Money abroad

[Herbenny]

What do others do about spending money abroad.
I'm reluctant to use my debit card after being scammed a couple of years ago. I may get a post office pre payment card although I'm sure there are charges for withdrawals. I would prefer to take all cash but then again don't think that's a good idea after being pick pocketed in Switzerland, not had much luck have I

Are the sit office cards any good? Do most places take them ?

 

[DnK]

What do others do about spending money abroad.
I'm reluctant to use my debit card after being scammed a couple of years ago. I may get a post office pre payment card although I'm sure there are charges for withdrawals. I would prefer to take all cash but then again don't think that's a good idea after being pick pocketed in Switzerland, not had much luck have I

Are the sit office cards any good? Do most places take them ?

We use Caxton FX card which is a currency card you can load with any currency you wish. We have used this extensively in Europe both to purchase products and services via the card and for drawing cash from ATM's. There's supposed to be no charge for cash withdrawal but you will find some banks will charge for the transaction but your notified before finalising. We just find banks that don't charge.

 

[witzend]

We use Caxton FX card which is a currency card you can load with any currency you wish. We have used this extensively in Europe both to purchase products and services via the card .

Is the Caxton card ok to use at unmanned outlets? We use a Brittany Ferries € p/p Card and never had any problems except at unmanned fuel stations and some other places. Can't say about cash withdrawals as never tried

 

[r4dent]

The only real way to avoid card scams is to use cash for every thing. Don't like this as it means having a load of cash hanging around.

Worse case scenarios :
1) Credit card you could be scammed for up your Credit limit;
2) Debit card you could be scammed for however much you have in the account plus any agreed overdraft;
3) On a preloaded card the limit is how much you preload.

We use Starling Debit card on a current account with only has a couple of hundred pounds in it and no overdraft facility.
With Starling there is no charge for using ATM or paying bills in UK or abroad.
When the Starling account is running low we transfer money from our main account using the Starling app on our phones by scanning a card on our main account using the phone.

 

[DnK]

Is the Caxton card ok to use at unmanned outlets? We use a Brittany Ferries € p/p Card and never had any problems except at unmanned fuel stations and some other places. Can't say about cash withdrawals as never tried

we have not had any problems at unmanned outlets. Tolls, Garages etc.

 

[DnK]

The only real way to avoid card scams is to use cash for every thing. Don't like this as it means having a load of cash hanging around.

Worse case scenarios :
1) Credit card you could be scammed
2) Debit card you could be scammed

A lady at our bank gave us good advice re card scamming. Never let the card out of you sight when purchasing and when using ATM's try to waggle the card input unit and if theres any movement dont use it as it could have a scanner fitted.

 

[jagmanx]

You can buy 90%

Of things on a credit card
Fuel Food even some aires
BUT it has to be such as a post office credit card where there is no surcharge..

Lloyds debit card is close to a scam as you get 2 different charges

I have a post office foreign currency card (as suggested by others) but I rarely use it

I do not have other cards so no input

Take some cash and check how much your debit card may charge for more cash

 

[Herbenny]

Thanks all
I have just ordered a Caxton card and downloaded the app.
Does the app let you know your balance ?
Thanks very much for the tip DnK, I read some reviews and people don't seem to have any problems

 

[delicagirl]

By the way - the post office euro rates are .10 worse than thomas cook for example.... the euro has been going up recently so i am told - so we get more euros for pounds....

i changed my halifax debit card on my current account to another type of Halifax card Clarity (?) which has no currency surcharges or transaction charges when you use it for goods and services when abroad .... i link it to my halifax current account which pays off all the travelling expenses every month in full so i incur no current account bank charges either.

i do take cash and have interesting places to secrete it..... say no more !!

 

[Biggarmac]

The Caxton FX card is good as you can load the card just before going to the cashpoint; so that if you lost it or it is stolen the thieves would just get the amount on it at that time. The only problem I have had with the Caxton card is that it only does a limited range of currencies. It does not do the Croatian Kuna.
I also have a Halifax Clarity card for purchases. I have kept the credit level deliberately low and pay it off each month. As a spare there is also the Santander Zero card. When not using the cards they are in the safe in my van.

 

[DnK]

Does the app let you know your balance ?

Yes it does. And you can view your transactions.

I got a second card on the same account for the wife and also a spare card for us both £5 each for the spares. you can activate and deactivate on the app or online if you loose a card. i left a card at an ATM foolishly i was so annoyed at being charged for the transaction i walked away and left my card so when i realised a couple days later i deactivated it and was able to see if it had been used. i went to the bank next day and card had been handed in and was able to retrieve by showing passport. Then i reenabled for use.

 

[Herbenny]

By the way - the post office euro rates are .10 worse than thomas cook for example.... the euro has been going up recently so i am told - so we get more euros for pounds....

i changed my halifax debit card on my current account to another type of Halifax card Clarity (?) which has no currency surcharges or transaction charges when you use it for goods and services when abroad .... i link it to my halifax current account which pays off all the travelling expenses every month in full so i incur no current account bank charges either.

i do take cash and have interesting places to secrete it..... say no more !!

Give us a clue Collette

I have been picking my brains.. we have two lockable cupboards in the van ... too bloody obvious.
Known me I will put in a place so safe and my menopause brain will forget

 

[jann]

Caxton FX for cash, can't use at unmanned petrol station,can use with cashier.
Nationwide credit card for shopping and diesel if it's a better rate than we loaded Caxton card.

 

[Wully]

Another one for the Caxton card been using it for years you can put other currencies on it at same time handy if visiting more than one country on the same trip.

 

[Deleted member 74361]

We just carry cash which usually means Polish Zloty, Euros and GBP. We have accounts in all three currencies so I just change from my Sterling income when I see a good rate and draw the notes from the bank, which I do for normal living at home.

We also carry cards in all three currencies if we need them, but have never done so except for one 24/7 automatic filling station in France.

We have places to hide the cash and never carry much out of the MH and only an emergency card - plus out-of-date ones to give muggers:lol-053:

Geoff

 

[John H]

Halifax Clarity Credit Card. We spend half the year or more out of the UK and use this card for everything. There is no charge for cash withdrawals if you pay it off within 48 hours and you get the Bank Rate of the day. Others may give you the same rate but no-one will give you a better rate. We have been using it for more years than I can remember and have never had any problems - providing you take all the obvious safety measures. We have only had it refused on one occasion - at the paying aire in Biarritz, which seems to reject all British cards.

 

[winks]

Halifax Clarity card and Caxton for us. Always pay the Halifax card off immediately after drawing cash and have it set up to clear the balance every month.

Cheers

H

 

[Tezza33]

Caxton FX for cash, can't use at unmanned petrol station,can use with cashier.
Nationwide credit card for shopping and diesel if it's a better rate than we loaded Caxton card.

I use a CaxtonFX card and it does work at unmanned petrol stations, using the app I can check the balance and top up ready to spend, exchange rate is good as well

 

[Fisherman]

Most credit cards are what’s called loaded.
This means if you use them outwith your own country you pay an additional 3%.
This even applies in the Irish republic.

You can get what’s called an unloaded card.
These cards don’t have any payback on them, but when abroad you can use them as if you are at home.
You can even use them to withdraw cash, and only pay interest of 1/12th your annual rate if you pay in full next payment.
There are no charges for withdrawing cash, only the interest which is currently 1.2 %. Ie £1.20 for every £100
But remember using a credit card to withdraw cash, can effect your credit rating.

I use the Halifax clarity card when abroad. There are no fees or annual charges, and it’s an unloaded card, so there is no 3% charge.

Here’s a link, take a look.

Halifax - Internet Banking

 

[Wooie1958]

Caxton FX for everyday use, i.e. shopping, ATM withdrawals and Péage tolls etc.

When it was VISA backed it wasn`t accepted in the auto / unmanned / 24-7 fuel stations but now it is Mastercard backed i believe it is however i haven`t tried it.

The App is very good and i use it when abroad for everything, checking the balance and loading etc. etc. so i don`t need to get the laptop out just for that.

Halifax Clarity for use in the fuel stations particularly the unmanned / 24-7 ones which you come across in the middle of nowhere and are cheaper than the others.

We never draw cash on the Halifax Clarity then we don`t have to go to the bother of having to paying it back within 48 hours to stop any charges.

We pay the balance off " IN FULL " ( as you know who says ) every month to avoid any charges on that as well.

This regime works for us and we are happy with it :dance:

Other cards are available.