Problems with new FairFX currency cards

eDicky

thegreenone said:

eDicky said:

thegreenone said:

eDicky said:

These days it's really pointless to be using cards such as FairFX with their various costs, hassle and technical problems, when there are so many options for travel that are fee-free, provided by real banks and as simple to use overseas as in UK.

In fact any UK bank debit or credit card, even with non-sterling usage fees, is unlikely to cost much more and perhaps less than this type of prepaid currency card.

So my advice to those having such problems is to concentrate on redeeming any funds with FairFX and then bin the card, as I did about ten years ago. See the MSE advice for best travel spending options:

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

I prefer to keep my overseas spending completely separate from my UK current account/debit card, so use a FairFX card. I also have the advantage of loading it every month with a small sum for future holidays.  Yes, I could put this in an interest-bearing onlunt but I chose this way as it works best for me.

If scammers get hold of your debit card details abroad, you're stuffed and have a far bigger problem than shutting down a simple currency card.

I applied for a new card after realising mine had expired.  Nothing came so I did CHAT with Fairfax.  They cancelled the card and issued a new one.  A change of PIN but no other problems.  On receipt, I used it in a local Cash Machine in the UK and it then worked fine abroad.

Your preference makes no sense when you could follow the same course of putting some money away monthly on an account to use for travel, but completely fee-free, for example with Starling Bank, which would even pay you interest meanwhile. As for being stuffed if your card is compromised, would you be reckless enough to travel with only a single source of funds..?

This thread is about the OP having problems with his FairFX account and they did not ask for other options or opinions.

The advice I gave is, I believe, a valid final solution for the apparently frequent problems encountered by users of a card which I consider no longer fit for purpose when there are so many better options available. It is directed toward the various posters on this thread and the other one on the Currency sub-board, and those who may subsequently encounter them.

bunny_cat22

I’m having terrible problems whilst on holiday I had to have a Dr so to pay transferred extra money from my bank into my Fairfx account, I was with my daughter and she has a card under my account as she was dealing with the payment I transferred this extra £250 onto her card, it is still not there and we are now home. I was on live chat many times everyday to sort out on holiday they expect you to stay online for over two hours!  I have emailed 6 times and still nothing just a reply saying they willl respond in 1-3 days I have said in my last email I will take legal action 

Disney_4eva2011

Hi from reading other posts has anyone actually had any luck getting their money back? I'm fuming.......  We set up our account several years ago and the last time we physically used it was 2011.  We had a lot of money left over (I can't say to the dollar - that's the currency the money was in there) but is was several hundred.  We didn't receive an email to say about the change over and the first we heard about it was when we were trying to access our account and couldn't get in! eventually after several exhausting online chat conversations they reset our passwords etc, accessed the account and balance is ZERO.... now we have emailed them, spoken to them on live chat and they were "looking into it", issue is that we are travelling soon and quite frankly I'm disgusted that this has happened and there is no urgency to find out where our money is or transferring it back into our account (so we can withdraw and move to a better overseas card).  I'm honestly exhausted with it all and really looking for guidance from someone who has gone through this and actually got their money back.  we think we are going to have to go to the FO but again this isn't instant and quite frankly this is our first holiday in years we don't need this added stress  

any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

thanks 

Neil49

Disney_4eva2011 said:

Hi from reading other posts has anyone actually had any luck getting their money back? I'm fuming.......  We set up our account several years ago and the last time we physically used it was 2011.  We had a lot of money left over (I can't say to the dollar - that's the currency the money was in there) but is was several hundred.  We didn't receive an email to say about the change over and the first we heard about it was when we were trying to access our account and couldn't get in! eventually after several exhausting online chat conversations they reset our passwords etc, accessed the account and balance is ZERO.... now we have emailed them, spoken to them on live chat and they were "looking into it", issue is that we are travelling soon and quite frankly I'm disgusted that this has happened and there is no urgency to find out where our money is or transferring it back into our account (so we can withdraw and move to a better overseas card).  I'm honestly exhausted with it all and really looking for guidance from someone who has gone through this and actually got their money back.  we think we are going to have to go to the FO but again this isn't instant and quite frankly this is our first holiday in years we don't need this added stress  

any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

thanks 

Once the card has reached its expiry date, FairFX impose a £2 monthly charge on 'dormant accounts' (basically £240 over 10 years).

This could account for your zero balance. 

Disney_4eva2011

We had over $600 (well over that amount) on there and card only expired in 2016 😢 

Devons_best

Also had a nightmare with them recently. I ordered euros and transferred money into the account. When I last used fairfx four years ago this was pretty instant. They showed my money as pending and flagged an issue. They wouldn't release the money back or process the payment despite me sending them documentation. They finally cancelled the euros order and processed the money onto my card. By this time I was back from my trip to the Netherlands and they charged me £5 to transfer my money back to my own account. thank goodness I had some physical euros and an alternate currency card through my bank. I won't ever use FX currency card again and won't recommend it like I used to. Very frustrating!