Santander Debit Card use in Gibralter

Leodogger

We are spending 3 days in Gibralter for my daughter's wedding in June and although we will be taking a few hundred pounds in GB Sterling, we think we may run out of spending money whilst there (we are staying with her in Spain at the moment).    If we run out of British Sterling, Is it better to pay for meals and stuff using our Santander Debit Card or else should we use a credit card, what would the charges be for either?

I know that if you access the ATM's there to withdraw cash with a debit card, you are dispensed with Gibralter Pound notes which if any are left over you cannot use in the UK ?    So which way to go?

daveyjp

Credit card with no foreign exchange charges.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

Barclaycard Reward should do the job.

Leodogger

daveyjp said:

Credit card with no foreign exchange charges.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

Barclaycard Reward should do the job.

Unfortunately I don't have one of those, the only credit card I have is the new Post Office Credit Card which is JaJa I think.   Sounds like I need to check if I can use that without foreign exchange charges.

eDicky

There being no difference in value between GBP and GIP (Gibraltar pound) there is no conversion taking place when a UK card is used in Gibraltar and (presumably) no non-sterling fee. So it should cost nothing to use your Santander debit card or any other UK card in Gibraltar. I'd be interested to know if this is not actually the case, having never been there myself.

Gibraltar banknotes are marked 'sterling' and will be accepted by a UK bank, if not always as payment by some UK outlets.

Westin

I think eDicky is right on the credit card use.

Pre pandemic I was travelling down there for work.  I used one of my regular credit cards and don’t recall ever having any foreign currency conversion fees.  Although charged in GIB£ the rate is pegged to GBP£.

Natwest is the dominant U.K. branded bank down there.  ATM’s plentiful.  When taking out cash (using a debit card) I never had any withdrawal fees.  Money obviously given as GIB£ but establishments always seemed happy to swap over with £ Sterling notes if towards the end of my trip I had too many local notes.

Leodogger

I have now managed to find the Santander terms of Debit Card use and Gibralter is considered "abroad" and incurs a charge of 2.95% for use in Gibralter.   So I have decided to try to manage with what I have already in GB Sterling as I have forgotten my alternative credit card and only have my Debit Card so will presumably will have to pay a charge if I have to use my Santander Debit Card in an ATM there.

Leodogger

Leodogger said:

I have now managed to find the Santander terms of Debit Card use and Gibralter is considered "abroad" and incurs a charge of 2.95% for use in Gibralter.   So I have decided to try to manage with what I have already in GB Sterling as I have forgotten my alternative credit card and only have my Debit Card so will presumably will have to pay a charge if I have to use my Santander Debit Card in an ATM there.

As a post script to this last comment, I managed to do an online chat with Santander CS and found out that they DO charge to use the ATM to draw sterling on Gibralter but do not charge for purchases as long as you stipulate you want to pay for the items in sterling.

eDicky

Gibraltar currency being sterling, you shouldn't have to do much stipulating in order to be sure of using it as payment.

Canny merchants in Gibraltar may be catching unwary Spanish tourists with DCC, letting them choose to pay with their cards in euros at a lousy rate - but that option should not arise with a UK card.