How do you manage money when in France? (1 Viewer)

[Sue]

Just thinking of security..is it best to use cards or cash? Do you take credit or debit card? Trying to think of best way to do this so that we aren't carrying too many cards ( so less chance to lose them) thanks again for comments...

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Carry:
enough cash to get by, ie 300 € for 2 weeks.
Travelex card linked to UK bank account - no fees at all
Halifax clarity card, no exchange fees unless used for cash withdrawal

 

[Bill_OR]

Take some cash ( a few hundred Euros, perhaps) and a credit card that gives a good exchange rate.

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[9526]

We take a mixture of cash, Caxton card and our Visa card.

We use cash for "bits and bobs"
Caxton for shopping (and for getting cash!) we top it up as and when required using web app.
We use visa on the tolls and 24/24 fuel stations

 

[chaser]

Get yourself a euro cashcard , plenty to choose from here
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And leave your bank cards at home , you can load these cash cards from France over wifi or phone, then if you do lose them or get them stolen you only stand to lose the money you have on them , whereas if you were useing your bank cards you would have all the trouble of getting I touch with your bank or even having your account emptied, you can use them at any cashpoint for free, or just shop with them like a normal card.
Saying all that we do take our tesco credit card as well for emergency, hidden in the van , but with this they wouldn't get a lot out of it if it was stole

 

[JJ]

Small gold bars...

JJ

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[Sue]

Get yourself a euro cashcard , plenty to choose from here
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And leave your bank cards at home , you can load these cash cards from France over wifi or phone, then if you do lose them or get them stolen you only stand to lose the money you have on them , whereas if you were useing your bank cards you would have all the trouble of getting I touch with your bank or even having your account emptied, you can use them at any cashpoint for free, or just shop with them like a normal card.
Saying all that we do take our tesco credit card as well for emergency, hidden in the van , but with this they wouldn't get a lot out of it if it was stole

Thanks
Can you use the pre paid cards at the fuel pump?

 

[buttons]

We take our debit cards, if we need cash we find a cash machine. Garages and supermarkets just give them you debit card. We also take credit cards as these are a requirement if hiring a car or the like. Works for us.

 

[MikeandCarolyn]

Cash and usual cards,same as at home-why do we need anything different ?

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[busby]

Same as at home ,its only another country not outer space...BUSBY

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

Thanks
Can you use the pre paid cards at the fuel pump?

Mostly not. Use a credit card for fuel pumps and road tolls

 

[Emmit]

Carry:
enough cash to get by, ie 300 € for 2 weeks.
Travelex card linked to UK bank account - no fees at all
Halifax clarity card, no exchange fees unless used for cash withdrawal

But if you put your Clarity Card into credit (by paying off more than is owed on the card. Can be done anytime online) you can then go to an ATM and withdraw the difference without incurring charges. Done it. It works!!!

Also, you know those stand alone machines in the 'little shops' in french villages. I withdrew money on a Clarity Card from there. I expected it to be a 'Cash Withdrawal'. It didn't. It regarded the transaction as a purchase from athe shop therefore incurring no charges either.
Bon Voyage.

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[Lenny HB]

Use a Nationwide CC for nearly everything in France, they are far more CC orientated than the UK, as for cash a couple of hundred Euros lasts us about 3 weeks.

 

[namwaldog]

Try to accumulate some 1 & 2 Euro coins as soon as you can for water & parking on Aires etc. We try and maintain a stache of 10 to 15 Euros

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

But if you put your Clarity Card into credit (by paying off more than is owed on the card. Can be done anytime online) you can then go to an ATM and withdraw the difference without incurring charges. Done it. It works!!!

I used to do that with my Nationwide Credit Card - did it for a couple of years without a problem and then got notification from NW that they'd moved my Credit Card credit balance into my Flex Account as it was contrary to some legal financial regulation to use a credit card like that.

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[Lenny HB]

Try to accumulate some 1 & 2 Euro coins as soon as you can for water & parking on Aires etc. We try and maintain a stache of 10 to 15 Euros

Agree we have the ash tray tub with about 40 Euro in it.

 

[Rugeley Tim]

We have had a Caxton Global Traveller for years, it allows you to load upto 12 different currencies (if you need that many) and always has a good exchange rate. A word of warning if you intend to fill up in France, if you use your card and the transaction gets cancelled for any reason it can take up to 20 days for your money to be credited back to your account, I know this from experience! apparently the fuel station authorises a set amount (normally 120 - 150 euros) and unless the full transaction is completed the money sits in 'limbo' until it 'drops off'. Apparently this is the same for all cards. Unluckily I had this happen to me 3 times during my last trip and I had 390 euros 'pending' until well after we returned.

I will always use cash in future to pay for fuel.

 

[Welsh girl]

I never use Caxton card for fuel as they shadow an amount on it. Say €120 when you've only used €50 then you have to wait until around 10 days for that to clear. So I use a Santander zero credit card and pay that off every month. No charges then. I get cash from a machine every few days after topping up online. Never a huge amount though.

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[Zains Pops]

Caxton, Cash, Coop Visa and a tray of coins in the van for car parks some tolls etc.
The money seems to flow through quite well, unfortunately mainly out!

 

[Lenny HB]

I will always use cash in future to pay for fuel.

You may have a problem in the future we have noticed the new fuel stations are card only.

 

[Ethle the wondervan]

We have had a Caxton Global Traveller for years.

Wow! Deep respect!
Is that the model with the pop up jacuzzi and vectored thrust steering?

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[chaser]

The ops question was security, not what is the best card, for security surely the best is not to have anything with you that goes back to your bank details, such as a credit or debit card with your main bank details on, with all the trouble that could cause with havering to cancel everything or someone emptying your bank.
For that a dedicated euro card has to be the best, as long as you don't put too much in it at one go say a max of £500 that is all you stand to lose.
They do work at manned petrol stations and they don't take the extra amount that was mentioned earlier, but not at un maned ones, they also don't work in automated toll booths, but a bit of cash will sort these problems

 

[StitchesnFluff]

But if you put your Clarity Card into credit (by paying off more than is owed on the card. Can be done anytime online) you can then go to an ATM and withdraw the difference without incurring charges. Done it. It works!!!

Also, you know those stand alone machines in the 'little shops' in french villages. I withdrew money on a Clarity Card from there. I expected it to be a 'Cash Withdrawal'. It didn't. It regarded the transaction as a purchase from athe shop therefore incurring no charges either.
Bon Voyage.

thank you. will try both!

 

[Stealaway]

For a month away I take £500 in cash kept in a safe with passports etc. and a Halifax card ( zero charges! - nil! - nothing! and a superb exchange rate) for almost everything. I have been mightily stung to many times with other credit card charges.

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[gozomike]

Can you use the pre paid cards at the fuel pump?

I usually do.

Try to accumulate some 1 & 2 Euro coins as soon as you can for water & parking on Aires etc. We try and maintain a stache of 10 to 15 Euros

I sometimes find 10c coins useful as well if I only need part of a tank of water. Often I see 100 litres for one euro or 10 litres for 10c.

 

[DBK]

Dividing things up is also good security. Passports, spare cash and a different credit card in the safe. Sufficient cash for the day and a debit and cash card in my wallet so if wallet lost or stolen we can still survive, assuming we can get back into the MH and open the safe! But both wife and I carry our own keys so hopefully we could, otherwise it will be a brick and wrecking bar job!

 

[busby]

Dividing things up is also good security. Passports, spare cash and a different credit card in the safe. Sufficient cash for the day and a debit and cash card in my wallet so if wallet lost or stolen we can still survive, assuming we can get back into the MH and open the safe! But both wife and I carry our own keys so hopefully we could, otherwise it will be a brick and wrecking bar job!

Would think these precautions apply for every day life in UK. BUSBY.

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[Allanm]

I take my wallet just as I would at home, Mrs A takes her purse. We also have a French bank account and use this to draw cash and pay for things, we transfer money into it when the exchange rate is good ( €1.43 last time)
For security, we keep valuables and extra cash in the safe
Just don't take too much cash out with you, don't advertise that you have a lot of money with you ( as my Mother in Law did last month, paying for some veg in a market holding her large bright pink purse out, stuffed with €200 in small bills and dropping change on the floor!)
And don't get too paranoid about security, not every foreigner is out to nick your stuff!

 

[awg]

I used to use Caxton but now use Metro Bank. I only put enough money into the account for the holiday so it's quite safe it the card gets stolen or lost. I deliberately set it up with zero overdraft facility. No charges for cash or card use but I think you need to visit a branch (London and surrounding area) to open an account. I can also use internet banking to transfer money from my "normal" account into the Metro account if my wife hits a shopping spree while we are away.

 

[Emmit]

I used to do that with my Nationwide Credit Card - did it for a couple of years without a problem and then got notification from NW that they'd moved my Credit Card credit balance into my Flex Account as it was contrary to some legal financial regulation to use a credit card like that.

Don't do it when I'm at home to get money, but, to think about it, say I have £30 on the credit card account, I pay off that amount with, lets say £200. I have a credit balance of £170 and draw out £150 in cash and then spend some more a day later putting me back on a debit with the card, they're hardly likely to notice it because I was only in credit for a day or two.

They haven't knobbled me Yet???

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