Debit card for use abroad

WillPS

MikeJXE said:

No I'm not but I would think everyone with any sense knows a credit card is safer than a debit card 

Really, you think it's safer for an 18 year old going abroad to take a credit product (their first presumably) rather than a straight-forward current account with debit card?

Band7

WillPS said:

daveyjp said:

One option could be for an older adult with good credit score to open a credit card and add her as an additional card holder.

Although they should bear in mind that any debt the additional cardholder accrues will be the credit card account holder's to settle. You might be able to limit the potential damage by reducing the credit limit but that brings its own problems.

Monzo or Starling are better options, IMHO. I wouldn't want to be reliant on Chase alone abroad but that with Monzo or Starling as a backup would potentially be even better.

I wouldn't want to be reliant on any single source of money when away from home.

Ballard

MikeJXE said:

No I'm not but I would think everyone with any sense knows a credit card is safer than a debit card 

This is quite a generalisation. There are benefits to using a credit card but a level of self control is required and not everyone has that. If you’re paying for a hotel or flight then there’s certainly a benefit. Indeed a hotel I stayed in last year insisted on taking a credit card for incidentals.

if, however, you’re buying a coffee or paying for a meal then it’s really not that important.

I have three debit cards and one credit card that are good for foreign currency use and I’ll make use of them all on my next trip just to put some activity on them all. My preference will be for the debit cards, though, as I don’t have any big purchases in mind and the debit card apps allow me to annotate the entries but the credit card doesn’t. 

adindas

uncle-albert said:

Hi, is there an account available that'll alow my daughter to use her debit card abroad with no charges? She's 18 and currently a student and has already opened a HSBC student account but there are charges if she uses the debit card in europe. Thanks

Back to original topics. The OP is referring the debit-cards, as stated in the title and in the question. The debate between DC or CC is another matter. But keep in mind this is not an either-or option as you could have both of them  to serve different purposes. This is what people normally have.

But if you want to take out cash out from a foreign ATM, a zero fee CC could hardly ever beat the zero fee DC.

elsien

There might still be local fees if she’s using the card to get money from a cash point. Something for her to be aware of. 

adindas

elsien said:

There might still be local fees if she’s using the card to get money from a cash point. Something for her to be aware of. 

Depending on which country. In the EU, many (if not the majority) of the ATMs owned by reputable local banks, or international bank chains still do not charge for using their ATMs. So, at least for people who are doing research, they could still easily find the one that do not charge. Normally, it is the case with reputable local banks, or international bank chains.

For people who could, try to avoid using ATM managed by Euronet networks in Europe as they normally charge for using their ATMs and/or persuade, try to convince people to use DCC. But Euronet ATMs are normally located in strategic location in the city centre, tourist attractions where there is high chance the tourist might need to withdraw cash from an ATM.

Just60

My son has just spent several months abroad and Wise worked well for him, as he could easily keep track of spending and balance on the app and notifications each time he used the card. He used his bank account to top up and be the emergency back-up.

penners324

General spending abroad she should go for a Starling account 

gt94sss2

uncle-albert said:

Hi, is there an account available that'll alow my daughter to use her debit card abroad with no charges? She's 18 and currently a student and has already opened a HSBC student account but there are charges if she uses the debit card in europe. Thanks

As your daughter has a HSBC account, she can open and use the HSBC Global Money Account (https://www.hsbc.co.uk/international/travel-money-card/)

Otherwise Chase and Starling also offer similar debit cards.