New supercard is out (perfect for overseas purchases)

[eek]

The only good thing about the latest Supercard was that it came with free insurance. It was out of date before it even came out, as the likes Revolut and Monzo had surpassed it, with touchID login, instant notification of purchases (sometimes even before the till had printed a receipt), in app customer service amongst other things.

The absolute cheapest credit card to use abroad is the Creation card, followed by Halifax Clarity. Obviously the latter has a far stronger reputation. Both being credit cards offer Section 75 protection, but you need to be careful if relying on this with foreign purchases. Despite the HL ruling, some banks still play silly buggers when comes to paying up under S75 on foreign spending.

Monzo is probably the best prepay (soon to be standard debit) card to use abroad, followed by something like Metro Bank for Eurozone spending, and Revolut worldwide.

+1 the Creation card is great. Even more so as the foreign fee is kept in the original charge and then refunded separately - it means I make a small 2% profit on all my overseas expensed travel...

[Fred Bloggs]

I note the Revolut card's appeal has also been diluted somewhat. Inevitable, I guess. I only use it as a back up option in any case. I rely on my trusty old Clarity and have done for many years now. Never lets me down. (Touches wood).

[SimonMac]

TL;DR

What's the best way to spend abroad these days, I am going to Paris for a week, I usually just take cash in Euro but I fear the wife has ideas to bankrupt me so a card might be better.

I saw Revolut has a limit of £200 a month for withdrawals, or £400 if you go for the premium at £6.99 a month. This will normally do while I am over in Spain as I usually only get a smallish amount out in cash from a GBP account while I transfer cash to the Spanish bank account to use over there (can't use that in France, it's a limitation of not have full residencia in Spain yet).

I assume most people just make card payments for everything then, even the "small stuff", is contactless proliferant in the rest of the world now (again using Spain as the example I still get funny looks using anything other than cash, but that might be a foible of small town Andalucia rather than the bigger cites like Paris)

[Fred Bloggs]

TL;DR

What's the best way to spend abroad these days, I am going to Paris for a week, I usually just take cash in Euro but I fear the wife has ideas to bankrupt me so a card might be better.

I saw Revolut has a limit of £200 a month for withdrawals, or £400 if you go for the premium at £6.99 a month. This will normally do while I am over in Spain as I usually only get a smallish amount out in cash from a GBP account while I transfer cash to the Spanish bank account to use over there (can't use that in France, it's a limitation of not have full residencia in Spain yet).

I assume most people just make card payments for everything then, even the "small stuff", is contactless proliferant in the rest of the world now (again using Spain as the example I still get funny looks using anything other than cash, but that might be a foible of small town Andalucia rather than the bigger cites like Paris)

Dead simple answer. Halifax Clarity card. Yet to be beaten for convenience, exchange rates, overseas cash advances or overseas purchases.

[Coalman]

Dead simple answer. Halifax Clarity card. Yet to be beaten for convenience, exchange rates, overseas cash advances or overseas purchases.

Second that. Only credit card I use.

[Cirrus]

I was very excited by Revolut but they have terrible customer reviews, particularly for money going missing.

A little while back I used a very big name pre-paid card and lost a load of cash through the shenanigans of the organisation.

And I was working for them !

[SimonMac]

Dead simple answer. Halifax Clarity card. Yet to be beaten for convenience, exchange rates, overseas cash advances or overseas purchases.

Second that. Only credit card I use.

Doesn't help with the withdrawing cash situation, expensive lesson learnt in my younger days withdrawing cash from a credit card!

[Fred Bloggs]

Doesn't help with the withdrawing cash situation, expensive lesson learnt in my younger days withdrawing cash from a credit card!

Yes it does. The FX rate is excellent. Pay off the card on line in a few days and the interest is negligible.

[WTFH]

Yes it does. The FX rate is excellent. Pay off the card on line in a few days and the interest is negligible.

Wot he said.

[jbond007]

Metro Bank. If you can get into a branch, you can setup an account and walk away with a working debit card the same day. No transactions fee or withdrawals fee within Europe.