Best way of handling money for a mid-term stay in the US

Hi,
I'm going to be travelling to the US for just under 3 months, and I'm trying to figure out the way of handling money over there that will mean that I don't get as many charges for doing so.
I have accounts with Barclays and with Nationwide (which I believe is OK?), and am happy to open another account if I need to as it's for a prolonged period, and I'm happy to move money around, or recharge cards if necessary while I'm out there. I have a credit card, but I don't use it often.
I'm going to be spending on a regular basis on supermarkets, dining out, etc., I'll need to be able to take out cash for tipping, and will need to be able to fill up at petrol stations etc.

I want to know the best option for handling my money while I'm away. Am I better off taking some cash, and having something like the revolut card for my transactions while I'm there? What are the other things I need to consider in making this decision?
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  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,392
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    I put almost everyone my Nationwide CC. If you bank on line, you can manage a Nationwide current and credit card account quite easily ad long as you have a secure WiFi.
    Member #14 of SKI-ers club

    Words, words, they're all we have to go by!.

    (Pity they are mangled by this autocorrect!)
  • We've used revolut in the US without any problems beat never for as long as you need it to but I don't see why you couldn't use it though.

    Having said that the only problem we did encounter was we'd offer the card for payment which was accepted without any problems but had to pay any tips in cash as the tips we added never seemed to be added onto the amount.
  • Were you able to withdraw cash easily using the revolut card?
  • worried_jim
    worried_jim Posts: 11,631
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    edited 10 July 2018 at 5:30PM
    Were you able to withdraw cash easily using the revolut card?

    I used Revolut and Monzo last November in the U.S. in shops/bars/restaurants etc no probs. Also withdrew cash from ATM's with no issues however they all do charge for taking cash out so I only did large amounts.

    I now have a Starling account as well.

    Edit- just had a look at my Monzo account and was charged $6 by the ATM owner for a cash withdrawal.
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    Hi,
    I'm going to be travelling to the US for just under 3 months, and I'm trying to figure out the way of handling money over there that will mean that I don't get as many charges for doing so.
    I have accounts with Barclays and with Nationwide (which I believe is OK?), and am happy to open another account if I need to as it's for a prolonged period, and I'm happy to move money around, or recharge cards if necessary while I'm out there. I have a credit card, but I don't use it often.
    I'm going to be spending on a regular basis on supermarkets, dining out, etc., I'll need to be able to take out cash for tipping, and will need to be able to fill up at petrol stations etc.

    I want to know the best option for handling my money while I'm away. Am I better off taking some cash, and having something like the revolut card for my transactions while I'm there? What are the other things I need to consider in making this decision?

    Starling Bank; https://www.starlingbank.com/travel/ for debit and Halifax Clarity https://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/clarity-card/ for credit(and cash withdrawal if needed)

    Variations on the CC theme are Creation Everyday, Santander Zero and Barclaycard Travel Platinum.

    Nationwide is not ok in comparison and I don't know why some here are suggesting that it is.
    You would need a combination of a very specific Nationwide card and account to avoid forex fees.
    I wouldn't bother with Revolut or Monzo either, with their relatively low ATM withdrawal allowances.
  • Were you able to withdraw cash easily using the revolut card?



    Yes - though as like worriedjim we got charged about $6 for doing so.


    However reading up on it afterwards, I think it's a usual thing for cash withdrawals at ATMs in the US - I think it was suggested that you get cash back at supermarkets.


    In fairness though we only got cash out for the taxi back to the airport as there was a 4% surcharge for using debit/credit cards otherwise we wouldn't have bothered with cash as we used the revolut card wherever we went.
  • Neil49
    Neil49 Posts: 3,056
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    A combination of the Starling current account with its debit card and the Halifax Clarity credit card is a good option.

    If you withdraw cash on the Clarity card you will incur interest charges from day 1 but all you need to do is make a payment to the account ASAP from your usual current account (assuming you do online banking) to minimise any interest.

    Similarly with the Starling account you can monitor usage on your smartphone and transfer funds in from your usual current account as required. Transactions made on your Starling card will appear on your smartphone app within seconds showing the initial exchange rate. This is useful because on a few occasions restaurants in the US took my card away to process at the till. With an account like Starling the transaction will appear on your phone before they even get back to you so you'll know if you have been overcharged.

    I use the Monzo account which is similar to Starling but has a limited amount that you can withdraw from a foreign atm before a charge is imposed. I've used it all over the world and it ideal for foreign travel as well as home.

    Most US atms now charge for cash withdrawals. Thankfully I only got charged $3 in Las Vegas which I thought was high at the time.

    Hope this helps.
  • Archergirl
    Archergirl Posts: 1,762
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    Nationwide is not ok in comparison and I don't know why some here are suggesting that it is.

    Used correctly it is fine, Use the credit card for purchases no fee, use the flex account card for ATM withdrawals, no fee from Nationwide and we always use GESA bank for withdrawals no fee from them either.......... If you do get charged a fee it is NOT from Nationwide so what would the problem be?
  • "Used correctly it is fine, Use the credit card for purchases no fee, use the flex account card for ATM withdrawals, no fee from Nationwide and we always use GESA bank for withdrawals no fee from them either.......... If you do get charged a fee it is NOT from Nationwide so what would the problem be?"

    Thanks for asking this - I'm also curious about the answer.

    And thank you to everyone for sharing your suggestions and recommendations, it's all proving very helpful! :)
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    Archergirl wrote: »
    Nationwide is not ok in comparison and I don't know why some here are suggesting that it is.

    Used correctly it is fine, Use the credit card for purchases no fee, use the flex account card for ATM withdrawals, no fee from Nationwide and we always use GESA bank for withdrawals no fee from them either.......... If you do get charged a fee it is NOT from Nationwide so what would the problem be?

    Sorry, but this is nonsense. FlexAccount has a 2% forex fee plus £1 for ATM withdrawals. Only the FlexPlus does not charge for ATM withdrawals and that costs at least £13 per month the last time I looked.
    Also all Nationwide CC apart from the Select Card charge a forex fee for purchases outside the EEA.
    Gold & Classic CC which are not available to new customers 1%. All the others, except Select, 2%.

    You really need to be more careful when offering advice here, as people will come back stating that they got the dubious advice from MSE. Stating "Nationwide" without even naming the particular product, even worse.

    In case you are still in doubt;

    image.jpg

    The story about no fee FlexAccount withdrawals in the USA simply cannot be true. I have no idea why Archergirl would assert that it is so.

    Perhaps she needs to go back and look at her statements.
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