Halifax Clarity interest when withdrawing cash

Albermarle

NoodleDoodleMan said:

grumbler said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

ChristopherM87 said:

[Deleted User] said:

It's usually better to use a forex free debit card to withdraw cash  - it doesn't get noted as a cash advance on your credit report either.

Can you recommend one? I have the Revolut but that doesnt work on weekends.

Be aware that the ATM will almost certainly take a fee, 

I think it's a too strong statement. I've never been charged a fee. On few occasions when an ATM warned me about a fee I was able to find another one that didn't charge.

I can only speak from personal experience, mostly in Spain and Canaries - anecdotal reports online suggest that more and more banks are imposing ATM fees in other countries.

Also - do holidaymakers really want to trek around ATMs looking to save a few Euros etc. ?

Spain Summer 2022 - Every ATM I tried was charging, mostly around €8 
Greece - Summer 2023 - Mainly no charge, if you used the Greek banks ATM's rather than an ATM provider.

Nebulous2

I've been to Tenerife twice and Spain once since early 2022. Each time I've had no problem finding a bank which doesn't charge for cash withdrawal. Banca March in Tenerife and Deutsche Bank in Spain. There are lists of free banks available on-line and google will identify the nearest one. We don't sunbathe very much, tending to wander around taking photos and exploring, so a slight detour to a free bank is no hardship. The big company which provides standalone cash machines in tourist areas is consistently expensive. 

I take out 100 or 200 euros with my Clarity card and pay most of it back online as soon as it hits my account. The interest at statement time is then a few pence. That one hit often does me for my holiday, sometimes with enough cash left over to start me off next time.  I like to do that to keep my Clarity going, other banks have come and gone with offers and cards that get pulled or changed, Barclaycard and Santander being examples, but Clarity has consistently done what it says it will do. 

eDicky

ChristopherM87 said:

eDicky said:

ChristopherM87 said:

[Deleted User] said:

It's usually better to use a forex free debit card to withdraw cash  - it doesn't get noted as a cash advance on your credit report either.

Can you recommend one? I have the Revolut but that doesnt work on weekends.

Why doesn't Revolut 'work' on weekends? If I'm not mistaken it's only for in-app conversion that an extra margin on the rate is imposed during weekends.

Alternatives abound:

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

Do you have a real need for cash, instead of just paying by (fee-free) card..?

Yeah that's what I mean. Any foreign transactions on weekends will occur a fee.

So I am mistaken? Does Revolut now impose a fee on card transactions in a currency that you already hold, on weekends? Is the straight Visa or Mastercard rate not used, without markup, for a currency that you don't hold?

NoodleDoodleMan

"There are lists of free banks available on-line and google will identify the nearest one."

Could you flag up a reliable link please ?

Whenever I've read online reports they are often out of date etc.

Banca Marche are good in several parts of Spain and Canaries, where they have a presence - I've only once found a Deutches Bank ATM, however I haven't needed to actively look for one thanks to Santander in the popular resorts.