Credit card or cash for Europe?

[TW]Fox said:
Because it isn't how people normally use cards so the reality is that most people won't do it. Having to interact with a card beyond simply handing it over to pay is an unacceptable level of faff and most people despite the best intentions simply won't do it. I mean seriously, you see no issue with having to remember to enable and disable your card all the time?

With a proper credit card you simply use it normally and are covered by the legal fraud protection measures in the unlikely event of anything going wrong.

No need to mess about topping up either.
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Who said all the time. You do it when you want or not at all. And no i see no issue with it at all.

I use the supercard and use it just like a normal card you get full protection as well. I see no reason why you would faff around with a Clarity which needs paying off a few times a week to avoid paying interest.
 
robj20 said:
How is a disabled card not more secure.
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Banks have extremely well set up fraud procedures and practices to identify and prevent fraud, as well as being fully protected.

robj20 said:
Not sure how its annoying either either, personally i would turn it off at the end of each day and back on in the morning. Turn off all online use, then fully turn it off at the end of the holiday.
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Sounds annoting to me.
 
NVP said:
Banks have extremely well set up fraud procedures and practices to identify and prevent fraud, as well as being fully protected.


Sounds annoting to me.
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Banks certainly do have EXTREMELY good security thats why millions a week gets stolen from stolen card details. If the cards off you cant steal anything.
People seem to like nit picking for the sake of it. What about people that simply dont want another credit card or one at all, should they still be forced to get one because YOU think its the best option.

Having to pay of a Clarity card a few times a week sounds annoying to me.
 
I'd much rather trust a real bank to handle the rare cases of fraud and reimburse me my money over some random start up
 
Can we please have a sticky thread for these questions as the answer is always the same!

Lucky enough, I got an Abbey (remember them!) Zero card and Santander have kept it going so I always take it with me when I go abroad.

Pretty much everywhere takes Mastercard/Visa these days so there is no need to take cash.
 
MonsterMoshi said:
Auto reply should really be set for Revolut
Zero fees all the time for withdrawals and transactions
Same or better exchange rates
Much easier sign up
More useful app
Top-ups with Apple pay, card, bank transfer
Multiple physical and/or virtual cards
Better security
Better support

Revolut is better in almost every way. I don't understand why people constantly recommend Clarity...
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Not entirely true, max £200 a month withdrawal and then you are charged 3%.

Still a great card to have nevertheless and I'll be using mine in Japan in a few weeks time, however I'll also be taking my Clarity Card for store purchases.
 
[TW]Fox said:
You are not liable for fraud on your credit card.

Who is liable for fraud on your prepaid one?
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The user is entirely liable unless they money is lost through a flaw on Revoluts systems in which case your protected by the FCA just the same as any debit card
But realistically, if you take normal precautions with your card you are not going to be a much of a risk of fraud.
And besides if you do choose to you such features as location based security, disabling magstripe, online transactions etc then the risk is further significantly reduced
Personally I only top up with the money I need for a week or less (literally takes 15 seconds to top up with Apple Pay)

You really are nitpicking

SpartaK said:
Not entirely true, max £200 a month withdrawal and then you are charged 3%.

Still a great card to have nevertheless and I'll be using mine in Japan in a few weeks time, however I'll also be taking my Clarity Card for store purchases.
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Wasn't actually aware of this as its never affected me
The only time I've withdraw that much cash was in 2015 and there was unlimited withdrawals back then

Could be a consideration if you are going to a country with more limited card acceptance
It wouldn't still be better value than getting cash out before you travel though I imagine
 
I'm not sure I see the benefit in the Revolut card if you are liable for fraudulent spending on the card. Sure it might be more robust against fraudulent use with the security features, but considering I'm not liable for fraudulent use with my Clarity, do I really care that much?

The chance of fraudulent use with the Revolut may be small, but when it's my own money on the line then I'm not sure I see the benefit.
 
MonsterMoshi said:
Could be a consideration if you are going to a country with more limited card acceptance
It wouldn't still be better value than getting cash out before you travel though I imagine
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Definitely a bonus in countries where cash is king, I think you get better rates withdrawing from the card than getting cash out before travel too.

I guess the added bonus is no need to carry a large wad of cash on you, just withdraw as and when required and it's easy to top up the balance from the app.
 
Does Revolut not give Section 75 cover? They give you a MasterCard don't they, doesn't that ensure it?

I agree with Fox, the average person is still probably better off with a standard credit card, but Revolut is definitely worth considering. Arguing over which is better is pointless.
 
Casdawer said:
Can we please have a sticky thread for these questions as the answer is always the same!

Lucky enough, I got an Abbey (remember them!) Zero card and Santander have kept it going so I always take it with me when I go abroad.

Pretty much everywhere takes Mastercard/Visa these days so there is no need to take cash.
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For what it's worth, they re-released the Zero card when the 123 bit the dust. Same T&Cs apparently as the old ones that people have kept going.

Although I *think* when I last looked, Nationwide Select is both 0.5% cashback and no foreign transaction fees, which would make it better option than anything else on the market - excluding cash withdrawals.

For cash withdrawals I think there's a Barclaycard credit card that charges no interest provided it's paid off within the month, or Metro for Europe, and that's it.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Rate spending on a Clarity in Euros now: 1.179

Rate spending on a Revolut in Euros now: 1.175
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I don't think you understand how this works - the master card rate is set once per day... given that then it is pretty obvious which will have the wider spread without even checking the rates.

sorry but you've actually got the rate wrong anyway - it is 1.172 for clarity
 
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The point is that there is no material difference in rates. Sometimes it will be the Clarity by virtue of the fixed daily rate, sometimes it will be Revolut.

Either way I still can't see the point in faffing around with cards you top up that need all sorts of bizarre security features to make up for the fact they can't offer the protection a proper credit card can.
 
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