Fee-free debit card use abroad

t33

I think the Barclaycard Rewards card seems the easiest as I already have a Barclays current account.  Am I right in assuming the B Rewards card simply appears on my Barclays online banking and would sit alongside my current account?  And if so, it is just very simple to pay it off by transferring between accounts?

I'll also look into Virgin as an option.

Thanks.

grumbler

t33 said:

 Am I right in assuming the B Rewards card simply appears on my Barclays online banking and would sit alongside my current account? 

Sort of. On a PC (Firefox) I see the balances of my two Barclaycards in my Barclays account, but if I want to see more, Barclaycard website opens in a new tab and sometimes asks to perform extra actions to login. In my Barclaycard account I don't see my current accounts.

In Android Barclays app I just  can see the balances and some details. For more information I have to use Barclaycard app. In Barclaycard app I can see current accounts and transactions.

And if so, it is just very simple to pay it off by transferring between accounts?

No. You have to create a new external payee.

t33

grumbler thanks for taking the time, that's helpful.

p.s. I think it might be on the cards that I took a plunge into app banking ...

jbrassy

t33 said:

I think the Barclaycard Rewards card seems the easiest as I already have a Barclays current account.  Am I right in assuming the B Rewards card simply appears on my Barclays online banking and would sit alongside my current account?  And if so, it is just very simple to pay it off by transferring between accounts?

I'll also look into Virgin as an option.

Thanks.

I have the BC Rewards and a Barclays mortgage. When I log into Barclays, I can see the Barclaycard's balance, but need to log into the separate Barclaycard website to see transaction details and manage it.

The easiest thing would be to get this credit card and set up a direct debit to pay off the balance in full every month. I would also get the Virgin account separately for ATM withdrawals and as a back up. You can withdraw cash for free with BC Rewards, but it will impact your credit file.

adindas

t33 said:

I think the Barclaycard Rewards card seems the easiest as I already have a Barclays current account.  Am I right in assuming the B Rewards card simply appears on my Barclays online banking and would sit alongside my current account?  And if so, it is just very simple to pay it off by transferring between accounts?

I'll also look into Virgin as an option.

Thanks.

I am not quire sure whether you are aware of, Barclaycard Rewards is a credit. I understand you are looking for Debit card to use abroad. So presumably for cash withdrawal on ATM ?

From the  name suggest it is not a good idea to withdraw cash using credit card. You might forget to pay of back asap and it will incur the interest.

Majority of Credit card will charge you interest in the day you withdraw the money. Barclay credit card is the exception, but I am not quite sure whether this card or another Barclaycard.

t33

Thanks for all input.  While I like to keep things minimalist and fewest bank accounts active (while accounting for FSCS of course) it seems the best solution might be two cards.

Debit - either Starling or Virgin M Plus (Virgin better as pays some interest if intention to have money sitting in it)

Credit - Barclaycard (as a barclays current account holder it seems I can apply online from within my online banking - hopefully straightforward).

So debit for smaller purchase items and atm withdrawal and creditcard for larger ticket items (hotel rooms, flights etc).  The debit card might be a good excuse to bite the app bullet for the first time to see how that goes.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

t33 said:

Thanks for all input.  While I like to keep things minimalist and fewest bank accounts active (while accounting for FSCS of course) it seems the best solution might be two cards.

Debit - either Starling or Virgin M Plus (Virgin better as pays some interest if intention to have money sitting in it)

Credit - Barclaycard (as a barclays current account holder it seems I can apply online from within my online banking - hopefully straightforward).

So debit for smaller purchase items and atm withdrawal and creditcard for larger ticket items (hotel rooms, flights etc).  The debit card might be a good excuse to bite the app bullet for the first time to see how that goes.

Thanks

I would point to Chase or Starling in the debit card arena as neither require a full credit check.

Both are Mastercard too, so either would compliment a Visa from Barclaycard.

badger09

Definitely a good idea to take at least one credit & one debit card for fee free foreign spending. I currently have Halifax Clarity credit & Starling debit cards which I’ve used all over the world. 

I don’t normally use ‘instant notifications’ but do like them on Starling so I can top it up if I’ve been having a splurge😊

Futuristic

t33 said:

I think the Barclaycard Rewards card seems the easiest as I already have a Barclays current account.  Am I right in assuming the B Rewards card simply appears on my Barclays online banking and would sit alongside my current account?  And if so, it is just very simple to pay it off by transferring between accounts?

I'll also look into Virgin as an option.

Thanks.

I dont know what others here are talking about but on iOS you can use the same app as bank acc and do everything and see tx history etc. I recently even downgraded minefrom Avios to Rewards via the app as well without any issues.

On the Pay & Transfer there is option to pay off your cc as well. 

On the site once you click a button it will automatically log you into Barclaycard from the main banking. 

t33

I applied successfully for a Starling card via app on 12 June.  Got the your cards on its way on 13 June.  On the app it says due 20th.  Still not got it.  Not in a hurry to use it, but don't like the idea of a card floating about somewhere.  Is this timeframe normal?