Which of my debit cards for spending in Australia?

huw01

From recollection and it's over 10 years since I was in Australia. Atms in aus offer you the option of withdrawing from a current or checking account,savings account or credit card. I always thought it only worked with Australian bank accounts even though if use a UK debit card it still gives you the option but I doubt they work. So for example if you are a commonwealth bank customer you could withdraw from your savings account. It wouldn't work for other banks I'm guessing and deformed not for foreign cards. I wonder if this is where the op is worried from.

CliveOfIndia

huw01 said:

From recollection and it's over 10 years since I was in Australia. Atms in aus offer you the option of withdrawing from a current or checking account,savings account or credit card. I always thought it only worked with Australian bank accounts even though if use a UK debit card it still gives you the option but I doubt they work. So for example if you are a commonwealth bank customer you could withdraw from your savings account. It wouldn't work for other banks I'm guessing and deformed not for foreign cards. I wonder if this is where the op is worried from.

But that's dependent on what account your physical card is linked to.  A standard UK-issued debit card will be linked only to a current account, therefore it can only be used to withdraw money from that account - irrespective of what the ATM operator might allow.

If you have a debit card linked to a savings account (I'm not sure if such a thing even exists) then yes, it could be used to withdraw money from that account.  But if that's the case, then just leave the "savings account debit card" at home and only take the one linked to your current account.

Credit cards - yes, you can withdraw money from a credit card.  There are reams of discussions about this, and it can be a good option in certain circumstances, as long as you're fully aware of the fees.

It used to be that Halifax Clarity was about the only one that charged no fees for foreign ATM withdrawals (as well as no FX fees), and the small amount of interest outweighed the fees charged by most debit cards.  I believe that Barclaycard Rewards offers no fees and no interest as long as you pay each month's statement in full, so that can be a good all-round option these days.  And there are now ordinary debit cards that don't charge for foreign ATM withdrawals as well.

[Deleted User]

CliveOfIndia said:

huw01 said:

From recollection and it's over 10 years since I was in Australia. Atms in aus offer you the option of withdrawing from a current or checking account,savings account or credit card. I always thought it only worked with Australian bank accounts even though if use a UK debit card it still gives you the option but I doubt they work. So for example if you are a commonwealth bank customer you could withdraw from your savings account. It wouldn't work for other banks I'm guessing and deformed not for foreign cards. I wonder if this is where the op is worried from.

But that's dependent on what account your physical card is linked to.  A standard UK-issued debit card will be linked only to a current account, therefore it can only be used to withdraw money from that account - irrespective of what the ATM operator might allow.

If you have a debit card linked to a savings account (I'm not sure if such a thing even exists) then yes, it could be used to withdraw money from that account.  But if that's the case, then just leave the "savings account debit card" at home and only take the one linked to your current account.

Credit cards - yes, you can withdraw money from a credit card.  There are reams of discussions about this, and it can be a good option in certain circumstances, as long as you're fully aware of the fees.

It used to be that Halifax Clarity was about the only one that charged no fees for foreign ATM withdrawals (as well as no FX fees), and the small amount of interest outweighed the fees charged by most debit cards.  I believe that Barclaycard Rewards offers no fees and no interest as long as you pay each month's statement in full, so that can be a good all-round option these days.  And there are now ordinary debit cards that don't charge for foreign ATM withdrawals as well.

Santander Zero offers similar functionality to Clarity to those who still have it. There is now Barclaycard & a handful of others cards. 

Fee free debit or pre-paid cards are usually the way to go for ATMs (e.g. Revolut is free for the first £200 per month) but most Aussie ATMs surcharge anyway. 

Angelica123

huw01 said:

From recollection and it's over 10 years since I was in Australia. Atms in aus offer you the option of withdrawing from a current or checking account,savings account or credit card. I always thought it only worked with Australian bank accounts even though if use a UK debit card it still gives you the option but I doubt they work. So for example if you are a commonwealth bank customer you could withdraw from your savings account. It wouldn't work for other banks I'm guessing and deformed not for foreign cards. I wonder if this is where the op is worried from.

Though the option appears to withdraw from checking or savings account, you can't actually withdraw from savings account using UK debit card. 

Card skimming can happen in UK as much as Auss. It's wise to bring a back up card (in case account gets block/card gets damaged) and not bring out all your cards (but I never take all my cards out with me in UK either). 

In reality, you probably survive in Australia without any cash - paying everything by card. There's not really a tipping culture. 

penners324

You won't need any cash in Australia