What is the best way to buy in Holland .. day trip only

WLM21

My daughter and her friend have just booked a day trip to Amsterdam from Newcastle.

They'll have only a few hours in the city, but will need to buy some food no doubt and maybe a few other odds 'n ends.

What is the best way to do this ?

She has a UK bank debit card (HSBC)

I happened to pass my local Post Office and saw an advert. about their 'Travel Money Card' .. would this be suitable, or is it not worth it for such a short trip

thank you

daveyjp

Either change a few quid for euros, or open a Starling account.  Should take minutes if she already has a current account and she can spend abroad with no foreign exchange charges.  Travel money cards are an expensive option.

RAS

A lot of things in the Netherlands are card only. Where is she landing?

WLM21

RAS said:

Where is she landing?

Travelling by ship from Newcastle

WLM21

daveyjp said:

Either change a few quid for euros, or open a Starling account.  Should take minutes if she already has a current account and she can spend abroad with no foreign exchange charges.  Travel money cards are an expensive option.

Thanks .. I had never heard of Starling

eDicky

WLM21 said:

I happened to pass my local Post Office and saw an advert. about their 'Travel Money Card' .. would this be suitable, or is it not worth it for such a short trip

Certainly not worth it, trip long or short. Even with its fees, using the HSBC debit card would likely cost less overall and certainly much simpler. The smart way would be a Starling Bank account or similar, as mentioned.

Neil49

WLM21 said:

daveyjp said:

Either change a few quid for euros, or open a Starling account.  Should take minutes if she already has a current account and she can spend abroad with no foreign exchange charges.  Travel money cards are an expensive option.

Thanks .. I had never heard of Starling

Starling is the way to go. It's my default for use in the UK as well. 

https://www.starlingbank.com/

Hoenir

WLM21 said:

My daughter and her friend have just booked a day trip to Amsterdam from Newcastle.

A very long day !  Might as well book a cheap hotel for a night. To make all that time travelling worthwhile. 

MSE_James

Be aware that the Netherlands is a bit of an outlier when it comes to payment cards because they have their own system called iDEAL (apparently now on the way out) - outside of prime Amsterdam tourist areas, you'll find even some chain supermarkets don't take Visa/Mastercard. 

Doshwaster

HSBC debit card isn't one of the worst High Street bank cards. Overseas spending is charged at 2.75% which may not be too bad if only there for one day. Spend £200 in and it's a fiver in fees.

However, for regular travellers it's certainly worth getting a specialist overseas card such as Starling, Revolut etc. 

Most things in the Netherlands, especially in tourist areas, will be card only so you could probably survive without any Euros in cash

bagand96

The MSE article is worth a read: Top travel cards: the best credit and debit cards to use abroad (moneysavingexpert.com)