POST OFFICE TRAVEL CARD WARNING

[Pudsey Bear]

Could the €1000 be a typo for €100?

 

[RichardHelen262]

Could the €1000 be a typo for €100?

I have heard of other people getting caught out like this by using the hgv pump it is definitely 1000

 

[Pudsey Bear]

AH!! HGV pump, that explains a lot, I used one once to fill a Sprinter, fuel everywhere, so not used one since.

 

[r4dent]

€1000 seems excessive, many people will not have that sort of money to spare.

The idea is to take the hold before you filling to ensure that you have enough to pay for filling your tank
Then take payment for the amount that you put in and immediately refund the hold.

Tanks holding 500 litre are not uncommon on HGVs, so €1000 is not excessive "hold" for HGVs.

Holds are usually refunded within seconds of you paying for the fuel but can sometimes take a couple of days.

In the UK Tesco once took a week to refund £100 "hold" on my Credit card.
Unfortunately my statement was issued during that time and showed it as a debt.

 

[colinm]

I always carry 2 credit cards, 2 debit cards, and cash, after 50 years of traveling the world you learn it pays to have back up.

 

[RoaminRog]

Treat yourself to a Starling account. The best for travel.
Once you have opened a sterling account you can then open a Euro account and switch between currencies.
Another advantage is you are able to switch your card On or Off, so if it gets lost or stolen it’s no use to anybody.
Everything is managed from your phone or tablet or both, and you get a confirmation notification every time you use the card. eg When you fill up in the foreign, your phone will tell you exactly how much you have just spent in euros and also in Sterling. Never let me down, much better than any of the pre pay cards.

 

[guerdeval]

Sorry I didn’t mean to slag off the post office, this could happen with any card I guess, I’m pissed off with Total because the cash is on the card in euros already, I have other cards but of course these will have a transaction fee added hence the reason for a pre-paid card holding euros, imagine if this was someone without recourse to other funds, so I’ll post again when the refund occurs and see how long it takes, and yes it was 1000 not 100.

 

[Fisherman]

Cant believe started reading Novembers MMM and the top pitch letter is from someone praising the Halifax Clarity card I posted about this morning. They travelled through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and finally Norway on an eight week trip using the card. I would post the letter on here but due to copyright I am unable to.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Cant believe started reading Novembers MMM and the top pitch letter is from someone praising the Halifax Clarity card I posted about this morning. They travelled through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and finally Norway on an eight week trip using the card. I would post the letter on here but due to copyright I am unable to.

I had a look on outnabout ***** as they often print stuff there too but nope, I rarely go on there as it is pants.

 

[Fisherman]

I had a look on outnabout ***** as they often print stuff there too but nope, I rarely go on there as it is pants.

I will send the letter to you as a pm, I think that’s ok.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I'll look at the Sterling one too.

 

[RoaminRog]

I'll look at the Sterling one too.

Starling is not a prepaid card, but an actual account

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Is it Sterling or Starling as you say both in post #26

 

[mark61]

Is it Sterling or Starling as you say both in post #26

Starling name of bank

Sterling, currency.

Thats how I read it anyway.

 

[korky]

I use the Halifax clarity credit card when abroad, have done for over 10 years.
It’s a normal credit card, but unlike the vast majority of credit cards it’s not loaded. This means you don’t pay the additional 3% when using it abroad, and you can also make cash withdrawals which will only be liable for one months interest on the cash withdrawal only. But if you transfer the withdrawals straight back into the account from another account you pay nothing for cash withdrawals here or abroad. And you always get a good exchange rate. But to be honest I normally take a small amount of currency with me for back up in case we go somewhere were they don’t take credit cards, and have only once made a cash withdrawal and paid 0.6% interest.
There are no annual fees to pay, but you don’t earn anything from it at the end of the year.
So no pre loading, no fees, no 3% loading, and minimal interest if you do decide to use it for cash withdrawals. Honestly it’s much better than any pre loaded cards. When abroad it’s just the same as using your card here. Ignore the error below the site will load up fine.

Halifax - Internet Banking - Error

www.halifax.co.uk

I use the Clarity card everywhere, but you will often find now in France and Spain that the bank levy a fee for cash withdrawals and unfortunately no way round that.It is the foreign bank charging you not Halifax,so would happen with other cards.A few years back in La Guardia I tried 4 different ATMs until I found a fee free one.I don't carry much cash,just use it for small items like coffees etc. So I bit the bullet when Credit Agricole wanted 6euros from me to get some cash a few weeks back,still got half left.

 

[marchie]

I ain't got a scooby Mark. I was gonna ask that too.

Autocorrect for HGV? Which stands for Haven't Got Vunds [but only in Germany ... ]

Steve

 

[marchie]

We never use a credit card except for emergencies, and never use unmanned garages if we can help it.

Put everything on the Credit Card, and the Direct Debit clears the balance on the due date. Credit Card Issuer keeps increasing the limit [because we look as though we're better off than we are ..] so, even on a Winter Sun Trip or similar where we might refuel for 5-6 days in succession, the accumulating 'Holding Deposits' don't cause a cashflow problem. If it's 'the System', then we too can play the System ...

Steve

 

[Fisherman]

I use the Clarity card everywhere, but you will often find now in France and Spain that the bank levy a fee for cash withdrawals and unfortunately no way round that.It is the foreign bank charging you not Halifax,so would happen with other cards.A few years back in La Guardia I tried 4 different ATMs until I found a fee free one.I don't carry much cash,just use it for small items like coffees etc. So I bit the bullet when Credit Agricole wanted 6euros from me to get some cash a few weeks back,still got half left.

I have only once used it for cash in over 10 years.
What I like about it is it means I need very little cash when abroad.
No need to top up a card.
Good conversion rates, better than currency changing rates.
Securer than cash, and the usual protection you get when using a credit card.
There are other unloaded cards out there with no transaction charges when abroad.

 

[NSY]

Cant believe started reading Novembers MMM and the top pitch letter is from someone praising the Halifax Clarity card I posted about this morning. They travelled through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and finally Norway on an eight week trip using the card. I would post the letter on here but due to copyright I am unable to.

In Norway Halifax card fails at about a 1/4 of fuel stations.

 

[Fisherman]

In Norway Halifax card fails at about a 1/4 of fuel stations.

It’s a MasterCard the same would apply to all master cards.
I am surprised to hear that. I use it as my first card here and abroad, and
in over ten years it has never been refused anywhere.

Also got this online

What credit cards are accepted in Norway?


In general, the most known cards as Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Diners Club and American Express are widely accepted throughout Norway. Also things like buying train tickets or make purchases on some (but not all) domestic ferries and Hurtigruten cruises.