currency abroad (1 Viewer)

[2657]

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.

£10 a month is not free, I am aware of the other benefits included.

N&P Gold A/C for cash, Halifax Clarity card for purchases or Nationwide credit card but I think this is only fee free if you have N/W current A/C but stand open to correction.

I spend 9 months of the year and use all of these, fee free and full bank exchange rates, needs organising but worth it for us.

 

[Minxy]

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...

... but only if you have the Flex Plus account and pay £10 a month ... so it is NOT totally free!

 

[Minxy]

£10 a month is not free, I am aware of the other benefits included.

N&P Gold A/C for cash, Halifax Clarity card for purchases or Nationwide credit card but I think this is only fee free if you have N/W current A/C but stand open to correction.

I spend 9 months of the year and use all of these, fee free and full bank exchange rates, needs organising but worth it for us.

Yes you have to have an account to qualify for it:

To apply for our Nationwide Select Credit Card you must be a main current account customer. This means you either:​

1. 1. Hold a FlexOne account and be aged 18 or over, or hold a FlexAccount with a Visa debit card (not cash card or cash card+) and have:
      1. Been paying in £750+ a month for the last 3 months (excluding internal transfers);
         or
      2. Completed an account switch to us (from a non-Nationwide account) using our Current Account Switch Team in the last 4 months; or
   2. Hold a FlexDirect or FlexPlus account

In order to earn cashback you must remain a main current account customer.​

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[Minxy]

If anyone is interested today the exchange rate on Ukash is €1.2772 which is the highest its been for over 2 years apparently due to the problems in Greece (Caxton is €1.2554).

 

[chaser]

If anyone is interested today the exchange rate on Ukash is €1.2772 which is the highest its been for over 2 years apparently due to the problems in Greece (Caxton is €1.2554).

Mytravelcash 1.2456

 

[PhilandMena]

As others have said, Caxton. Basically your buying euros at an agreed exchange rate. These Euro's sit in your account which you can then draw upon in Europe in either cash (from hole in the walls) or purchases with no additional charges.
The only down side is they will not be accepted at unmanned fuel stations (as is many debit cards from the UK anyway).
The best thing about Caxton is that you can buy when the rate is in your favor and the Euro's are there to be drawn upon regardless of what happens to the rate of exchange.

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[mariner]

If one was that good at predicting trends in the currency market, they would be way past their first million pounds by now.

 

[ASel]

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.

Cumberland Building Society has no charges but you need to live in Cumbria or Dumfries & Galloway to get one.

 

[PhilandMena]

There are no charges for using a Caxton debit card.

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[chaser]

There's always a long thread about this when it comes up but basicly there's only pence difference whichever card you use , the main benifit is security in my view, and they all work pretty much the same and very well but the benifits don't still apply on your main credit card or debit card, as I stated before if lost or stolen you have all the trouble stopping them or looseing all the money in your bank account.

 

[denisejoe]

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.

Not true - I use Metrobank which gives FREE withdrawals on debit card. I carry a Nationwide debit card as back up.

Also use Metrobank credit card, Nationwide credit card and Saga credit card, none of which charge when used for purchases.

Denise

 

[denisejoe]

If anyone is interested today the exchange rate on Ukash is €1.2772 which is the highest its been for over 2 years apparently due to the problems in Greece (Caxton is €1.2554).

Might be the highest for Ukash but we got over €1.28 early December using Metrobank Credit Card.

Denise

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[SUGGY]

Halifax Clarity Card .. job done ,

 

[Bertie Bassett]

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

As Roger Ram has said there is NO fee for withdrawing cash or making purchases on a nationwide Flexplus card there are no charges for using the Select credit card for purchases. Plus the rate of exchange is the Visa interbank rate of the day.

 

[Bertie Bassett]

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.

True, Roger and we use the same pair of cards. Some are stating that there is a charge because there's an account fee of £10 a month which is a little disingenous. £10 monthly whilst getting 3 % on balances to £2.5k plus all the additionals is a no brainer imo.

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[chaser]

As Roger Ram has said there is NO fee for withdrawing cash or making purchases on a nationwide Flexplus card there are no charges for using the Select credit card for purchases. Plus the rate of exchange is the Visa interbank rate of the day.

Followed the link , seems to be a lot of2.5%s floating about among the list never mind the £10 a month

 

[DavidG58]

I love cash and do split it up and 'hide' around our MH, but for last trip took out a Caxton card, specifically for use on aires if needed

Needed it for an aire and a petrol station where we could not use the height restricted pumps

didn't work at either

 

[chaser]

I love cash and do split it up and 'hide' around our MH, but for last trip took out a Caxton card, specifically for use on aires if needed

Needed it for an aire and a petrol station where we could not use the height restricted pumps

didn't work at either

Don't know why this , does anyone know why they should be different.

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[Bertie Bassett]

Followed the link , seems to be a lot of2.5%s floating about among the list never mind the £10 a month

Chaser there are no charges............unless you allow the retailer/ hotelier to carry out the purchase using their own rates.....it's called a dynamic something or other and now Nationwide issue a card in several languages which tells the retailer to charge in the currency of the country you are in and NOT in pounds sterling (at their exchange rates.) That's been a well known con for some years.

 

[Minxy]

True, Roger and we use the same pair of cards. Some are stating that there is a charge because there's an account fee of £10 a month which is a little disingenous. £10 monthly whilst getting 3 % on balances to £2.5k plus all the additionals is a no brainer imo.

Sorry but claiming something is 'free' when there IS a charge as you HAVE to have an account to get it free therefore means the card is NOT TOTALLY FREE!

I'm not saying whether these cards are worth having or not - I just don't want people who are looking to get some cards to us abroad lulled into a false sense of 'security' of no fees when there are some, even if they are not specifically for the use of the card per se, but they are there.

 

[Minxy]

Might be the highest for Ukash but we got over €1.28 early December using Metrobank Credit Card.

Denise

I'm talking about cash card rates which is what Ukash and Caxton are, not credit cards which always get a better rate.

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[DavidG58]

Don't know why this , does anyone know why they should be different.

carte non accepte both times

possibly due to chip and pin we have been told since, particularly petrol where they preauthorise and might ask for more than we had on card

 

[Minxy]

From what I can recall, I believe it is not a good idea to use a prepayment card for things like fuel and aires as they can take more money off the card than you will actually 'spend' and it can take some time to be put back on the card ... a few days in some instances, so you could find out that you don't have any 'usable' cash on the card in the meantime. Much better to use a credit card.

 

[mariner]

True, Roger and we use the same pair of cards. Some are stating that there is a charge because there's an account fee of £10 a month which is a little disingenous. £10 monthly whilst getting 3 % on balances to £2.5k plus all the additionals is a no brainer imo.

I get interest on my TSB account and transfer a monthly amount to my N&P account, keeping the maximum required to get the full benefit of the interest.
So I get full interest and free cash in the EU and pay nobody a monthly fee.
In my view that is a no brainier.

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[chaser]

From what I can recall, I believe it is not a good idea to use a prepayment card for things like fuel and aires as they can take more money off the card than you will actually 'spend' and it can take some time to be put back on the card ... a few days in some instances, so you could find out that you don't have any 'usable' cash on the card in the meantime. Much better to use a credit card.

They won't work never mind how much you have got in them, same at motorway tolls.

 

[Deleted34567]

Use 2 prepaid cards, both on an app where funds can be transferred from one to another on-line. That way if one gets pinched/lost we can transfer the balance on it to the other one.
Still like cash on hand at all times and tend to always have.

 

[Tootles]

I use my Bigun account when on Le Continont. It works thus, in any bank........:- "Bonjour Monsieur .........".......Puis-je vous aider?

I produce my Bigun....."Shut the &^%* up, and hand over le dosh!!

Transaction complete, with very little trouble.

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[Bertie Bassett]

I use my Bigun account when on Le Continont. It works thus, in any bank........:- "Bonjour Monsieur .........".......Puis-je vous aider?

I produce my Bigun....."Shut the &^%* up, and hand over le dosh!!

Transaction complete, with very little trouble.

Now that's more like it and no points scoring either.................nice!

 

[Deleted34567]

I use my Bigun account when on Le Continont. It works thus, in any bank........:- "Bonjour Monsieur .........".......Puis-je vous aider?

I produce my Bigun....."Shut the &^%* up, and hand over le dosh!!

Transaction complete, with very little trouble.

Have you a link for this card ?

 

[Emmit]

Minx,

You said,"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."

Could Irespectfully point out something I had already said, viz,

"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."

Can I respectfully point out that the Card Company could not impose charges on our withdrawal of monies because WE WERE IN CREDIT.

I repeat. We were not charged, at the time, or subsequently for any transaction made whilst on holiday

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