Madmaggott Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Can anyone recommend a good card to carry in France please? Don't mind debit or credit card but of course would like to avoid charges as much as possible. We will be taking cash but I feel that there may be certain instances when plastic will be best such as fueling up at night or if I spot an expensive antique must have! Which ones, if any, do others take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Mastercard and what was switch debit card, (dont pay charges) and some cash for odds and ends. Often get a better exchange rate on credit card. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 in my experience Mastercard offer a poor rate of exchange have argued this with them many times.... Nationwide are best IMO as you get a commercial rate of exchange not tourist rate, so no need to carry large amounts of cash either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 If you have a Nationwide account, their Visa card is very good because you pay no commission on exchange, and you get close to, if not the, interbank rate of exchange.Personally, I would be more inclined to use a credit card than a debit card. If someone does skim your debit card they have access to the whole of your account balance (and potentially your overdraft limit as well, if you have one). A credit card with a smallish limit, that is paid by direct debit each month, allows you to stay away as long as you wish while limiting your exposure to fraud while away.Don't get a second card on the same account, because if you have to cancel a card because it has been skimmed, or if the issuer blocks one because of suspected fraud, the other card will automatically be cancelled until a new account is opened and the new cards issued. Not easy while wandering!Make sure you take the issuer's international contact phone number with you, so you can phone them if the card is lost/stolen, or if it becomes inexplicably blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 For non Nationwide customers the Post Office credit card is the next best thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I'm with Brian and Eddie on this. If you're not a Nationwide customer already, open an account with them, even if it's just for your holiday dosh. It's well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 From my experience of touring in Europe it pays to have access to at least two credit cards, ideally one form Visa and one from Mastercard. Why at least two cards. Firstly if you have a problem, ie card being stopped because of potential fruad (happened to me twice) you at least have a back up. Secondly, and pretty rare to be fair, some places will only take either Visa or Mastercard but not both. This happened a couple of times to us in Switzerland. From a Bank Card point of view I would agree with all those that have mentioned Nationwide. Unfortunately Nationwide have recently made it more difficult to open a Flex Account just to get their bank card, They now insist on a certainly amount of money going into the account each month for new accounts. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Just had a letter from Nationwide today saying that the terms of using their Cashcard are going to change with the introduction of a new Cashcard+ sometime between June and September this year. The major change will be that it will not be possible to use the Cashcard+ abroad to withdraw money from ATM's. This seems to spell the end of Nationwide as the travellers card of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 spospe - 2010-03-05 10:24 PM Just had a letter from Nationwide today saying that the terms of using their Cashcard are going to change with the introduction of a new Cashcard+ sometime between June and September this year. The major change will be that it will not be possible to use the Cashcard+ abroad to withdraw money from ATM's. This seems to spell the end of Nationwide as the travellers card of choice. May I ask if you have a Flex Account with Nationwide which is your main account? Just wondering if they are clamping down on those accounts which have been created for the sole purpose of cheap transactions abroad. My wife has a Flex Account which is her main account and she has not received a letter. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 It shouldn't, Cashcard and the credit card are two different things. Since we have a Nationwide account, I think it quite reasonable for them to restrict the account and the cards to those who make full use of the account. Just using it for holiday spending means that you take the benefits from the card, but put nothing back to pay for them. It is, after all, a sweet, old fashioned, mutual, that offers the cards as benefits for its members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I believe Nationwide's "Cash Card" is just that - a card linked to a basic bank account and intended only to allow cash to be obtained from an ATM. "Cash Card" is not a VISA debit card and, hence, cannot be used for to pay bills either in the UK or abroad. As far as I'm aware, if you've got a Nationwide debit card linked to a Nationwide Flex Account, Nationwide has issued no statement about changing that card's terms and conditions. This subject has been didcussed many times in the past, but it may still be worth repeating that, if you use any CREDIT CARD to withdraw cash from an ATM, you'll be charged for the privilege. You may pay no fee for using a DEBIT CARD for an ATM withdrawal, but you will always pay a fee if you use a credit card to obtain cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I asked about Nationwide cards today at a local branch. The current terms and conditions relating to the VISA Debit card linked to a Nationwide Flex Account are NOT being altered and it will still be possible to obtain cash free of charges from ATM's within the Eurozone. As spospe warned the present terms and conditions for the Nationwide "Cash Card" are being changed. I came across the following on another forum where there also seemed to be some doubt which Nationwide cards were involved. http://www.granalacantplaza.eu/forum/showthread.php?p=88244 I'm rather surprised that the existing "Cash Card" is usable in ATMs abroad, as the Nationwide Cash Card Account's limited scope (see below) http://www.nationwide.co.uk/current_account/cash_card_account.htm seems to conflict with that capability. The lady I spoke to at Nationwide told me that the replacement "Cash Card +" would have a revised chip. Presumably this will restrict ATM cash-withdrawals to the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Klyne - 2010-03-05 8:24 PM Unfortunately Nationwide have recently made it more difficult to open a Flex Account just to get their bank card, They now insist on a certainly amount of money going into the account each month for new accounts. David That appears to be so if you apply online, if you go into a branch you can open an account in a few minutes without any retrictions & they offer you a credit card at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 We have tried to get a Nationwide card, but were told we had to put in a certain amount each month. I wonder if with Mastercard they take into consideration how long you have been a customer of theirs, as our terms have been very good. We had our first card when it was Access when it came out in the 70s. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 May I ask if you have a Flex Account with Nationwide which is your main account? Just wondering if they are clamping down on those accounts which have been created for the sole purpose of cheap transactions abroad. My wife has a Flex Account which is her main account and she has not received a letter. David David, Good question and I wonder now if I have been misleading folk. The letter from Nationwide does quite specifically say "Cashcard" and not "Flex Account". What has led to my possibly jumping the gun, is that I have never had a Nationwide "Cashcard" and I have been (possibly) guilty of confusing two separate cards. I will make some telephone calls over the next couple of days and report back here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I appreciate this does not help everybody but I simply arranged for my OAP to be paid into a flex account and that meets all NWide criteria covering use of their debit card. Incidentally it is a good idea to have a non visa card as well. Some years ago travelling up Norway the garages North of Trondheim refused to accept a visa card (though they said mastercard was ok). There had been a lot of fraud on visa cards apparently and it was a blanket policy. We hadn't carried cash for fuel and I didn't want to try an ATM in case that got grumpy and swallowed the card so it all got a bit tight. Got a mastercard as well when we got home so hope to be ok in future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsyTom Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 David Dwight - 2010-03-06 8:45 PMWe have tried to get a Nationwide card, but were told we had to put in a certain amount each month.I wonder if with Mastercard they take into consideration how long you have been a customer of theirs, as our terms have been very good. We had our first card when it was Access when it came out in the 70s.David The Nationwide card is a debit card. Aren't all Mastercards credit cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 Thanks for all your suggestions, I'll have to do a bit of research asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Just to confirm things: Nationwide are restricting their "Cash Card" and changing its name to "Cash Card+". After the changes have taken place, it will not be possible to use the "Cash Card+" to withdraw money abroad. The solution is to upgrade the "Cash Card" to a Visa Debit card by going to any Nationwide branch and applying for it there. With your new Visa Debit card you will still be able to withdraw cash from ATM's for free in Western Europe. The above assumes that you have a Nationwide Flex Account and that this is the source of the money for making withdrawals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Has anyone experienced refusal of their credit card when attempting to obtain fuel at unmanned service stations whilst travelling through France? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Roland This has happened to us a few times. There was a previous forum topic on this a while ago but don't know if the search facility is working or not. From memory I think it's to do with French cards having different/old "technology" from UK cards but gradually they are changing over. No doubt someone with more knowledge will explain/ shoot me down in flames. lol We try to ensure that we top up fuel when stations are staffed rather than running the risk of not being able to buy it. We did once ask a local to pay for our fuel with their card and we gave cash in return but of course you can't rely on that.ike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creakyknee Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 rolandrat - 2010-03-08 5:28 PMHas anyone experienced refusal of their credit card when attempting to obtain fuel at unmanned service stations whilst travelling through France? Not France and not unmanned but in Spain Went into supermarket and paid with credit card, no problem. Came outside to their fuel pumps, put about 40 euros worth of diesel in and then card was declined by machine. Tried debit card and credit card from another bank. None worked. Fortunately was able to pay cash. Cards would not work until we arrived on the Algarve. This was two or three years ago but always carry some cash now. Have always used Nationwide. hope their 'no charge' policy will continue. In France got caught out on a Sunday and only unmanned station was open. Managed to persuade a Frenchman to use his card and I paid him cash with commission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I had to obtain fuel in a similar way on a Sunday by asking a local guy to fill me up then I gave him the cash, otherwise we would have been up the creek without a paddle so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Can I just try to clarify one thing please: We have a Nationwide credit card, however, I would like to be able to have a Nationwide debit card. In order to do that I understand that I have to have a Flex Account - so far, so good. Now, what I can't seem to find on their site (probably because I've gone bog eyed! 8-) ), is where it says the terms and conditions for this specifically relating to the following: Does the Nationwide Flex Account have to be your MAIN bank current account, and have your wages, direct debits and standing orders paid from it? Or can you have a current account elsewhere, and just pay in a nominal amount to the Nationwide Flex Account to keep it 'active', just popping money into it as required? With us planning on spending a bit more time abroad this year, I don't really want to tote a load of cash around with me, I'd rather just get it from the cash machine as/when needed but without being charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creakyknee Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Mel B Does the Nationwide Flex Account have to be your MAIN bank current account, and have your wages, direct debits and standing orders paid from it? Or can you have a current account elsewhere, and just pay in a nominal amount to the Nationwide Flex Account to keep it 'active', just popping money into it as required?With us planning on spending a bit more time abroad this year, I don't really want to tote a load of cash around with me, I'd rather just get it from the cash machine as/when needed but without being charged. Not really our main account but keep it topped up monthly.by standing order from other bank. We've had it for at least 20 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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