Spending money

We took some cash but used cards in the supermarket/ eating out. Our nationwide credit card was fee free for purchases and our debit card was fee free for cash withdrawals

You pay commission to your bank if you take money out from the cash machine abroad but you get a better rate than you do buying Euros here from the Post Office, bank, supermarket, M&S etc, so there's probably not a lot in it on a few hundred euros.

What you have to watch out for is a fee per transaction as that really adds up if you make lots of small transactions, but if it's a percentage with no minimum, that's better.

Or you can get cards that don't charge commission and you get the full bank rate with no fees or charges. There's a debit card now that's issued in a couple of days if you don't have time to get a credit card.

Look on the moneysavingexpert travel money section for all the ins and outs of the best way to do things.

get a starling currnet account - app based and will send you a debit card - no charges abroad and no creidt checks when opening dead easy and the cheapest way to use money abroad - you get the mastercard day rate - you don't need to pre load it just move money as you need to.

i'd be looking at around a eur100 per day as a guide

you won't get a better rate taking cash out here - best to use a no fee card

Get a Starling account/card (apply via app and it should come within a week). Top up via your current account. Always reject the currency conversion into pounds offered by ATMS and card machines, choose Euros and let Starling do the conversion so you get the wholesale (interbank) rate or close to it. Avoid Santander machines they charge something like 5 euros per cash withdrawal, one or two of the other Spanish banks ATMs charge nothing.

About £1000 should do it.

Drinks and snacks are cheap in supermarket so fill up your fridge