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Is Starling Best For USA Trip?

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Comments

  • Whenever we go we use our Clarity Card with a cash withdrawal at the airport for as much as we think we'll use and then use the card (or Nationwide Credit Card) in shops as much as possible.

    I'd make sure you have at least 2 fee free cards to use with 1 for backup.

    There's free wifi in most places so I always paid off the cash withdrawal as soon as it appeared on my credit card account.
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    There's free wifi in most places so I always paid off the cash withdrawal as soon as it appeared on my credit card account.
    If you access your bank acount via unencrypted public wifi, ATM fees and foreign loading may be the least of your worries... :(
  • Gerry1 wrote: »
    If you access your bank acount via unencrypted public wifi, ATM fees and foreign loading may be the least of your worries... :(

    On my phone with fingerprint authentication?
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    On my phone with fingerprint authentication?
    How does unlocking your phone by fingerprint authentication then go on to provide secure public wifi? :huh:
  • oli356
    oli356 Posts: 171 Forumite
    100 Posts Name Dropper
    I bought a 12 day sim from Amazon (search "Mostsim") when I was in the US last year, cost £23 or something, so roaming shouldn't be a concern. Of course there is wifi everywhere, but I typically don't use public Wi-Fi. Don't see it as any safer than using 4G... which arguably could be more secure.
  • djp64
    djp64 Posts: 194 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts
    ATM Withdrawals at WAWA petrol stations in the USA are free : ) Used my Starling card in September of 2019 and confirmed this.


    Debbie
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It's a few years ago, but there was no fee for using a UK £ Citi debit card in a Citi ATM. Most 7-11 stores had one. The Citi rate was also very good.
  • We used (almost exclusively) my Starling card in the US last May.


    The only ATM's to charge fees were banks - the ones found in shops, bars etc didn't charge at all.


    Like others, none of our cards, Starling or other CC worked in the pumps even when putting in the zip code of our hotel - so we just either prepaid or I hung around the shop until hubby had finished and I paid then.


    the notifications only came through when data is on or you're in wifi so no roaming charges or text charges.



    We added up the amount of non stg transaction fees from an earlier US trip and had paid over £300 in fees on our cc, whereas this time with the Starling card we paid under £10 - a no brainer for us.


    The only thing we had issues with was funding it from Lloyds - they wanted all sorts of confirmation on the transaction, whereas HSBC - no problem in sending money to there - probably looked dodgy - sending money from Lloyds to HSBC to Starling but that's what we had to do.
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