I was about to post exactly this
First direct and chase are a great combination to have
For ALL Pre-loaded cards / debit cards / credit cards - What is best for travel?
- Thread starter 47Steve
- Start date
First direct and chase are a great combination to have
I used my Revolut extensively in New Orleans last week without any problems, however I didn’t draw cash. In the airport to come home, I emptied the account of USD & GBP. When I checked it on my return it was -$20 something as a genuine transaction has gone through. I topped it up just to clear it.
my next scheduled trip is Turkey, if my memory serves me they don’t do it as a currency so it will be Halifax Clarity/Chase.
my next scheduled trip is Turkey, if my memory serves me they don’t do it as a currency so it will be Halifax Clarity/Chase.
Worth noting the first direct is only on Mastercard, not the older Visa cards if you still have one of them.
They must have been loosing a lot of customers to a chase/Starling//Monzo etc
They must have been loosing a lot of customers to a chase/Starling//Monzo etc
I think many banks have moved over to mastercard for debit as i seem to recall a big falling out with Visa by many banks and companies
I took a Halifx account primarily for the foreign jaunts, still have it 20 years on.
Not been abroad as much lately, but I think you still get a good exchange rate, I also have a Barclaycard - got that way back when they gave free warranty on stuff you bought with it and other benefits that have all been stripped now. The bastards also once returned a card payment I made, from my Barclays account to my Barclaycard (taken out at same branch) because they "could not see what card I was paying" - amazing considering you had to put the card number in on the online payment form, the bastards then fined me for "non-payment" and put a blot on my credit record, but they did refund the fine (but nothing can be done to remove the blot on credit score....
....Anyway this gives me a Visa and a Mastercard (reducing chances of computer says no) and I like to carry a chunk of cash in case all banking fails so I know I can get some fuel and a room for the night - although as you tend to pay as you leave Hotels a card failure is not so bad as it is at a fuel pump.
I also have a joint account debit (Halifax) and personal account debit (Nationwide) so would like to think with that lot one of em should bloody work pretty much anywhere!
Main rule is don't withdraw cash on a credit card unless you absoutely have to, and even with debit take larger amounts to avoid lots of transaction fees, i.e. don't take 20-30 euros each day, just draw enough to last a few days or til end of trip, I also no longer change Euro's back to pounds as sooner or later I go back to Europe, and normally the £ has slumped even further so I am doing well on currency trading over the last few years
Last year I used my Barclaycard to pay for all the fuel and hotels as we used mostly automated fuel stations, then remembered after we got back and I went to pay it all off that there is of course a currency conversion charge applied. Using the credit card was convenient (if paid off in full) but the charges amounted to about £60.
I'm just back from a trip and I used my Curve card instead which has no conversion fees and had this linked to my Barclaycard so I was still paying with the credit card, just without the fees. For general spends I used my Monzo card as usual without any fees.
I'm just back from a trip and I used my Curve card instead which has no conversion fees and had this linked to my Barclaycard so I was still paying with the credit card, just without the fees. For general spends I used my Monzo card as usual without any fees.
Barclaycard’s overseas conversion charge is near enough 3%.
3% (or £3 in every £100) seems to be a fairly typical amount across various card providers.
It does though get a bit confusing when a Barclaycard branded card can also come out as ‘highly recommended’ (ie no fees). The highly recommended card in question is branded ‘Barclaycard Rewards‘. It’s a credit card, based on the Visa system.
Barclaycard Rewards, is the card I obtained a few months ago, when JaJa (previously Post Office) closed their credit card facilities. Leaving aside Barclays’ appalling customer service, the card itself is very good, no doubt because it is operated by Visa.
3% (or £3 in every £100) seems to be a fairly typical amount across various card providers.
It does though get a bit confusing when a Barclaycard branded card can also come out as ‘highly recommended’ (ie no fees). The highly recommended card in question is branded ‘Barclaycard Rewards‘. It’s a credit card, based on the Visa system.
Barclaycard Rewards, is the card I obtained a few months ago, when JaJa (previously Post Office) closed their credit card facilities. Leaving aside Barclays’ appalling customer service, the card itself is very good, no doubt because it is operated by Visa.
Last edited:
Mongolian Explorer
Registered user
Just use either preloaded Wise card or the Currensea card
What is the advantage of these two cards, over other pre-loaded currency cards?
Quite simply, which is the best card if you want to top it up, and use it for cash withdrawals ?
I use my Santander Visa card for purchases, but I’m thinking of carrying less cash with me. So need to use ATM’s whilst away.
I use my Santander Visa card for purchases, but I’m thinking of carrying less cash with me. So need to use ATM’s whilst away.
See post #142, apparently.
Also scroll back through the thread.
Lots of reviews on the internet, too.
Best Travel Cards, Compare Travel Cards in the UK | Top10MobileBanks
Compare the Travel Cards provided by the best UK Mobile Banks such as Revolut, Monese & Currensea based on different feature and fees.
top10mobilebanks.com
These Are the Best Prepaid Travel Money Cards in 2024
Find the best travel money cards to stop banks and ATMs charge fees on travel money while abroad. Compare fees and rates of the best multi currency cards.
www.monito.com
my advice is not to rely on one card to get hold of cash. Have a back-up.
also, research local ATM fees where you are going. Whilst the UK bank might not charge you a fee I found a Santander ATM in Vielha, Spain wanting to charge me 8 euros to use a Virgin debit card. Walk to the nearby Sabadell ATM and the fee was 1.80 euros. The fee is the same regardless of the amount so do not take out spending cash each night. Use the Visa card to pay where you can.
If you are going to Spain and have other accounts with Santander, you might find it best to stick to that bank. They have a wide ATM network and I believe they don't charge local ATM fees when in Spain to their own customers.
Good advice from Wessie.
On the travel cash card side, I have:
Two Caxton cards, one the mirror of the other. When I mislaid one, I was able to freeze it via the app, whilst the mirror image card (kept separately) stayed live.
One Revolut card.
One Post Office card.
One HSBC card, only available to HSBC customers.
On the credit card side:
Two Halifax cards, with separate credit limits, though I can (if necessary) pool the two separate limits into one. These I keep separately to each other.
One Barclays card. This is to replace the former JaJa (Post Office) card, which was withdrawn from service.
I can duplicate all the cards on my phone and watch. This means I don’t even need to touch my cards. Touching them less, reduces the chance of loss, to some degree or another.
Why so many?
a. They take up little to no space, weigh nothing and cost nothing.
b. Having mirror images and separate cards kept separately, means that I am (hopefully) never likely to be stuck.
c. Very occasionally a card reader fails to accept one brand of card. Having an alternative readily to hand makes life easier. Swearing at a dumb machine doesn’t work too well, too often.
d. I have been known to lend a card to my fellow travellers, who have lost their card during the holiday. That requires a degree of trust; I have never been let down.
e. I had a problem reloading a Caxton card at Le Mans, the app refusing to function. Had I not had an alternative cash card or a credit card, I’d have been stuck, cashless. The cause of the problem? An iPhone update, which the app could not cope with.
f. It is usually very easy to freeze or suspend a card, via its app. It is often easy to unfreeze the card(s) again, via their app. The exception is the Caxton card, which requires a phone call to unfreeze it. Had I wanted to unfreeze my Caxton card in a hurry, it might not have been so easy to do. As I had back-up cards to hand, there was no problem. I just waited until I got home to unfreeze it.
g. I always leave my main UK bank and credit card at home. Why? If I am ever so unlucky as to lose all my cards when I am away, I will not be scrabbling around getting new UK bank cards, too. As soon as I walk back through the door, my financial state is restored. In short, I separate my travel / holiday life from my home life.
h. I want to have more than enough cash / credit to get me home or help in an emergency or if the chips are down, from anywhere in the world. The bike / car becomes almost an irrelevance, if the problem really is bad enough. Thankfully I have never found myself in that position. Back the whole lot with decent insurance.
On the travel cash card side, I have:
Two Caxton cards, one the mirror of the other. When I mislaid one, I was able to freeze it via the app, whilst the mirror image card (kept separately) stayed live.
One Revolut card.
One Post Office card.
One HSBC card, only available to HSBC customers.
On the credit card side:
Two Halifax cards, with separate credit limits, though I can (if necessary) pool the two separate limits into one. These I keep separately to each other.
One Barclays card. This is to replace the former JaJa (Post Office) card, which was withdrawn from service.
I can duplicate all the cards on my phone and watch. This means I don’t even need to touch my cards. Touching them less, reduces the chance of loss, to some degree or another.
Why so many?
a. They take up little to no space, weigh nothing and cost nothing.
b. Having mirror images and separate cards kept separately, means that I am (hopefully) never likely to be stuck.
c. Very occasionally a card reader fails to accept one brand of card. Having an alternative readily to hand makes life easier. Swearing at a dumb machine doesn’t work too well, too often.
d. I have been known to lend a card to my fellow travellers, who have lost their card during the holiday. That requires a degree of trust; I have never been let down.
e. I had a problem reloading a Caxton card at Le Mans, the app refusing to function. Had I not had an alternative cash card or a credit card, I’d have been stuck, cashless. The cause of the problem? An iPhone update, which the app could not cope with.
f. It is usually very easy to freeze or suspend a card, via its app. It is often easy to unfreeze the card(s) again, via their app. The exception is the Caxton card, which requires a phone call to unfreeze it. Had I wanted to unfreeze my Caxton card in a hurry, it might not have been so easy to do. As I had back-up cards to hand, there was no problem. I just waited until I got home to unfreeze it.
g. I always leave my main UK bank and credit card at home. Why? If I am ever so unlucky as to lose all my cards when I am away, I will not be scrabbling around getting new UK bank cards, too. As soon as I walk back through the door, my financial state is restored. In short, I separate my travel / holiday life from my home life.
h. I want to have more than enough cash / credit to get me home or help in an emergency or if the chips are down, from anywhere in the world. The bike / car becomes almost an irrelevance, if the problem really is bad enough. Thankfully I have never found myself in that position. Back the whole lot with decent insurance.
Last edited:
Mongolian Explorer
Registered user
The currensea card gives you the best rate on the day and is linked to you current and debit from it
Thank you.
I see that it acts, not as a card onto which you load cash, but as a direct debit from your separate ‘normal’ bank account. That’s an interesting proposal. Some banks already offer the facility but for their own customers only. This is different as the card works as a direct debit to several high street banks, independently of them.
Currensea | The UK's top rated travel debit card
Save on travel money with Currensea: a travel debit card that connects to your existing bank, removes costly FX fees, and offers great exchange rates worldwide.
www.currensea.com
It’s not one for me, but for bods on this forum, who (self confessed) do not trust themselves with a credit card but are happy with their conventional debit card *, it might well be an option.
* or chequebook and quill.
Last edited:
seems there are fees if you do not subscribe
Our Pricing Plans | Currensea
Our plans are simple and transparent. We give you the best live exchange rate on all our travel debit cards so you can spend in confidence and without the hidden fees.
www.currensea.com
The debit & credit card from my main bank gives me the FX rate on the day with no fees. For purchases, I prefer to use the Halifax credit card as I am not spending my money until I pay the bill and I get all the extra benefits such as fraud protection and S75 cover from a conventional credit card. I see no reason to have any cards like Revolut, Currensea, CaxtonFX etc.
We’re off to New Zealand next month for 3 weeks. We’ll be doing most of the trip by car and using the booking.com app to book accommodation as we go. The car’s hired and paid for.
I plan to get a credit card with no overseas charges and an interest free period, to pay for hotels and fuel, any current recommendations? We’re both First Direct current account holders (so no need for a Currensee card) so plan to get cash from ATM’s over there to pay for food and drinks.
We’ve both got other credit cards if needed. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance.
I plan to get a credit card with no overseas charges and an interest free period, to pay for hotels and fuel, any current recommendations? We’re both First Direct current account holders (so no need for a Currensee card) so plan to get cash from ATM’s over there to pay for food and drinks.
We’ve both got other credit cards if needed. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance.
Halifax Clarity - got this after binning Virgin. Works great using card or phone.
Nationwide - only have the debit card which is fee free for ATM (unless there is a local access fee)
Virgin Money - recently binned in protest at branch closures and piss poor service after taking over Yorkshire Bank
Santander - good for Spain as you won't pay local ATM fees that can be 8 euros since Brexit.
All have fee free travel credit cards.
Thanks Wessie.
Looks like I was hoping for too much wanting fee free travel cards and 0% interest free period, looks like it’s one or the other after looking at your recommendations.
you will get an interest free period from the day of the transaction to the payment due date - this can be up to 56 days if you make a purchase on the day your bill is generated but will reduce, obviously, as you get closer to the next billing date when you will get under 28 days.
as far as I am aware, none of the current deals offering a longer interest fee period for purchases has zero fees for foreign transactions but do check at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/best-0-credit-cards/ and https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/
