Beware of contactless pay in France

[soulstyledevon]

Well so much for my smarty pants Santander gold card for free ATM withdraws.
I was trying to find their machines in France....there aren't any
O well
Back to the drawing board

Metro bank have now changed their policy. Free withdrawals EU countries only
Post Office credit card for purchases is still the cheapest way to spend abroad. Metro account for EU cash withdrawals.
You don't need cash anymore travelling. Just stick everything on your card. Travelling with vast amounts of cash is foolish and backwards...!!!

 

[Velma's Dad]

You don't need cash anymore travelling. Just stick everything on your card. Travelling with vast amounts of cash is foolish and backwards...!!!

If your travel horizons are just around Europe (probably as far as most of us take our Calis) then those assertions may hold. Although why is carrying cash more foolish or 'backwards' (whatever that means) than carrying a wallet with a bunch of cards? Credit cards get defrauded regularly - it's certainly happened to me - whereas now I think about it I can't actually think of anyone I know who has had cash stolen on the streets of Europe recently.

The card industry has been yelling at us over 40+ years about why cards are always 'better' (I wonder why?).

But I promise you that if you try travelling cashless in many other parts of the world you'll come unstuck quickly. Your credit card may not be accepted at all, it may not work when you need to pay a bill, there may not be any working ATMs in the area, if there are ATMs you may not want to use them where they are magnets for muggers, I could go on and on.

 

[mccp]

Post Office credit card for purchases is still the cheapest way to spend abroad.

There are three Post Office credit cards, all three charge 2.5% (min £3) for cash withdrawals, and two of them also charge a 2.99% fee on non-Sterling transactions, so make sure you get the right one.

The Halifax Clarity card does not charge a fee for cash withdrawals or non-Sterling transactions.

Good point about Metro Bank - probably the best way to get a free Debit card for use in the EU.

 

[soulstyledevon]

There are three Post Office credit cards, all three charge 2.5% (min £3) for cash withdrawals, and two of them also charge a 2.99% fee on non-Sterling transactions, so make sure you get the right one.

The Halifax Clarity card does not charge a fee for cash withdrawals or non-Sterling transactions.

Good point about Metro Bank - probably the best way to get a free Debit card for use in the EU.

Never use the credit card to withdraw cash. Just use for purchases.

Fair point VD. I have travelled to parts of Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) and the Far East where buying on card would be difficult. I would then use a card at an ATM and with draw cash as I needed.

The reason I wouldn't carry lots of cash, is because if it's stolen it's gone forever, adios. At least with card it's fully protected and although a headache if you do fall foul of card fraud. You re protected and no less out of pocket.

Some places I've been to such as remote parts of Kenya, they advise against carrying large sums of cash and expensive jewellery etc.
It's like a giant carrot for the less fortunate and they don't mess about over there

 

[Velma's Dad]

I have travelled to parts of Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) and the Far East where buying on card would be difficult. I would then use a card at an ATM and with draw cash as I needed.

Driving around East Africa in a Cali would be a hoot. Love to know if anyone here has done that. I'm sure locals would assume you're a matatu (minibus taxi) and keep trying to flag you down for a ride. (That happened to me a lot while driving a Toyota Hiace in southern Tanzania, lovely trip.)

 

[Loz]

Some places I've been to such as remote parts of Kenya, they advise against carrying large sums of cash and expensive jewellery etc.
It's like a giant carrot for the less fortunate and they don't mess about over there

You just need to be careful.
Loose some cash, get more with your card, loose your card your stuffed!
Can't use a card in the market you have to to to the supermarket
Cards don't work in remote places
Cards get skimmed, blocked stolen.

A sensible mixture of both works fine and has done for me for 30 years travelling about...

 

[soulstyledevon]

Driving around East Africa in a Cali would be a hoot. Love to know if anyone here has done that. I'm sure locals would assume you're a matatu (minibus taxi) and keep trying to flag you down for a ride. (That happened to me a lot while driving a Toyota Hiace in southern Tanzania, lovely trip.)

That would be an epic trip. But I would head to the west coast to chase the surf
Tanzania is beautiful. Did the Toyota survive the roads on your trip...?

 

[Velma's Dad]

That would be an epic trip. But I would head to the west coast to chase the surf
Tanzania is beautiful. Did the Toyota survive the roads on your trip...?

Yes it was a 4WD one. Replacement for a rented Landcruiser, which broke down just one day out from Dar. I've also driven across NE Kenya in a Corolla (2WD) which was pretty trashed by the end but made it.

Sorry, gone WAY off topic.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Yes it was a 4WD one. Replacement for a rented Landcruiser, which broke down just one day out from Dar. I've also driven across NE Kenya in a Corolla (2WD) which was pretty trashed by the end but made it.

Sorry, gone WAY off topic.

Our Landcruiser died on day 2. But the Tanzanite say they are the best vehicles for the terrain. I asked what they thought about a Land Rover and they said its was the only choice 20 years ago. But these days they're to unreliable

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Metro bank have now changed their policy. Free withdrawals EU countries only
Post Office credit card for purchases is still the cheapest way to spend abroad. Metro account for EU cash withdrawals.
You don't need cash anymore travelling. Just stick everything on your card. Travelling with vast amounts of cash is foolish and backwards...!!!

That looks like the card to have,....seems to good to be true
Free to use the card abroad and free atm withdrawals .....and MasterCard exchange rate.
Am I missing something
Looks brilliant, thanks Soulstyle

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Metro bank have now changed their policy. Free withdrawals EU countries only
Post Office credit card for purchases is still the cheapest way to spend abroad. Metro account for EU cash withdrawals.
You don't need cash anymore travelling. Just stick everything on your card. Travelling with vast amounts of cash is foolish and backwards...!!!

But you can only apply instore.....75 miles to my nearest
Back to my trusty free Saga card

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Never use the credit card to withdraw cash. Just use for purchases.

Fair point VD. I have travelled to parts of Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) and the Far East where buying on card would be difficult. I would then use a card at an ATM and with draw cash as I needed.

The reason I wouldn't carry lots of cash, is because if it's stolen it's gone forever, adios. At least with card it's fully protected and although a headache if you do fall foul of card fraud. You re protected and no less out of pocket.

Some places I've been to such as remote parts of Kenya, they advise against carrying large sums of cash and expensive jewellery etc.
It's like a giant carrot for the less fortunate and they don't mess about over there

My brother flew a lot to Jamaica . They were told not to go out with anything you wanted to bring home....money, watch etc etc....and true enough he was mugged.....better to hand it over than get knifed or shot.

 

[Velma's Dad]

My brother flew a lot to Jamaica .

That sounds ANOTHER great place to take a Cali. Sorry, here I go again.

 

[soulstyledevon]

But you can only apply instore.....75 miles to my nearest
Back to my trusty free Saga card

Yeah, sorry forgot about that. If you ever go down to the capital it's worth dropping in and opening an account.

Take a look at Travelex super card.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

On the theme of cash in Europe.
Can somebody check my calculations as I have worked out that it is cheap to get cash with a saga credit card.....and I can't believe it.....if it seems to good to be true then it probably is.
Using the visa exchange rate website and money saving expert for rates
If I were to take out 240 euros at an ATM in France with my saga card, It would cost £202 plus 2% cash advance fee of £4.04. Total £206.04. There is no interest payable for up to 55 days as long as payed off in full.
If I were to get cash in the uk at the cheapest rate on money saving expert , from Best Foreign Exchange, it would cost £206.63
So the cost is about the same.

Come on financial brainboxes, find a fault in my calculations, before I try it .....and get stung

 

[GrannyJen]

I had a saga card once but forgot what I did with it

 

[GrannyJen]

to be serious,

I use revolut. Cash deposit, last currency exchange that I bought at was 1.43 Euro, bought loads, no fees, no transfer rates, no hidden, just buy at the going rate which is the most competitive I've seen.

Buy, spend, simples.

 

[AlanC]

to be serious,

I use revolut. Cash deposit, last currency exchange that I bought at was 1.43 Euro, bought loads, no fees, no transfer rates, no hidden, just buy at the going rate which is the most competitive I've seen.

Buy, spend, simples.

Is that the card that has got into trouble this week? Part of Travelux, the airports exchange company?

Alan

 

[GrannyJen]

Travelex is the supercard I believe.

 

[Amarillo]

Buy, spend, simples.

The best credit card I ever had was a BCCI GreenCard Visa. During the summer of 1991 I went Island hopping in Greece, and used my GreenCard extensively. Between June 1991 and August 1991 I received no statements or requests for payment. My card was eventually destroyed by the manager of my local Sainsbury's when I presented it to purchase a few essential groceries. To this day I have not received any statements or bills for this credit card, this is despite my early attempts to contact the bank to say that I had not received my statements.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

The best credit card I ever had was a BCCI GreenCard Visa. During the summer of 1991 I went Island hopping in Greece, and used my GreenCard extensively. Between June 1991 and August 1991 I received no statements or requests for payment. My card was eventually destroyed by the manager of my local Sainsbury's when I presented it to purchase a few essential groceries. To this day I have not received any statements or bills for this credit card since, this is despite my early attempts to contact the bank to say that I had not received my statements.

No wonder why BCCI were forced into liquidation for being insolvent. Free money.

 

[Neilgbj]

+1 for Revolut....so far has been excellent, so simple and good exchange rate

 

[AlanC]

We got a WeSwap card and loaded it with some Sterling when they did a commission free offer just after the referendum.
Haven't swaped the Sterling for Euros yet as we don't go to France until the end of August. Will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Alan