it.