Hays travel card

Tammyuk55

We are going abroad for first time in over a decade (going to Crete)
i don’t have the best credit rating (although is improving) so have decided a pre loaded card is the best option for us
is the Hays travel card any good or are there any better 

Westin

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/destinations/

Worth reading

flaneurs_lobster

Would you be able to open a Chase current account? No hard credit check. Card has no transaction fees for foreign currency spending and you can pull £500 (equivalent) a day from ATMs,

Tammyuk55

flaneurs_lobster said:

Would you be able to open a Chase current account? No hard credit check. Card has no transaction fees for foreign currency spending and you can pull £500 (equivalent) a day from ATMs,

I was looking at this as my other option, think I’ve been over reading the advice on the travel pages
just a little anxious (& excited) about our first family trip abroad and want to make sure I’m prepared & covered for everything 

TadleyBaggie

Chase is my card of choice for overseas spending, no transaction fee, good exchange rate and also cash back. I used to use Starling for the same reason but no cash back.

NoodleDoodleMan

Chase is a top choice - and their customer service is excellent in my experience.

You can only operate the account using their app on an iPhone or iPad or similar - they don't allow it on more than one device unfortunately - I find my iPhone is ideal.

Nor do they offer joint accounts.

It can be a pain in the rear end to register initially - taking photos of ID and selfies !!!

Starling is also first class - and they do offer joint accounts with a card each.

I wouldn't worry about the cashback too much - unless you are a big spender.

DullGreyGuy

Tammyuk55 said:

We are going abroad for first time in over a decade (going to Crete)
i don’t have the best credit rating (although is improving) so have decided a pre loaded card is the best option for us
is the Hays travel card any good or are there any better 

What do you think the Hays card gives you that a debit card from Chase or Starling wouldn't? If you needed credit it may be different but given you are looking at pre-paid you may as well have a debit card with the possible exception of if you are hiring a car

NoodleDoodleMan

"What do you think the Hays card gives you that a debit card from Chase or Starling wouldn't?"

The only practical advantage would be organising the card via a real person at the application stage when visiting the local branch of Hays Travel.

Of course you are correct - to answer the OP's question, yes, there are better options as above.

Tammyuk55

yes i was thinking of ease of setting up (hays is accessible to me over other places like post office)

I’ve only just discovered chase since looking into spending options so knew little about it which is why i was a little hesitant 

it’s been a long time since we’ve been abroad and two with disability so it’s a whole new booking/sorting experience for us! 

but seeing good feedback and reading more about them we will go for a Chase account 

thank you all 

flaneurs_lobster

Nothing wrong with having more than one payment method when on holiday (in fact it's to be encouraged) preferably carried by more than one person.

NoodleDoodleMan

"but seeing good feedback and reading more about them we will go for a Chase account."

Good decision - as long as you are comfortable applying for and then managing your account via the app on a mobile device.

Several very useful videos on YouTube, for example

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lBFNkvkrE

One important point to be aware of - the 16 digit card number is not printed on the card for security reasons, so you are best advised to make a note of it and retain it separately. I sent myself an email with the details in case of need !!!

Their customer service number is 0800-376-3333 should you wish to clarify any points ahead of application.