pre-paid euro cards

[pandm]

hi all

does anyone have any experience of the pre loaded euro cards that the cc and ccc are offering?

had nationwide card but now they're charging going to ditch it

many thanks

[w1ntersun]

This is a good one

 

http://www.escape-travel-money-card.com/

 

Richard

[HymerVan]

I have been using Fairfx for buying currency and a prepaid euro debit card since 2009. The system works well and you get close to a proper commercial exchange rate. There is a fixed charge for cash withdrawals (£1.50) per transaction but no charge for a purchase. You can top-up on line. I have found the service to be excellent. With any company there is a risk of insolvency. I simply don't know what IF ANY risks of losing money in the event of insolvency this company carries compared with any other and I am not inferring that they are a risk.

I dont know what protection under FSA rules etc you have.

[catinou]

HymerVan - 2010-08-04 8:37 AM

 

I have been using Fairfx for buying currency and a prepaid euro debit card since 2009. The system works well and you get close to a proper commercial exchange rate. There is a fixed charge for cash withdrawals (£1.50) per transaction but no charge for a purchase. You can top-up on line. I have found the service to be excellent. With any company there is a risk of insolvency. I simply don't know what IF ANY risks of losing money in the event of insolvency this company carries compared with any other and I am not inferring that they are a risk.

I dont know what protection under FSA rules etc you have.

 

We used the post office Pre-paid Electron/Visa/Euro card for the first time in June this year (hopefully fairly secure). Not accepted at most toll booths on the motorways (except one - which, as it was the longest part - cost of 43 euros - was a good one to work) ;-)

 

No problems paying for fuel with it as long as you pay at the booths - it won't work at the auto pay pumps.

 

Good as a backup and to get cash from the ATM fairly cheaply if you don't have a French bank account.

[johnnerontheroad]

HymerVan - 2010-08-04 8:37 AM

 

I have been using Fairfx for buying currency and a prepaid euro debit card since 2009. The system works well and you get close to a proper commercial exchange rate. There is a fixed charge for cash withdrawals (£1.50) per transaction but no charge for a purchase. You can top-up on line. I have found the service to be excellent. With any company there is a risk of insolvency. I simply don't know what IF ANY risks of losing money in the event of insolvency this company carries compared with any other and I am not inferring that they are a risk.

I dont know what protection under FSA rules etc you have.

 

I am looking to use this card for my daughter who is off to the Far East for 6 months. I copyed this from Fairfx web site

" MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International. The FairFX Card is issued by Newcastle Building Society ("NBS") pursuant to licence by MasterCard International. NBS is authorised & regulated by the Financial Services Authority as an issuer of e-money (registration no. 156058)"

So it looks as though it is regulated?

 

 

[sheer lunar-see]

Hi, we have been using a FairFX card for 4 years now, no problems whatsoever with it, it works in both fuel station self service and motorway tolls, best thing we ever got, even converted both my sisters to getting one, cant get them to convert to motorhomes though, thems both tuggers.

[rupert123]

Do not understand the use of these cards. We to were thinking of one but having looked today see no real advantage. For cash we use Crown Currency. Todays rate for August delivery 19.84 euro to £, Fairfax today 19 euro to £. We pay for as much as we can with our normal bank debit card which, as most are, has no charge for purchase and gives a very good rate. By paying as much as possible by card we do not need to much cash, we normally get by with around 500 euro,s a month. So unless we were going to be away more than two months cannot see the point.

[peterandlinda]

Hi

 

€19 to the £, ??!! Can't be correct surely.

 

P&L

[Randonneur]

rupert123 - 2010-08-04 1:57 PM

 

Do not understand the use of these cards. We to were thinking of one but having looked today see no real advantage. For cash we use Crown Currency. Todays rate for August delivery 19.84 euro to £, Fairfax today 19 euro to £. We pay for as much as we can with our normal bank debit card which, as most are, has no charge for purchase and gives a very good rate. By paying as much as possible by card we do not need to much cash, we normally get by with around 500 euro,s a month. So unless we were going to be away more than two months cannot see the point.

 

Normal Bank Debit Cards, if used in Europe, have commission charges attached to them unless its Nationwide at the moment and a couple of others. Our Barclays Connect Debit Card, if used in Europe, carries a % commission, can't remember what it is at the moment. By using these cards you are not carrying cash and I presume you have a pin number for the ATM.

[rupert123]

peterandlinda - 2010-08-04 1:05 PM

 

Hi

 

€19 to the £, ??!! Can't be correct surely.

 

P&L

 

Ah no should be 1.19, sorry

[rupert123]

Randonneur - 2010-08-04 1:09 PM

 

rupert123 - 2010-08-04 1:57 PM

 

Do not understand the use of these cards. We to were thinking of one but having looked today see no real advantage. For cash we use Crown Currency. Todays rate for August delivery 19.84 euro to £, Fairfax today 19 euro to £. We pay for as much as we can with our normal bank debit card which, as most are, has no charge for purchase and gives a very good rate. By paying as much as possible by card we do not need to much cash, we normally get by with around 500 euro,s a month. So unless we were going to be away more than two months cannot see the point.

 

Normal Bank Debit Cards, if used in Europe, have commission charges attached to them unless its Nationwide at the moment and a couple of others. Our Barclays Connect Debit Card, if used in Europe, carries a % commission, can't remember what it is at the moment. By using these cards you are not carrying cash and I presume you have a pin number for the ATM.

 

No they do not if used as i suggested as payment for goods or sevices.

[Mike88]

Barclays are about to charge 2.75% for goods and services purchased abroad.

 

http://www.bank.barclays.co.uk/Helpsupport/Debitcardratesandcharges/P1242557964236

 

 

 

 

 

[Randonneur]

rupert123 - 2010-08-04 4:57 PM

 

Randonneur - 2010-08-04 1:09 PM

 

rupert123 - 2010-08-04 1:57 PM

 

Do not understand the use of these cards. We to were thinking of one but having looked today see no real advantage. For cash we use Crown Currency. Todays rate for August delivery 19.84 euro to £, Fairfax today 19 euro to £. We pay for as much as we can with our normal bank debit card which, as most are, has no charge for purchase and gives a very good rate. By paying as much as possible by card we do not need to much cash, we normally get by with around 500 euro,s a month. So unless we were going to be away more than two months cannot see the point.

 

Normal Bank Debit Cards, if used in Europe, have commission charges attached to them unless its Nationwide at the moment and a couple of others. Our Barclays Connect Debit Card, if used in Europe, carries a % commission, can't remember what it is at the moment. By using these cards you are not carrying cash and I presume you have a pin number for the ATM.

 

No they do not if used as i suggested as payment for goods or sevices.

 

I beg to differ, I am looking at my January 2010 Barclays Bank Statement and we used our Connect card for Diesel at a filling station in Spain, 53,47€ at exchange rate of 1,112 includes commission of £1.29, thats what is printed on the Statement. A cash withdrawal in Portugal of 200€ same exchange rate as above with a commission of £4.82 and a fee of £3.59.

[barbar]

Connect do charge for transactions abroad. I found that this year. However, as posted on another thread, I have what was Abbey Zero which has now become Santander Zero and that does not have any charges. I loaded mine to go out earlier this year. I used the loading plus some of my credit availability. I also used ATMs for cash. No charges. The response to my posting on the other thread has been to dismiss it as though it is not true but I can assure anyone it is true. I do not know how difficult it is to obtain this card now as I got mine via Abbey before the take ove by Santander. If you can get it then you can have free useage whilst in France or Spain which are the two countries I have used it. I assume, as per the blerb, that it is free in Euroland or indeed Europe.

[barbar]

Connect do charge for transactions abroad. I found that this year. However, as posted on another thread, I have what was Abbey Zero which has now become Santander Zero and that does not have any charges. I loaded mine to go out earlier this year. I used the loading plus some of my credit availability. I also used ATMs for cash. No charges. The response to my posting on the other thread has been to dismiss it as though it is not true but I can assure anyone it is true. I do not know how difficult it is to obtain this card now as I got mine via Abbey before the take ove by Santander. If you can get it then you can have free useage whilst in France or Spain which are the two countries I have used it. I assume, as per the blerb, that it is free in Euroland or indeed Europe.

[olley]

Hi I have a post office travel card, which is electron only, so you can't use it for automatic petrol pumps and the like. I got it because I save all the change from our shop and the PO next door don't mind taking £30 worth of coppers if your putting it on the card. So while it may not be the best card, for me its the most convenient.

 

One thing in the blurb which may apply to other cards is that you are not covered in the event the bank/building society goes bust. The PO one is from the bank of Ireland.

 

It says that the card is an electronic money product, and as such is not covered by the FSA compensation scheme, if the BOI go bust you have lost your lolly.

 

Olley

[Derek Uzzell]

barbar - 2010-08-04 9:22 PM

 

Connect do charge for transactions abroad. I found that this year. However, as posted on another thread, I have what was Abbey Zero which has now become Santander Zero and that does not have any charges. I loaded mine to go out earlier this year. I used the loading plus some of my credit availability. I also used ATMs for cash. No charges. The response to my posting on the other thread has been to dismiss it as though it is not true but I can assure anyone it is true. I do not know how difficult it is to obtain this card now as I got mine via Abbey before the take ove by Santander. If you can get it then you can have free useage whilst in France or Spain which are the two countries I have used it. I assume, as per the blerb, that it is free in Euroland or indeed Europe.

 

I referred to the Santander Zero account elsewhere, but I'll repeat my comments here.

 

"The “Zero Current Account”, that is Santander’s financial product allowing fee-free use of its debit card while abroad, has eligibility terms and conditions that will prevent many people having it.

 

The account needs to be your main one and, to earn the promotional-offer high interest rate, you need to pay in at least £1000 monthly.

 

But the real killer is that you ALSO need to have a mortgage with Santander OR a Santander ‘qualifying investment’. The definition of the latter isn’t (in my view) made crystal-clear in Santander’s literature, but it’s basically something from the list in the “Investments” section of Santander’s “Savings and Investments explained” web-page.

 

We have been Abbey/Santander customers for many years and have a good deal of money deposited with this bank. Our Santander current account is our ‘main’ one and receives more than £1000 per month. We also have Santander ISAs, but these are considered as ‘savings’ products not ‘investments’, so we don’t qualify for the Zero Account and we can't have our present current account converted into it."

 

If anyone has managed to obtain a Santander Zero account recently WITHOUT having a mortgage or 'investment' with Santander, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

[sheer lunar-see]

The thing is, with the Fairfx card that we use is, that you can buy Euros at any time during the year, when the exchange rate is good, you get a much better exchange rate than if you buy cash at the bank, use it like a savings card, it is safer than cash, if lost or cloned, they can only get whats left on the card, and not your entire Bank or credit card amounts. sometimes this is weeks after the cloned card event has taken place. But each to his own as they say.

[pandm]

does any one use the caravan club euro debit card or the caravan and camping debit card ?

 

[rupert123]

Mike88 - 2010-08-04 5:28 PM

 

Barclays are about to charge 2.75% for goods and services purchased abroad.

 

http://www.bank.barclays.co.uk/Helpsupport/Debitcardratesandcharges/P1242557964236

 

 

 

 

Sorry did not make my answer clear. I did not intend to imply Barclays do not make a charge but having re-read my post see that is what I did. My bank HSBC do not make a charge and give a good rate, most banks seem to be the same, they do not make a charge for purchases.

[barbar]

Derek,

Don't have a penny invested with either Abbey or Santander. Had the Abbey card for several years and when I saw the zero advert I went into my local branch and asked a few questions. The upshot was that I have not been charged diddlysquat for using the card this year. I did load it but spent that and went into reserve which I paid on my return to the UK. I think the short answer may be to go into the branch and talk. Santander are no different to the others in that they want the business. It may be that new customers have to have the qualifications you mention but anyone who has started with an Abbey card should talk to their brance.

Still making things out of the plastic bags Maureen? Regards to Peter.

[Madmaggott]

We were going to get a pre-paid card for use at filling stations in the eurozone instead of carrying large sums of cash, untill I read the following on money.co.uk:

How will this affect me?

This will affect you if you will need to use your prepaid card for any transaction that needs to be pre-approved. As well as using your card as a ‘tab’, this could include petrol stations when your card is entered and authorised before you fill up your car, car rental firms when your card details are held as a deposit and you are billed upon returning the car, and hotel stays when your card is taken at the beginning of your stay, and you are billed later for any charges you might have incurred.

Read more: http://www.money.co.uk/article/1004482-the-prepaid-card-exclusions-that-you-need-to-know-about.htm#ixzz0vunVMWi9

It seems that one encounters a similar problem with pre-paid cards as with debit cards as far as acceptance is concerned; or can you tell me otherwise?

 

[Randonneur]

Madmaggott - 2010-08-07 12:37 PMWe were going to get a pre-paid card for use at filling stations in the eurozone instead of carrying large sums of cash, untill I read the following on money.co.uk:

How will this affect me?

This will affect you if you will need to use your prepaid card for any transaction that needs to be pre-approved. As well as using your card as a ‘tab’, this could include petrol stations when your card is entered and authorised before you fill up your car, car rental firms when your card details are held as a deposit and you are billed upon returning the car, and hotel stays when your card is taken at the beginning of your stay, and you are billed later for any charges you might have incurred.

Read more: http://www.money.co.uk/article/1004482-the-prepaid-card-exclusions-that-you-need-to-know-about.htm#ixzz0vunVMWi9

It seems that one encounters a similar problem with pre-paid cards as with debit cards as far as acceptance is concerned; or can you tell me otherwise?

I have previously posted of our experience in Portugal in that most places will only take cash or portugese debit/credit cards. We found this in supermarkets and petrol stations. There is always an ATM outside the building to get cash. We went to a couple of petrol stations that you had to pay prior to getting your fuel, don't know what happens if you don't put as much in as you pay for, presumably they give you the difference back. We didn't take the chance and only put 50 euros in.