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
Regards
Gordon
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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.
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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.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.
I have found if you buy euros with a pound credit card , it's classed as a purchase not drawing cashWith 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.
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'buy euros' ...I have found if you buy euros with a pound credit card , it's classed as a purchase not drawing cash
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
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.
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.But N&P don't charge anything for cash in the EU.
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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: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.
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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I ment buying euros from travel agents or whateverI'm not sure what you mean by 'buy euros' ...
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.
- 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
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