Credit card use in EU

[Bigjohneaton]

Just been looking at the MSE weekly news letter and in it he mentions using a credit card to get money from cash machines abroad something Id always thought as taboo bur he says that Barclay card rewards credit card lets you use it at cash points and if paid in full at end of month no charge so managed to get one and am going th Spain next month to try also no bank changes and good exchange rate so will try it out

 

[Charlie57]

Barclays offering a good service for the customer at NO charge???? Flippin' 'ek

 

[funflair]

Don't most machines still charge commision in Spain though?

 

[ceejayt]

Can’t believe that’s right. They are going to get you somewhere along the line.

So far Monzo has proven to be the best for us.

 

[LesW]

Don't most machines still charge commision in Spain though?

There are many that don't, but you have to double check.

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[royandsharont]

The problem in Spain is not necessarily being charged commission on the transaction at the ATM it’s the fact almost all charge a usage fee.

I have Santander Zero account, so no commissions anywhere in the world, but in Spain I have to generally seek out a Santander Bank if I don’t want charges. I still get the bank exchange rate on the day just have to pay for it, up to 5€ at some banks.

Never used to be as bad but has always been a problem there.

 

[tinkertaylor]

Don't use cash just pay the retailer with your credit card , one of the best ones for foreign exchange is the Halifax clarity card. Cash machines nearly always charge a set fee.

Always pay in local currency, don't allow the retailer or cash point to exchange the transaction from pounds /sterling. They offer poor rates compared to Halifax.

 

[MartinH]

Another one for Monzo - I use it globally and it does save a fortune in fees

 

[RandallC]

Nationwide.
Credit card for purchases
Debit card for cash
No commission charges and exchange rates on the day.
Oh and if a plus account for £13pm EU breakdown cover (upto 8m) and world wide travel insurance.

Absolutley crap savings rates

 

[Emmit]

Last time we were in Spain, the ONLY bank that didn't charge some sort of fee at their end was UNICAJA.

Please check before committing yourself.

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[Suenliam]

If you get cash at an ATM anywhere with a Barclay card they charge interest from that day. It may be no commission but you still pay interest.
Sue

 

[Barti Ddu]

Last time we were in Spain, the ONLY bank that didn't charge some sort of fee at their end was UNICAJA.

Please check before committing yourself.

Not easy to find banks that don't change local commission in Spain on ATM withdrawals, but some of the smaller banks are commission-free.

See this thread -

Thread 'Commission-free ATM's in Spain??' https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/commission-free-atms-in-spain.251071/

Commission -free ATMs-
Unicaja
Bankinter
Ibercaja
Targobank
Kutxabank

Santander (for non- Santander cards) is one of the worst for commission at €7 per transaction.

 

[treblid]

If you get cash at an ATM anywhere with a Barclay card they charge interest from that day. It may be no commission but you still pay interest.
Sue

That is completely incorrect if you use the card Martin Lewis (MSE) recommends. Barclaycard Rewards Card.

Top cards for travelling abroad

Going abroad, or spending on foreign websites? You can save £100s by using specialist travel cards for near-perfect exchange rates.

www.moneysavingexpert.com

 

[Barti Ddu]

That is completely incorrect if you use the card Martin Lewis (MSE) recommends. Barclaycard Rewards Card.

Top cards for travelling abroad

Going abroad, or spending on foreign websites? You can save £100s by using specialist travel cards for near-perfect exchange rates.

www.moneysavingexpert.com

Are you sure? - surely all credit cards charge interest on cash advances (inc ATM withdrawals) from the day you take the advance, unlike debit cards.

 

[treblid]

Not this one, providing you pay it off in full when due.

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[gus-lopez]

Where I live in Spain, I use ones in shopping centres.
'Cashzone '(euro6000).
ATM Cajero(ing) are 2 that I use that have no charges for withdrawing euros from either my Revolut or N26 accounts.

 

[Barti Ddu]

Not this one, providing you pay it off in full when due.

Fair play. From looking at the T&C's it looks like you're right. That's very rare for credit cards. Looks like a good option.

 

[Emmit]

Not easy to find banks that don't change local commission in Spain on ATM withdrawals, but some of the smaller banks are commission-free.

See this thread -

Thread 'Commission-free ATM's in Spain??' https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/commission-free-atms-in-spain.251071/

Commission -free ATMs-
Unicaja
Bankinter
Ibercaja
Targobank
Kutxabank

Santander (for non- Santander cards) is one of the worst for commission at €7 per transaction.

But note the date;

• Oct 17, 2021

• 
  
• Broken Link Removed
• #2

This is my list but they were all converting to charging.
Spanish free ATM,
Unicaja
Bankinter
Ibercaja
Targobank

I visited every Bank in Vera about 18mths ago and the only one (and there were many Banks) was Unicaja.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Will stick with my Revolut does all I need and no sneaky charges

 

[Shrimp]

Will stick with my Revolut does all I need and no sneaky charges

Me too.

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[TDub49]

Just been looking at the MSE weekly news letter and in it he mentions using a credit card to get money from cash machines abroad something Id always thought as taboo bur he says that Barclay card rewards credit card lets you use it at cash points and if paid in full at end of month no charge so managed to get one and am going th Spain next month to try also no bank changes and good exchange rate so will try it out

Or there again, you could just open a Starling bank account and use their card which is free and converts currency at the MasterCard base rate. I use one alongside my main bank account so that if it gets nicked or cloned or whatever, there is only a limited amount of dosh that can go missing. Would highly recommend it.

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[Barti Ddu]

Or there again, you could just open a Starling bank account and use their card which is free and converts currency at the MasterCard base rate. I use one alongside my main bank account so that if it gets nicked or cloned or whatever, there is only a limited amount of dosh that can go missing. Would highly recommend it.

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That's exactly what we do. We go away on the continent for 3 months at a time. Every week we are away we transfer an amount to our Starling cards from our main bank account. No fees for ATM withdrawals or purchases, great exchange rate. Makes budgeting easy. Takes 20 seconds of smartphone tapping to do the weekly transfers!

Still got to watch out for local ATM fees though; and ATMs and card acceptors that try and bamboozle you into accepting their own rubbish conversation rates using double negatives and / or misleadingly labelled buttons, rather than Starling's excellent interbank rate.

 

[Wonders]

Metro bank for us free use europe credit and cash card. Use it at deutsche bank for free ATM. Most others charge with this card

 

[Bigjohneaton]

I've also got Starling ×2 Halifax but don't use credit cards abroad unless recommended by money saving expert always have take his advise as everyone is saying getting harder to get free withdrawals in Spain so when I Find one can use four cards at the same machine as also have a chase card and all let you know straight away on there apps

 

[Old Barrian]

With a Halifax Clarity card, I usually overpay my bill before going abroad and then use the positive account balance to fund ATM withdrawals. Of course, you do lose any interest on your current account (if you get any) but that's not likely to be much. I think this may be technically against the T&C's for the card but I've never had it queried - can you imagine a bank turning down money being paid in advance?

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[Fragle]

With a Halifax Clarity card, I usually overpay my bill before going abroad and then use the positive account balance to fund ATM withdrawals. Of course, you do lose any interest on your current account (if you get any) but that's not likely to be much. I think this may be technically against the T&C's for the card but I've never had it queried - can you imagine a bank turning down money being paid in advance?

Didn’t think that was possible with a Clarity card.

We have tried in Spain and France atm and it won’t let you pay more than the amount on the card.
Although used card for every purchase in the last 8 weeks no problem. Also very good rate

 

[Emmit]

Didn’t think that was possible with a Clarity card.

We have tried in Spain and France atm and it won’t let you pay more than the amount on the card.
Although used card for every purchase in the last 8 weeks no problem. Also very good rate

I can confirm that once you have had a statement from Hx informing you that you owe them 'X' you can go onto your online account and pay slightly less than that demanded, again and again giving a surplus to be removed at will without interest.

 

[Kups]

Fair play. From looking at the T&C's it looks like you're right. That's very rare for credit cards. Looks like a good option.

We changed to the Rewards card when Halifax Clarity Card started charging interest even when you paid off in full each month. Barclaycard Rewards has been Martin Lewis's recommended card for use outside the UK for some time now.

 

[Rapides]

Used our first direct debit card in Europe over the last four weeks. No transaction fees added and you get the day’s exchange rate. Believe HSBC’s new global currency account operates in the same way. Don’t preload our FairFX any more, just carry a Halifax credit card as backup for when the fd card doesn’t work.

 

[VXman]

Will stick with my Revolut does all I need and no sneaky charges

Me too.

But Chase will do all that revolut does plus give you 1% cashback on all your spending too. What's not to like about free money!

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