Banking problem on holiday that could have left me stranded

ThePirates

daveyjp said:

Revolut is not a financial organisation I would trust my money with.  

I've heard it said you don't know how bad they are until it goes wrong...
I've used them for years on holiday without any issues. 
I still use them for converting £ to $ when buying things getting the States (don't ask!)
Who woulda you suggest would be a better org to do that kind of thing with at the best rates?

masonic

ThePirates said:

daveyjp said:

Revolut is not a financial organisation I would trust my money with.  

I've heard it said you don't know how bad they are until it goes wrong...
I've used them for years on holiday without any issues. 
I still use them for converting £ to $ when buying things getting the States (don't ask!)
Who woulda you suggest would be a better org to do that kind of thing with at the best rates?

See the link to the main site article on fee free cards I posted earlier in the thread. For money transfers to foreign bank accounts, then Wise is a popular choice.

Revolut's reputation does seem to be improving, and it is in the process of getting a banking licence after initially struggling on this path. The issue is it remains linked to crypto, which provides an easy route for illegitimate money to exit the regulated banking system.

flaneurs_lobster

ThePirates said:

daveyjp said:

Revolut is not a financial organisation I would trust my money with.  

I've heard it said you don't know how bad they are until it goes wrong...
I've used them for years on holiday without any issues. 
I still use them for converting £ to $ when buying things getting the States (don't ask!)
Who woulda you suggest would be a better org to do that kind of thing with at the best rates?

Not addressed to me but...

On our current trip OH is using Revolut as their daily spender (avoids debit card fees), I'm using Chase but am carrying Zing as spending backup. 

Also have Amex credit/charge and another credit card as backup to backup (and can add some not physically present cards to Google Pay as backup to backup backup).

TadleyBaggie

I've used a Starling debit card abroad for years, never had any issues moving money from my main bank to it when away. This year I mainly used a Chase debit card instead, for the added cash back. Still carried the Starling card as a back up.

Brie

My biggest problem when travelling is if I have to do any banking they want to send a code to my mobile.  And because I'm travelling I get a sim which I never know the number for in advance so can't set that up on my account.

So try to move money, OTP goes to my UK phone which I can't access in wherever I am.  So online banking is impossible.  I've asked my bank how I can get around this and have been told flatly that I can't.

Net result is that I have everything set up in advance.  So if I know I will want money transferred from my bank account to my travel credit card I do it before I leave and guess at the timing for it to be on my card.  Likewise - set up any payments to any other accounts or for bills in advance.  

And in addition to my travel CC (no fees and good rates) I take my everyday bank account debit card and at least one other credit card.  There's fees on both of those but I've rarely needed to use them.  Ultimate back up (like you) is to have someone in the UK who can do things on my behalf.  

eskbanker

Brie said:

My biggest problem when travelling is if I have to do any banking they want to send a code to my mobile.  And because I'm travelling I get a sim which I never know the number for in advance so can't set that up on my account.

So try to move money, OTP goes to my UK phone which I can't access in wherever I am.  So online banking is impossible.  I've asked my bank how I can get around this and have been told flatly that I can't.

You could use a dual SIM phone, or banking apps that don't entail use of SMS?

Rob5342

Lots of phones support dual sim now, or a physical card and an esim. You could also get a cheap simple phone just for receiving test messages. All the apps ive used let yoi transfer money without needing a text message. 

Nebulous2

I've an android phone with esim capability, and recently used a dual-sim setup outside Europe for the first time. 

It worked surprisingly well, using the esim for data and the UK Vodafone SIM for incoming texts and calls. That meant I could still receive texts and incoming calls without charge, though outgoings calls would have triggered the daily charge. I received an OTP without any problems. 

There is an oddity with Santander faster payments where the dates don't match. At the other side of the world when the time zone is ahead of here, it will reach the 7th of October possibly 12 hours before here. The app tells you the payment has been made, but it won't actually be made until the time ticks over into the 7th in the UK.

That scared me initially, a faster payment had happened, money moved from my account, but didn't hit my other account for hours...

Brie

eskbanker said:

Brie said:

My biggest problem when travelling is if I have to do any banking they want to send a code to my mobile.  And because I'm travelling I get a sim which I never know the number for in advance so can't set that up on my account.

So try to move money, OTP goes to my UK phone which I can't access in wherever I am.  So online banking is impossible.  I've asked my bank how I can get around this and have been told flatly that I can't.

You could use a dual SIM phone, or banking apps that don't entail use of SMS?

well yes I could but my UK network would charge me about £5 a day for access and another £2 for each text received and a huge amount for any calls I make or texts I send.  So I am cheap and remove the sim and get a temp replacement.  I'm cheap.

eskbanker

Brie said:

eskbanker said:

Brie said:

My biggest problem when travelling is if I have to do any banking they want to send a code to my mobile.  And because I'm travelling I get a sim which I never know the number for in advance so can't set that up on my account.

So try to move money, OTP goes to my UK phone which I can't access in wherever I am.  So online banking is impossible.  I've asked my bank how I can get around this and have been told flatly that I can't.

You could use a dual SIM phone, or banking apps that don't entail use of SMS?

well yes I could but my UK network would charge me about £5 a day for access and another £2 for each text received and a huge amount for any calls I make or texts I send.  So I am cheap and remove the sim and get a temp replacement.  I'm cheap.

This is a money-saving site after all so there's nothing wrong with being cheap, but there's really no need to be incurring the sort of costs you're referring to - have you researched something suitable for your needs at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/cheap-roaming-calls/ ?