Credit Card Recommendations for Traveling Overseas (1 Viewer)

[MattWithMoho]

Chase all the way.... We did 90days in the EU Oct onwards last year & they give excellent exchange rates
We also have a FairFX "preload" card, as a back up, and because of the great rates.

 

[AandL]

This year our Santander credit card did not work in many situations. Luckily we took some cash.

 

[Bradders65]

Has anyone used the currensea card which is linked to your UK bank a/c so avoiding exchange rates etc.

Yes I used it on a couple of trips last year and will do again this year. I worked very well. FX Rates were good and got immediate notification of £ spent. Just remember it is a debit card not a credit card !

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[GeeCee]

You can use a Santander debit card for free cash withdrawals in Spain and other places. See this from their website - *We won't charge you when you use your personal debit card to make withdrawals at Santander cash machines abroad. You'll find our cash machines in Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and the USA. Make sure you choose to pay in the local currency to avoid being charged any other fees."

 

[Alan Atkin]

Which credit cards or prepaid ones do you use when travelling abroad

got stuck in germany last year had plenty of cash but the site at hamlen did not accept payment only by card via pay pal didnt have that either I

Which credit cards or prepaid ones do you use when travelling abroad

Sorry about abupt end to last reply We have HSBC internal card you just load it up and use it like another card it has been accepted every where we have traveled if you do online banking its great

 

[Cotters]

Which credit cards or prepaid ones do you use when travelling abroad

We use our Revolut card for most things, we have others as backup (First Direct, Starling, Lloyds).
The Revolut app is very good, the card is excellent for getting cash if you need from an ATM

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[Tonks]

This year our Santander credit card did not work in many situations. Luckily we took some cash.

I've always notified them before travel, and not had an issue using my Santander cards abroad. I think they say you don't need to do this now, but I'm not sure I believe them!
I also always take a Lloyds card too, and try to have Visa and Mastercard options as it seems some places prefer one over the other.

 

[Krumpli]

I am surprised and worried that nobody mentioned Caxton preload card. I've been using it for several years with no problem and the rate has always been acceptable.
A word of caution for taking cash (Euros) from an ATM. We are so accustomed to the message "Take your card" and then the cash pops out. At one particular bank in Greece the first message was "Take your cash". I did this ansd while trying to put the cash in a wallet and then put the wallet away the card popped out and within a few seconds popped back in. I had to abandon the card and ordered another one from Caxton which they sent to a friends UK address and they posted the card to me in Greece.

 

[treblid]

I am surprised and worried that nobody mentioned Caxton preload card

Caxton may not have any obvious charges but the exchange rate is not very good. They get there money that way with a stealth percentage on each transaction. Many other banks and card providers do this too so you need to check the exchange rate your card offers Vs the actual market rate.

We use Halifax Clarity for most transactions and Starling for getting cash from cash machine. They both use the pure Visa or MasterCard exchange rate on the day of the transaction with no additional charges.

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[Minxy]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Curve. It is an intermediary card in that you link your other cards to it, the transactions go through Curve then to your debit/credit card provider. It means that we can use our UK only cards whilst abroad (ie ones that make charges if used abroad directly) as they are charged via Curve in the UK so they think they are UK spends. There are various levels of card from free to costlier ones but with more benefits if you need them. We just use the free version which works well for us.

One advantage for us is that we have some 0% credit cards so can spend time on them via Curve and don't have to pay the balance off for a long time.

 

[Toskana75]

Currensea card linked to your bank account and gives you the full FX rate

 

[AlanandMayya]

Which credit cards or prepaid ones do you use when travelling abroad

We have Nationwide debit cards and a Euro account with a Dutch bank. I try to use the latter in France / Spain, to avoid currency exchange fees. Sometimes it wont work (Maestro system) while the Nationwide in £ does (Visa system). Vey annoying! Happens especially at tolls and unmanned fuel stations.

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[Fiddler]

Don't they charge you on the exchange rate they give you?

Sorry for the delay in responding. No charges at all, you get the Visa/Mastercard rate as you would with any transaction. Other cards mentioned do have the same deal.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Mrs CC has her credit card for emergency, unfortunately not allowed to look at thatbut I just use my Revolut for everything

 

[philann]

We use Barclaycard Rewards card, no foreign transaction fees, interbank exchange rate, cashback and no interest if paid in full at the end of the month, even for cash withdrawals.

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[jeddy]

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

Well worth a read. Everything you need to know.

 

[jeddy]

I've used Halifax Clarity for years but now other equally good options are around. My bank, First Direct, removed all charges for using your debit card abroad last year so now tend to use that. Still use Clarity for fuel just to keep it functioning. Payed off by DD each month.
On Martin Lewis's site you can check your own card for hidden charges etc....