Pre paid travel cards

[SPG]

Unless you like ringing around and sorting out a new card, after some munchkin takes it away for a nice clone, when paying for a big fat surf n turf.... or big fat steak... or a kobi beef burger. Twice on the same trip once.

It really is not worth the hassle, and yes I can afford it

 

[beh]

Even if you've taken cash out the interest charge for a couple of weeks is virtually nothing.

prepaid card never, unless you like paying more than you need to.

Paying the interest charge is paying more than you need to?

Both types of card have their uses, why not take both?

 

[[TW]Fox]

Unless you like ringing around and sorting out a new card, after some munchkin takes it away for a nice clone, when paying for a big fat surf n turf.... or big fat steak... or a kobi beef burger. Twice on the same trip once.

It really is not worth the hassle, and yes I can afford it

And what do you think happens if the same thing happens on your prepaid card?

You either suck it up and lose the money on it or... guess what.. you make some calls.

It's never happened to my card in the US yet in many trips, either.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Paying the interest charge is paying more than you need to?

The interest charge is so small it's not worth thinking about.

On £100 withdrawn and paid back 2 weeks later when you get home it works out at about 60 pence!!

Both types of card have their uses, why not take both?

A prepaid card, IMO, has no use to anyone with a credit rating. You get an imperfect exchange rate for a start and there are practical considerations too - they are 'online' only cards so won't work at places unable to seek a pre-auth first, ie tollbooths or merchants with offline terminals. They are useless for situations whereby a merchant will place a hold on your card - for example Car rental, etc.

Todays USD rate on a Caxton FX card for example is 1.37. On a Halifax Clarity is is 1.41.

That's 20 quid more per $1000 you spend! Why bother? What do you gain for this additional cost other than less convenience?

There is no need to use them and it baffles me how they constantly get recommended. A proper credit card is far superior - no preloading, no thinking about how much to put on, a better exchange rate, no worries with offline payments, better fraud protection, just better. And cheaper.

 

[OllyM]

Unless you like ringing around and sorting out a new card, after some munchkin takes it away for a nice clone, when paying for a big fat surf n turf.... or big fat steak... or a kobi beef burger. Twice on the same trip once.

It really is not worth the hassle, and yes I can afford it

Who cares? With a credit card it's not your money anyway and it'll get sorted out. If anything you have less protection using one of those rubbish prepaid cards.

I live here and haven't had a card cloned yet. If it happens then I have a wallet full of alternatives, the charges will get reversed and I'll get a replacement, big deal?

This is what Revolut have to say about fraudulent transactions:

If you see a transaction on your Revolut wallet which you don’t recognise, or you believe should have been refunded, please contact the in-app support so we can investigate for you.

Block your Revolut card in the ‘Card’ section of the app straight away. There is no fraud protection for your pre-paid card as stated by ‘The UK Cards Association’, therefore any money used in a fraudulent transaction will not be reimbursed. However, Revolut can raise a Chargeback with the merchant on your behalf based on an internal assessment. The success of this Chargeback isn’t guaranteed.

Not something I'd want to risk!

 

[[TW]Fox]

I suppose he is right, accepting that all your money has gone is perhaps less hassle than making a call when you get home and getting it all back

If he gets cloned that often imagine it happened on Day 1 - all your holibob money on your prepaid card gone!

 

[beh]

On £100 withdrawn and paid back 2 weeks later when you get home it works out at about 60 pence!!

Fair enough, it's pence. Was just a bit puzzled that you went against your own argument.

You get an imperfect exchange rate for a start

You get the interbank rate on Revolut.

They are useless for situations whereby a merchant will place a hold on your card - for example Car rental, etc.

Aye, wouldn't use them for big purchases or anything with a preauth but for day to day stuff they're fine.

Caxton FX card for example is 1.37. On a Halifax Clarity is 1.41.

Hence why I didn't recommend Caxton, they have fallen a long way behind the competition.

A proper credit card is far superior - no preloading, no thinking about how much to put on, a better exchange rate, no worries with offline payments, better fraud protection, just better. And cheaper.

Your point of reference for preloaded cards seems to be slightly dated, any argument for it being more expensive just isn't true.

I don't understand why you won't concede that it might be useful to have both types of card? Would you not have a backup card anyway?

 

[Casdawer]

I was lucky enough years ago to get the Abbey Zero Credit Card which gave me excellent rates abroad (and as per the name 0% on most things!)

Lucky enough, Santander have kept the credit card and I'm still using it to this day.

The Halifax Clarity card is the next best thing.

 

[Jez]

I am constantly amazed that in 2016 people still make currency considerations when travelling. This is an old hangover which i can only assume gets passed down from older generations from a time when currency type (and more importantly, access to that currency) was a real consideration.

1) Get a decent 0% Forex credit card in the UK (The Halifax Clarity is one of these).
2) (Optional) Get a decent current account with a 0% fee free debit card (for worldwide ATM use).
3) Forget about making any arrangements ever again.

 

[Jez]

I don't understand why you won't concede that it might be useful to have both types of card? Would you not have a backup card anyway?

This is not a point i would ever concede, these prepaid cards are white elephant junk. They offer absolutely nothing, infact they remove a great deal of your protection and convenience.

I agree that it is useful to have multiple cards available, and also i would personally always have cards from different issuers (I found Mastercard acceptance in the UAE to be quite poor for example). However the answer is never a pre paid card.

 

[POB]

The Revolut card in theory is as good as the Halifax card. (if not slightly cheaper as no cash interest)

But in practice it seems to get declined more then the Halifax card. 7 Eleven and JackInAbox both declined my friends card when my Halifax worked fine.

 

[joeyjojo]

You get the interbank rate on Revolut.

Revolut does look good. The only downsides compared to e.g. Halifax Clarity I can see are:

• they give you a debit card (no placing holds, pay at pump, etc.)
• there's a 2% ATM charge if you withdraw over £500 in a month

and of course you don't get the credit card Section 75 protection, and you do have to keep an eye on it and make sure it's always got sufficient funds, but these are true of all prepaid cards.

Interesting they use the Spot Interbank exchange rate. I wonder how this compares to the Mastercard rate.

 

[POB]

I don't understand why you won't concede that it might be useful to have both types of card? Would you not have a backup card anyway?

American Express is a great backup card as they can magically get you a new one anywhere in the world very quickly if its lost or stolen.

 

[[TW]Fox]

American Express is a great backup card as they can magically get you a new one anywhere in the world very quickly if its lost or stolen.

Punative foreign transaction charges though. I use mine in the US only for pay at pump fuel as there is typically no zip code verification on Amex and the convenience is worth the charge.

 

[POB]

Putative foreign transaction charges though. I use mine in the US only for pay at pump fuel as there is typically no zip code verification on Amex and the convenience is worth the charge.

Handy tip about Pay at pump, thanks.

 

[Freefaller]

I am constantly amazed that in 2016 people still make currency considerations when travelling. This is an old hangover which i can only assume gets passed down from older generations from a time when currency type (and more importantly, access to that currency) was a real consideration.

1) Get a decent 0% Forex credit card in the UK (The Halifax Clarity is one of these).
2) (Optional) Get a decent current account with a 0% fee free debit card (for worldwide ATM use).
3) Forget about making any arrangements ever again.

This 100%.

 

[daz]

Halifax Clarity is great for day to day. The only consideration might be to grab a small amount in low notes (~$200). Just in case there is no ATM, or if there are any other issues on arrival. It's always handy as well for the initial taxi ride or a small tip when you first check in and so on, whereas an ATM might give out 20s or bigger. I never used to do this but I had an issue once where I got off the plane, went to an ATM and my card was immediately blocked. Took a lengthy phone call to sort and all I wanted to do was get to my hotel and sleep.

Watch out in Vegas for the withdrawal fees, it's also possible you could hit your cash withdrawal limit depending on how much you spend in a day there.

 

[Freefaller]

I have to say that the Supercard was useful as an alternative, but the trial is over, and it was not universally accepted (i.e. toll booths for example).

I agree having some cash is useful though, but then it's about being sensible. Another advantage of the Clarity Card is that you don't have to keep logging on to transfer money or top up your pre-paid card - sometimes internet access is not available.

 

[malachi]

Luckily I have a STA prepaid card, Clarity Card and the Post Office Credit Card. First time I be using them aboard when I go away in a few weeks. Will be interesting to see which will be better for me, especially on cash withdraws.

 

[Rotty]

This is exactly the best thing to do.

Use it for everything.

.

I have yet to use my Clarity in US but it's been fine elsewhere

Only thing bothers me are the ATM charges, the Vegas ones charge $2-6 per transaction on debit cards but list charges as high as 10% on credit cards, does this not affect the Clarity?