Debit card for withdrawing ca$h (outside Europe)

DirkLewis
DirkLewis Posts: 10 Forumite
in Flights, currency & car hire
Hi. I hope this is in the best place - I was debating whether to put it in the card/finance section. Anyway . . to get to the point.


I'm going on a trip to South/Latin America (Argentina/Bolivia/Chile/Peru) this (UK) winter and was wondering what the best Debit card/account is to withdraw cash over that way is/.



Currently I have a Santander 123 account which is on the 'horrendous' for withdrawing cash abroad list. The only good thing about the card is that I can at least use it in Santander banks in Spain (with no withdrawal charges) - but outside of that it's pretty grim.


I want to allow myself enough time to open a new account if that's what it comes to.


Thanks in advance.
«1

Comments

  • worried_jim
    worried_jim Posts: 11,631 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Starling, Monzo, Revolut. Open them all instantly for free, physical cards will be with you by Wednesday. Job done.
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    worried_jim wrote: »
    Starling, Monzo, Revolut. Open them all instantly for free, physical cards will be with you by Wednesday. Job done.

    Why Revolut? I most certainly would not bother. The product is mediocre and their customer service abysmal.

    Starling; https://www.starlingbank.com/travel/ I would get simply because it's the best offer on paper. Then I would have 'Bricks & Mortar' as back-up: Barclaycard Platinum Travel VISA and/or Halifax Clarity.

    Monzo as a back up if no time for a credit card.
  • worried_jim
    worried_jim Posts: 11,631 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    All three are free so nothing to lose. OP can then try them and see which suits their needs the best. I have and use all three- both in the UK and abroad (USA and Turkey) never had a problem.
  • pramsay13
    pramsay13 Posts: 1,950 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    We are currently in Africa and deliberately opened a Starling account with a Monzo account as back up.
    Unfortunately there are times when neither work so I've has to use my Halifax Clarity.
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,573 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Revolut now seem to be issuing Visa cards for UK users, so as all my other 'travel' cards are MasterCard I feel its useful to have received the (free) Visa replacement for my expired Revolut MasterCard. .
    Evolution, not revolution
  • virgo17
    virgo17 Posts: 955 Forumite
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    eDicky wrote: »
    Revolut now seem to be issuing Visa cards for UK users, so as all my other 'travel' cards are MasterCard I feel its useful to have received the (free) Visa replacement for my expired Revolut MasterCard. .

    My wife and I received Revolut cards about two months ago within a few days of one another. Hers is a Visa and mine is a Mastercard.
  • londoninvestor
    londoninvestor Posts: 1,350 Forumite
    First Anniversary
    You mentioned a debit card, but are there circumstances where you would consider a credit card?

    I ask this particularly because you bank with Santander, and the Santander Zero credit card is excellent for travel. You get the pure Mastercard rate for both purchases and cash withdrawals, as well as being able to use Santander ATMs with no ATM fee.

    Useful in Spain (as you've already figured out), New York (it's the only way I know to avoid ATM fees) - and I believe they have branches in Argentina, Chile and Peru too.
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    londoninvestor wrote: »
    You mentioned a debit card, but are there circumstances where you would consider a credit card?

    I ask this particularly because you bank with Santander, and the Santander Zero credit card is excellent for travel. You get the pure Mastercard rate for both purchases and cash withdrawals, as well as being able to use Santander ATMs with no ATM fee.

    Useful in Spain (as you've already figured out), New York (it's the only way I know to avoid ATM fees) - and I believe they have branches in Argentina, Chile and Peru too.

    Doesn't save you from ATM fees in South America, Santander or not.
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    worried_jim wrote: »
    All three are free so nothing to lose. OP can then try them and see which suits their needs the best. I have and use all three- both in the UK and abroad (USA and Turkey) never had a problem.

    Sorry, but this is nonsense. They can see which will suit best their needs before applying for one.

    They asked about a card for withdrawing cash. Revolut and Monzo are crap for withdrawing cash abroad.
    Secondly, they last thing you want to happen if you are abroad, is to have to deal with Revolut's online 'çustomer service'.
    Waiting for hours for someone to get back to you and then being fobbed off with nonsense when they eventually do and then having to wait for hours to chat with someone else...
    These are the times when you appreciate a solid 'bricks & mortar' company who have people to whom you can actually speak.
    Revolut, at best, can be fine if everything goes smoothly. But if you have a problem, you will hate them.

    So, no, don't put all of your chickens in an online basket and certainly don't recommend Revolut for someone who wants to withdraw cash on holiday.

    I agree somewhat with londoninvestor about obtaining the Santander Zero CC; https://www.santander.co.uk/uk/credit-cards/zero-credit-card

    No ATM withdrawal charges from Santander and no silly monthly cash withdrawal limits as with Revolut and Monzo.

    So Starling Bank in conjunction with The Santander Zero CC is a good place to begin.

    Personally, I would take Loot.io in preference to Revolut or Monzo for a cash withdrawal backup. https://loot.io
    Again, no silly 200 pound a month limit on ATM cash withdrawals, but a far more sensible 3000 pounds.

    So my choices for the OP would be Starling Bank for Debit. Santander Zero for CC(though equally useful for ATM withdrawals) and Loot as a back-up card that can be loaded if need be.
  • DirkLewis
    DirkLewis Posts: 10 Forumite
    edited 14 November 2018 at 1:55AM
    Thanks for the responses.

    There's certainly a few things to think about there. I just wonder if applying for all these will negatively affect credit ratings.


    How about the Starling account? Is there some rule about how much balance you have to have or pay in monthly? I can't find that info in the article here that comes up in a search.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173.1K Life & Family
  • 247.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards