Jamie_B Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Hi guys, We're off to Florida in a few weeks. In the past we've always just taken cash (and maybe used our Bank of Scotland credit cards for a larger purchase or two - incurring a fee). However, the way things are now as I understand it there's far more option for paying contactless and a lot of the stuff in the theme parks encourages you to mobile order via an app and an associated bank/credit card. As such I'm looking at getting a card of some description that I can just load cash into and avoid incurring overseas transaction fees that I'd get with my own BoS cards. Looking at the likes of Monzo/Revolut - just wondering if anyone has any experience of those (or similar) and has any recommendations? Cheers! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I got Monzo for when I went to Germany, easy to use and no fees for taking cash out. It is now my default digital card for payments and I never use my main bank account for any transactions now, to avoid ATM cloning and skimming. Any time the card is used you are sent a notification to your phone and can quickly freeze the card if you don't recognise it and move money out of the account. If you pay your salary in you can also get paid early. So if your pay is due on Monday you can get it on Friday at 4pm. Sometimes that isn't a good idea though If you want I can DM you a referral link and we'll both get a fiver when you use the card. I would recommend it, it is very easy to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Stanton Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I've used Revolut several times abroad...Cyprus, Moldova, Czech Rep. It's a free card but they charge a £5 for delivery. I'll be using it again when I go to Poland next month. Just link it to your bank account, load it with £s and then exchange for the currency of your choice. You get excellent rates and in Cyprus and CR there were no fees at all. In Chisinau it was a flat 1.5% but I only used the one ATM which was round the corner from my hotel. Others may have been free. You can use it like any other debit card, either chip n pin or contactless but the only slight drawback is that you can only withdraw a max of the equivalent of £200 per month. You can get other cards in their range for a monthly fee which allows a greater monthly ATM total. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Stanton Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 PS you can also link it to Google Pay (and probably Apple pay as well) so you can pay contactless with your phone or watch. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I've had the Halifax Clarity credit card for nearly a decade now - it has no fees on foreign transactions, and you'll pay no interest at all if you pay it off in full every month (ie when you're back from your trip). You do pay interest immediately on any cash withdrawals overseas, but you can avoid that by either preloading the card or paying it off via online banking on the same day. Maybe the Monzo and Revolut stuff have other benefits but I've never bothered using anything else because that card has worked perfectly for me ever since I got it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elixir Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Monzo is perfect for travelling. Not much more to say, really. Mind and always choose to pay in the local currency if prompted, rather than GBP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrif John Bunnell Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I was just looking into this before I go on holiday next month. For years I've always been stung by Clydesdale Bank charges abroad, but apparently the Virgin Money debit card has no overseas charges, which is a pleasant surprise. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Patterson Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I just opened a Chase account - and it works abroad with zero fees, and you actually get 1% cashback as well. Very good - used in the Netherlands recently and worked a treat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I sent the bairn to the US with a Revolut card in July (shes 12). No issues/fees etc (maybe apart from card getting delivered as mentioned above) apart from when she was in a brewery (dont ask). She did have a Junior card though so thats why it was refused. Apart from that was able to take out $ at the ATM etc with no issues. Instant money transfer etc etc. I think most of these cards work pretty much the same now and are in the main fairly reliable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I've found Revolut great, but be aware there's a £200 monthly limit on free ATM withdrawals, after that there's a 2% charge with a minimum of £1. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/MSE is always a good place to start for info on this sort of thing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HailHailHayley Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 Never had any issues with my Monzo card. Don't even think about getting money exchanged before holidays anymore. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O_Kahn Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 As above, Halifax Clarity has worked well on various trips, good exchange rates, no purchase fee and has worked on the odd occasion my RBS debit card (no fees either) hasn't - ie at the automated toll booths on French motorways. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Revolut have started charging a fee to change money so maybe other cards should be looked at. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Stanton Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 6 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Revolut have started charging a fee to change money so maybe other cards should be looked at. Where have you seen that? I've just been on their website... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said: Where have you seen that? I've just been on their website... Wish I'd seen that! Just changed some money for Euro24 stuff and got charged, happened a couple of weeks ago too but never before. P.S. Found this. Maybe I haven't changed money at the weekend before, never knew about it. Quote Revolut is a bit different as your fees may vary depending on your subscription plan. The company charges 1% in fees after an exchange limit of £1,000 per month for free accounts. Plus accounts can exchange up to £3,000 per month without exchange fees. They get charged 0.5% after that. Premium, Metal and Ultra customers don’t pay exchange fees, but they pay £7.99 to £45 per month in subscription fees. It’s also worth noting that Revolut charges a 1% markup fee on foreign exchange during weekends — regardless of your plan. https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/04/heres-how-hsbcs-new-international-payments-app-zing-compares-to-wise-and-revolut/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHuNfCEkFKLaL_rEwfkabqMMUnyDjl-wJ3tWHcyjDMRnj0HUXgoq1x9Ol9Bye__75-89eoGRttXJszsptHXraFW3zU7n4kSeIDCY_RL7mavw8xl5yQ5is4DYsDY1l9s9r16ymcj7nvbuDpojFtQgvu7KPV_16PuU4tPoDsLq5Tcc Edited January 7 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Stanton Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 They've always changed at the weekend, something to do with protecting themselves incase there's a dramatic shift in exchange rates before the US markets re-open on Monday morning. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldesbringthewa Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) Florida sounds like a blast! When I traveled abroad, I stumbled upon the same dilemma with transaction fees. Ended up giving Monzo a shot, and it was a game-changer! No more sneaky charges eating into my vacation fund. Speaking of saving while spending, have you checked out digital coupon apps? They're lifesavers for cutting costs on the go. Edited February 16 by waldesbringthewa 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 27 minutes ago, waldesbringthewa said: Florida sounds like a blast! When I traveled abroad, I stumbled upon the same dilemma with transaction fees. Ended up giving Monzo a shot, and it was a amazing. No more sneaky charges eating into my vacation fund. Holidays. We can them holidays. And we also spell "travelled" correctly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 19 hours ago, Melanius Mullarkant said: Holidays. We can them holidays. And we also spell "travelled" correctly. Unlike ''call." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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