Credit card for spending abroad

TwiceNightly

Just a quick heads up that 3 months interest free on Monzo Flex is now only available for purchases over £100 to new customers, it's been this way since August.

Bearing in mind the 29% APR on the card, if you're not going to pay off your holiday spending in one go then there are much cheaper options now than Flex - even the Nationwide credit card with 24.9% APR would beat it.

Marchitiello

There are some legacy cards (not open to new application) like the MBNA Horizon (which was issued to customers that previously held one of MBNA Travel partnership cards-mainly airlines), which it is also Forex Fee Free, and earn 0.25% cashback (Visa network). 

There are also the NatWest/RBS Rewards Black Credit Card (£84 annual fee but free for Reward Black Premier Current Account holders), which is Forex Free, earn 0.5% cash-back on MasterCard Network and Santander Edge and World Elite MasterCards, both carry a fee and can earn up to 0.5% cash-back.

As a side note whilst the OP mentioned that the intended use was for foreign Hotel etc:

What I often do is to use a CC at check in (or car rental collection) for them to placing the security deposit hold (it is a virtual hold), but at check out/car return, I ask to switch and close the bill with my Chase DC (up to the max cashback amount, even splitting the payment between mine and my wife account to ensure we get the best cashback).

tomxlisa

TwiceNightly said:

Just a quick heads up that 3 months interest free on Monzo Flex is now only available for purchases over £100 to new customers, it's been this way since August.

Bearing in mind the 29% APR on the card, if you're not going to pay off your holiday spending in one go then there are much cheaper options now than Flex - even the Nationwide credit card with 24.9% APR would beat it.

Shame this is the case now as I kinda liked the fact you could flex any amount over 3 months, thankfully I can still do it as was a customer before they changed it but I wonder how long until they change it for everyone. 

TwiceNightly

I just got back from abroad and after a lot of recent issues with my Halifax Clarity card I got rid of that and used the Nationwide Credit Card.

For anyone wondering, it worked perfectly everywhere I went. I didn't need to authorise or respond to a text to get it to work (maybe because I bought something in the airport before I flew, which I learned was a good idea a few years ago).

Everywhere accepted it, nowhere declined it. All the transactions show the currency amount, the exchange rate and the GBP amount for each transaction.

I was very impressed, it was the only card I needed.

penners324

NatWest reward looks good now

531063

penners324 said:

NatWest reward looks good now

I've a got a Natwest reward card, and the is a charge for withdrawing cash from a foreign atm.

NoodleDoodleMan

531063 said:

penners324 said:

NatWest reward looks good now

I've a got a Natwest reward card, and the is a charge for withdrawing cash from a foreign atm.

 There are very few credit cards (or debit cards) that don't incur fees for taking cash at foreign ATMs.

The Barclaycard Rewards is AFAIK the only credit card that doesn't - and there is always a likelihood that the ATM bank will take a commission regardless.

sausage_time

Chase and Zing are two debit cards I have which do not charge their own fee for ATM withdrawal.  Wise is 0-0.56% depending on currency conversion (or not) up to £200 per month.

I hardly ever use cash abroad in the countries I visit, so I use one of my FX friendly credit cards for everything I can.

NoodleDoodleMan

The OP is only focusing on credit cards for use abroad.

In respect of the MSE recommended ones there is very little difference between them in practice.