Cash money while travelling abroad

[Gav Peter]

Just an inquisitive post to see what others do for money money money while travelling in Europe...

Cash, banking, travellers cheques, credit card???

Off to France later in the year for 3 weeks so pondering how best to tackle spends while over there.

Cheers

 

[grantw]

Generally I just use my UK debit card. Easy and secure. Maybe once every 2 years I need to phone the bank to get them to unblock my card but apart from that no problems. Probably not the most efficient way of doing it ... but would be surprised if it was more then 3% out from other methods. I do this when travelling globally as well not just Europe.

 

[Paul]

Check with your bank as some UK debit cards are fine to use in Europe with no charges. Some just charge a flat fee so as long as you withdraw a decent amount each time it doesn't cost much.
Might be worth paying in advance from UK online for the big stuff like hotels. You can also change a load of cash with a guarantee for an exchange rate back to pounds at the same rate for any unused money.

 

[Ian Rubie]

You need to be careful with using UK cards abroad, some charge handling fees and offer poor exchange rates. If you are a card type person then aim for something like the Halifax Clarity credit card.

 

[Gav Peter]

Thanks guys, avoiding charges is the name of the game!!! Was wondering if the horror stories are right about them...

I'll have a chat with my bank...

 

[AndyCook]

On Holidays
I tend to carry a load of Euros for general shopping and tolls and campsites in europe
and only really use Credit card for buying fuel

i travel in europe quite a bit with work, and use the same personal credit card and claim back expenses
when on work trips i use the CC more than cash - becuase i claim back any charges and interest

I have used it in Norway many times, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Austria, Spain, France, Italy with no issues

only problem i have had was using paypal when i was in Nigeria in April - that locked my account down instantly

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Last year we used a post office card, put plenty of euro's on it to be going on with and took a much thinner wad of cash than usual. The card wasn't much use in Italy where almost everyone wanted cash only so we did have to visit a hole in the wall to get more cash a few times but it was just the job in France. I cocked up the sms format needed for getting the balance so for a while was less than impressed I had to guess what was left on the card and was blaming the postoffice You can load the card from your normal bank account via a SMS message so you can load it as you go through the holiday, which saves guessing how many euros you'll need for the entire trip. It's probably no cheaper than a normal bank debit card, might even cost a few pennies more, but if your card gets stolen, cloned at an ATM, whatever, only what's in the postoffice card account is at risk not your UK bank balance. So I think we'll use the PO card again this year and just be better prepared this year that by the time we get to Italy we need more cash!

 

[Gav Peter]

Ossum!!! That's a very handy tip Jon - that was one of my fears of using the debit card... I shall investigate the PO card

Thanks Andy, I was kindof planning the same approach ref fuel going onto the credit card; fortunately I'm not going as far as Nigeria!!!

 

[silvercruiser]

Gav have a look on here

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

you can put in what cards you have already and it tells you if they are a go or a no no abroad.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Same as Jon (did we not have a thread on this already somewhere??)

Happy hols Gav!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

we did, I asked the same question, pretty sure you suggested the PO card in it

 

[woldstech]

We use Amex Travellers cheques. I think you can get prepaid cards from fairfx euro and caxton. We tend to spread our travel cash a bit - some in travellers cheques, some in cash, and the rest on prepaid cards.

 

[Philip A]

only problem i have had was using paypal when i was in Nigeria in April - that locked my account down instantly

When I was living in Nigeria, I had no problem with my PayPal account... But they'd block it as soon as I'd use it from another country!

 

[Gav Peter]

That's a handy link; thanks Joe Turns out my current crop of cards are not the worst to use abroad but neither are they the best so they'll be good as backup

Must've missed that thread, sorry chaps

Yep Woldstech, all those cards listed on Joe's link; I shall probably take a spread of cash formats as you do

No PayPal for this trip Phil

PO card applied for before reviewing here but quite happy about the card - looks to be a good start

Thanks chaps

 

[mettisse]

Last year we used a post office card, put plenty of euro's on it to be going on with and took a much thinner wad of cash than usual. The card wasn't much use in Italy where almost everyone wanted cash only so we did have to visit a hole in the wall to get more cash a few times but it was just the job in France. I cocked up the sms format needed for getting the balance so for a while was less than impressed I had to guess what was left on the card and was blaming the postoffice You can load the card from your normal bank account via a SMS message so you can load it as you go through the holiday, which saves guessing how many euros you'll need for the entire trip. It's probably no cheaper than a normal bank debit card, might even cost a few pennies more, but if your card gets stolen, cloned at an ATM, whatever, only what's in the postoffice card account is at risk not your UK bank balance. So I think we'll use the PO card again this year and just be better prepared this year that by the time we get to Italy we need more cash!

Hi, this sounds a great idea, and this is first I've heard of it, gonna look into getting one ASAP, normally we try to pay for as much as possible on the credit card and pay up on return, so far, we've had good exchange rates, at least comparable with what is offered, ( in France) and we always make sure that we contact the card provider to say where we're off to. I don't think cash on its own or card ditto is best, but as previously stated a bit of both, prudence is what is required, and keep your it's about you, I won't bore you with the experiences and near misses we've had in Europe, but I always consider a transaction like a game, take your time, be sure of what's happening is what YOU want, and part with cash only when everything is in place, the bandits are still out there, best regards.

 

[Gav Peter]

Halifax credit card also on its way to me for fueling Oiley on the trip - hope £7.5K credit limit will be enough...

 

[warrenpfo]

I also applied for the Halifax Clarity card, it took no more than 2 min and its also on its way. Its so easy to get credit in this country...its great

Will use it on my trip to Italy

 

[greengrass]

Just came back from Ireland , took some euros in cash and got a eurocard from the co-op travel agent.

Its great just put some money on it and off you go,you can keep the card and top it up whenever you like.
Not a bad thing to give the kids if they go on a holiday too.

They even gave us a phone number to call if we lost the card to arrange canceling and get more money to you.

 

[Charlie]

I just take cash.....

 

[silvercruiser]

No Problem Gav. i stumbled on the site when i was looking at my holiday cash.