Halifax Clarity Card

stevio

is Halifax Clarity Card still a good card to take with you to spain?

Thanks,

Steve

BlueonBlue

Not if you want to withdraw cash .

stevio

So if we did want to withdraw cash (on a rare occasion) is our debit card OK Santander and LLoyds bank?

Thanks!

CliveOfIndia

Yes, it's still good inasmuch as you don't get charged an FX fee on every transaction, and you'll benefit from the Mastercard exchange rate (just remember to always pay in Euro and let the card convert it for you - rather than letting the retailer convert it to GBP for you).

But it's no longer the only travel card available, and others (Barclaycard, I believe, is one?) don't even charge interest for cash withdrawals if you pay in full.

But if you're not planning on withdrawing cash then Halifax is still a good bet.

CliveOfIndia

stevio said:

So if we did want to withdraw cash (on a rare occasion) is our debit card OK Santander and LLoyds bank?

Thanks!

You need to check.  Most debit cards will charge a flat fee for every withdrawal, which is why historically it was better to use the Clarity card - even allowing for a small amount of interest, the fact that they didn't charge a cash withdrawal fee meant you were better off overall.

Most debit cards will still charge you a fee - but I think (please do verify this for yourself !) that Santander don't charge if you use a Santander card in a Santander machine in Spain.

BlueonBlue

From memory in Spain using Santander cards used at a Santander ATM in spain is one of the few cash withdrawal options as all ATMs or most of the ATMs charge for taking out cash.
You would need to check current up to date info as the above could be wrong or outdated.......but spain is a trap thats my point .....its more differcult than other euro countrys when taking out cash as you can get charged 7 euro

jbrassy

Halifax Clarity is good for spending abroad. If you want to withdraw cash, use a debit card. The best debit cards to use abroad are Starling, First Direct, and Chase which do not charge for overseas ATM withdrawals.

Fingerbobs

jbrassy said:

Halifax Clarity is good for spending abroad. If you want to withdraw cash, use a debit card. The best debit cards to use abroad are Starling, First Direct, and Chase which do not charge for overseas ATM withdrawals.

Has Halifax Clarity started charging for cash withdrawals now then? Used to be the case that they charged no fee, only interest, which paled into insignificance when compared to the hefty fees charged on most debit cards when withdrawing cash abroad. 

eDicky

Fingerbobs said:

jbrassy said:

Halifax Clarity is good for spending abroad. If you want to withdraw cash, use a debit card. The best debit cards to use abroad are Starling, First Direct, and Chase which do not charge for overseas ATM withdrawals.

Has Halifax Clarity started charging for cash withdrawals now then? Used to be the case that they charged no fee, only interest, which paled into insignificance when compared to the hefty fees charged on most debit cards when withdrawing cash abroad. 

With Clarity nothing has changed, it's still as you say. With the debit cards that jbrassy mentions it's just simpler overall.

CliveOfIndia

Fingerbobs said:

jbrassy said:

Halifax Clarity is good for spending abroad. If you want to withdraw cash, use a debit card. The best debit cards to use abroad are Starling, First Direct, and Chase which do not charge for overseas ATM withdrawals.

Has Halifax Clarity started charging for cash withdrawals now then? Used to be the case that they charged no fee, only interest, which paled into insignificance when compared to the hefty fees charged on most debit cards when withdrawing cash abroad. 

No, Clarity is still the same as it ever was.

Going back several years, it was pretty much the only card that didn't charge an FX fee on non-sterling transactions, which made it a popular choice for use abroad.  And as you say, it also didn't charge a fee for cash withdrawals, meaning that even with the small amount of interest, it was still cheaper than using your debit card, all of which charged a significant fee for each withdrawal.

These days it hasn't got quite such a monopoly.  There are now a few credit cards that don't charge an FX fee, and I believe Barclaycard charges no fee or interest on foreign cash withdrawals if you pay the statement in full.  And, as noted by a previous poster, there are several debit cards that don't charge a fee these days.

So you have a lot more choice these days.  You could carry on using Clarity for spending and get a no-fee debit card for cash withdrawals.  You could use Barclaycard as an all-round foreign use card.

Or if you've already got a Clarity card and don't want to apply for any others, you could still use it the same as in the olden days, including cash withdrawals.  Yes, you could avoid the interest by using one of the other methods, but unless you're withdrawing thousands of Euros then actually it's probably not worth getting too worried about.

jbrassy

It's much better to withdraw cash on a debit card than a credit card. Firstly, using a debit card avoids any potential interest. Second, even if no interest is charged, cash withdrawals on a credit card will show on your credit history which may affect your ability to get credit in the future.

Starling, Chase and First Direct are all decent debit cards for withdrawing cash abroad.