currency abroad (1 Viewer)

[The rehctub]

Could do with some help as to best way to handle currency whilst on trip thru (France on to Spain for January ,February , and March ) with out incurring lots of charges

Regards
Gordon

 

[chaser]

Get a pre loaded euro card, lots of them , some funsters have their own favourites, but we have Mytravelcash, not the best conversion rates but there are no costs and you get 1% back on purchases

 

[hilldweller]

A good start would be to put CaxtonFX into our search engine, or maybe just Caxton. That will give you masses of leads.

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[Don Quixote]

Pre loaded euro card is best, too many people carry large amounts of cash ( and on one bundle! ) and the "bad men" out there know this. Take enough cash to see you through a week or so and use the card for the rest. Less to worry about. Enjoy your break.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Take hole in the wall cards for N and P or Nationwide building society.. work any where, no charges, good exchange rates....

 

[DBK]

More than one type of card would be wise. My visa debit card from Barclays gets a very good rate of exchange and no additional charges but I also use a post office money card which is pre-loaded, but at a poorer rate of exchange than I get from the debit card.

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[chaser]

Problem with useing your debit or credit cards is if you lose them or have them nicked is they have access to your whole bank account and you stand to lose a load of money , never mind the hassle getting them stopped and geting new cards and stuff, whereas with the eurocards you only stand to lose what's on them, could be quite a bit admitted but at least it doesn't get mixed up with all your other stuff, we have about £500 in ours and take enough cash out for the day and use it as a credit card where we can which is most places apart from motorway tolls and self service only petrol stations, and then just load some more on by phone or online when we need to.

 

[Judge Mental]

fit a safe (properly) take a combination of cash and cards (not everything in safe either) VISA always returns as near bank rate as you can get, better than any prepaid.

 

[jumar]

Santander customers get good deals on Cash withdrawals with Debit card, and credit card usage ( Not Cash withdrawals). If you are a Santander customer, contact your branch. I use this as my prime access to cash. Other methods I use cannot be disclosed on this forum.

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[cydersyd]

Nationwide Debit card is a must. No withdrawal charges, use any ATM in both France and Spain PLUS;
Free European travel insurance which I called upon in France this year for an emergency operation. No problem paid out as good as gold.

 

[DanielFord]

+1 on Nationwide, but also a Euro cash card. We use both, it really is the best of both worlds.

 

[The rehctub]

All advice very much appreciated, great more knowledge about taking funds with us ,thanks to all your replies

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[Minxy]

Nationwide Debit card is a must. No withdrawal charges, use any ATM in both France and Spain PLUS; Free European travel insurance which I called upon in France this year for an emergency operation. No problem paid out as good as gold.

Nationwide debit card cash withdrawals are NOT FREE if you don't have a current account with them for which you pay a monthly fee. Credit card cash withdrawals are not free 'normally' either:

Nationwide - Purchases abroad:

• debit card: 2% commission.
• credit card: no commission for purchases IF you have earned a sufficient 'allowance' to offset it, otherwise 2%.

Cash withdrawals abroad:

• debit card: 2% commission plus £1 transaction fee
• credit card: 2.5% commission of the cash amount (minimun £3) plus interest on the whole amount from the day you draw out the cash at an ATM

See the below link and click on the tabs to see more details if required:

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/support/travel/fees-charges#xtab:fees​

 

[chaser]

There's no way of getting anything free , or any great difference between the cards but my point was security of your bank account and not carrying a lot of cash on you with the euro cash cards, and on the point of conversion you can load up your euro card at favourable rates any time that they look good.

 

[Emmit]

We have a Halifax Clarity Credit card. We also have a Halifax current account.
We loaded the CC with cash so that we were in credit. We drew money out on it so that even after we'ed done it we were still in credit and continued that way until we got back, making sure that we were in credit, feeding it from the Current Account online. (not much)LOL.
We were not charged anything and we got the perfect rate on both cash and purchases.
PS. On day 1 I went into a Spar type shop in a village. I was hoping to find an ATM in the village but there wasn't one. The Spar type shop had a stand alone ATM inside, the type that screws you in the UK.
I drew out €140 expecting it to be treated as a cash withdrawal but, later on the hols. I discovered that it had been treated as a purchase of goods. Result!!!

To confirm, we were NOT charged to remove cash and we were NOT charged anything on purchases. The rate we got was not just good. It was the Interbank Rate for that day.

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[Minxy]

We have CaxtonFX, FairFX and Ukash cards which offer the following:

• Fee-free purchases
• 'Chip & PIN' secure

The top-up amounts methods and some fees are slightly different:

CaxtonFX - European Traveller Card: https://www.caxtonfx.com/currency-cards/how-they-work

• Minimum load = £100/€150
• Load the card using your UK debit card online, by phone, or via SMS text
• Withdraw cash at ATMs without charge in card usage zones (some ATM providers may charge)

FairFX - Euro Currency Card: https://www.fairfx.com/product/cards

• Minimum load = £50/€60
• Load the card using your UK debit card by phone or via SMS text (NOT online)
• Note that there is now a €1.50 fee for ATM withdrawals which it didn't use to have (some ATM providers may charge also)

UKCash - Travel Money Card: https://www.ukash.com/en-GB/products/travelmoneycard/

• Minimum load = £50
• Load the card using your UK debit card online only
• Withdraw cash at ATMs without charge in card usage zones (some ATM providers may charge)

 

[Minxy]

We have a Halifax Clarity Credit card. We also have a Halifax current account.
We loaded the CC with cash so that we were in credit. We drew money out on it so that even after we'ed done it we were still in credit and continued that way until we got back, making sure that we were in credit, feeding it from the Current Account online. (not much)LOL.
We were not charged anything and we got the perfect rate on both cash and purchases.
PS. On day 1 I went into a Spar type shop in a village. I was hoping to find an ATM in the village but there wasn't one. The Spar type shop had a stand alone ATM inside, the type that screws you in the UK.
I drew out €140 expecting it to be treated as a cash withdrawal but, later on the hols. I discovered that it had been treated as a purchase of goods. Result!!!

To confirm, we were NOT charged to remove cash and we were NOT charged anything on purchases. The rate we got was not just good. It was the Interbank Rate for that day.

With the exception of the 'anomaly' of the machine you used in the Spar shop, if you draw out cash at an ATM with your credit card you would be charged interest from the day you take out the money .... so there is a charge.

How much will I be charged for withdrawing cash abroad?​

You will not be charged a fee by us for withdrawing cash from an ATM (cashpoint) anywhere in the world. Some ATM providers charge a fee, but this should be made clear to you at the time of withdrawal and is unfortunately outside of our control. You will still be charged interest from the date that the withdrawal is made, but unlike some credit cards which charge a higher rate of cash, you will be charged the same competitive rate as if you had made a purchase.​

http://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/clarity-card/#foreign_exchange

 

[chaser]

With the exception of the 'anomaly' of the machine you used in the Spar shop, if you draw out cash at an ATM with your credit card you would be charged interest from the day you take out the money .... so there is a charge.

I have found if you buy euros with a pound credit card , it's classed as a purchase not drawing cash

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[mariner]

Some people just don't seem able to work out what it's costing them to get cash whilst abroad.
As far as I know there is only one debit card that is totally free of charges and that is the N&P one. I don't believe there are any credit cards at all, that provide totally free cash withdrawal.
All the others appear to have a cost, even if it's a monthly account fee.
I'm sure, that if there are some that are totally free, some one will enlighten me.

 

[Speve]

We try to use our Post office credit card for fuel,groceries and any larger amounts as it does not cost anything as long as you pay it off monthly,we have a safe and take what cash we need.

 

[Minxy]

I have found if you buy euros with a pound credit card , it's classed as a purchase not drawing cash

I'm not sure what you mean by 'buy euros' ...

• if you mean 'topping-up' a cash card with a credit card then there is a charge from the cash card provider
• if you mean getting euros out of an ATM using your credit card this will depend on the credit card provider's charges but you will incur interest if it is ever classed as cash instead of a purchase

As I've never used a credit card to obtain euros from an ATM I can only go by what the credit card providers say and that is that it is classed as cash and charged interest and fees as appropriate.

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[normanandsue]

Take hole in the wall cards for N and P or Nationwide building society.. work any where, no charges, good exchange rates....

Regret not so! Nationwide make a charge to withdraw cash from hole in the wall when abroad.
Use Nationwide credit card for all purchases in France as you get the best conversion rate and no charges for use.
Load up a cash card with euros and use that from a hole in the wall and there are no charges. We used Thomas Cook as it was a good rate then. Shop around esp at cash shops for the best rates.

Norman

 

[mariner]

Regret not so! Nationwide make a charge to withdraw cash from hole in the wall when abroad.
Use Nationwide credit card for all purchases in France as you get the best conversion rate and no charges for use.
Load up a cash card with euros and use that from a hole in the wall and there are no charges. We used Thomas Cook as it was a good rate then. Shop around esp at cash shops for the best rates.

Norman

But N&P don't charge anything for cash in the EU.

 

[DrRogerRam]

We use a Nationwide FlexPlus Debit Card for cash withdrawals (fee paying, interest earning for the account) & a Nationwide Select credit card for purchases. No charges for either assuming you clear the credit card at the end of the month.

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[Minxy]

Some people just don't seem able to work out what it's costing them to get cash whilst abroad.
As far as I know there is only one debit card that is totally free of charges and that is the N&P one. I don't believe there are any credit cards at all, that provide totally free cash withdrawal.
All the others appear to have a cost, even if it's a monthly account fee.
I'm sure, that if there are some that are totally free, some one will enlighten me.

But N&P don't charge anything for cash in the EU.

Not quite that clear cut ... it depends on which account you have with them and you still have to meet their terms to get it 'free' or pay a monthly charge.

The Gold Start Current Account
Please note that charges do apply for using a debit card abroad on the Gold Start Current Account = £2.00 for cash withdrawals and £0.75 for purchases.

The Gold Start Current Account is suitable if you make at least 5 transactions a month on the account.

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The Gold Classic Current Account
All our Gold Classic Current Account holders are entitled to use their debit card for transactions abroad with no charges. Please note an overseas ATM or retailer may add a charge. You would be told about this at the time of transaction.

It is suitable if you are paying at least £500 per month into the account or holding an average balance of at least £5000, otherwise a £5 monthly account charge will apply.

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[Minxy]

We use a Nationwide FlexPlus Debit Card for cash withdrawals (fee paying, interest earning for the account) & a Nationwide Select credit card for purchases. No charges for either assuming you clear the credit card at the end of the month.

But there IS a charge for using the Nationwide FlexPlus debit card and the Credit Card!!! Please read my posting #13 earlier and/or the below info:

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/support/travel/fees-charges#xtab:fees

 

[mariner]

Not quite that clear cut ... it depends on which account you have with them and you still have to meet their terms to get it 'free' or pay a monthly charge.

The Gold Start Current Account
Please note that charges do apply for using a debit card abroad on the Gold Start Current Account = £2.00 for cash withdrawals and £0.75 for purchases.

The Gold Start Current Account is suitable if you make at least 5 transactions a month on the account.

Broken Link Removed

The Gold Classic Current Account
All our Gold Classic Current Account holders are entitled to use their debit card for transactions abroad with no charges. Please note an overseas ATM or retailer may add a charge. You would be told about this at the time of transaction.

It is suitable if you are paying at least £500 per month into the account or holding an average balance of at least £5000, otherwise a £5 monthly account charge will apply.

Broken Link Removed

So as I stated, my Gold A/C Debit Card is free.
Putting £500 a month in should be no problem to anyone as you can take it straight back out again.
I use mine in the winter in Spain and should I happen to travel in Europe in the summer.

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[DrRogerRam]

I did read your post & your link. However, if you follow your link & select FlexPlus & the Select Credit Card you will find my post is accurate...

 

[lou020]

caxton card for me, very easy to top up and very good rates.....i never use my santander debit card for any thing, unless emergency as you're charged twice,, a conversion fee + transaction fee.. my santander zero credit card is brilliant though with no fees,,i use this for tolls and fuel,,although i think they have stopped doing the zero card now for new applicants.

 

[chaser]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'buy euros' ...

• if you mean 'topping-up' a cash card with a credit card then there is a charge from the cash card provider
• if you mean getting euros out of an ATM using your credit card this will depend on the credit card provider's charges but you will incur interest if it is ever classed as cash instead of a purchase

As I've never used a credit card to obtain euros from an ATM I can only go by what the credit card providers say and that is that it is classed as cash and charged interest and fees as appropriate.

I ment buying euros from travel agents or whatever

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