DD (16) travelling abroad alone- how should she take money?

[OwlMother]

Dd (16) is going to Paris at half term to stay with a friend and her family. When we go abroad I just use my debit card ( fee free foreign transactions) but looking hers up online it seems an expensive way to do it. I don't really want to give her one of my cards- I have friends that do this.

Has anyone found a good solution for under 18s?

FAIRFX also do a prepaid currency card - "Family and Friends" - where the additional card holder can be 13 and over.

Revolut in your name. We've done this for our DC when they've been away on sports camps, trips, etc. You have the app on your phone and can see exactly what they're spending and where, and top up of needed. It works brilliantly.

We used fairfx with my daughter when she was 16yrs. It works really well and has a good exchange rate

Starling bank is amazing. No fees abroad and now available to 16 year olds. She can lock the card on the app if she loses it.

www.which.co.uk/news/2018/09/starling-bank-launches-current-accounts-for-16-17-year-olds/

Another vote for Revolut here

Get a post office travel card, easy to preload and can be used pretty much anywhere and you can top it up as needed. Just needs to be activated before she goes. Useful as you or any siblings could use it in the future as it's not tied to a person/name.

Ah, so my info was out of date- Monzo and Starling both allow 16 year olds to have cards/ accounts. Unfortunately Dd is 16 on the day she travels so we won't have time to get one.

Could you transfer a lump sum via transferwise to the friends with whom your dd is staying and they give it to her when she needs it?

If you set up a monzo account in your name, Can you get an additional card in hers?
I have done this with Cashplus but they charge for foreign transactions and cash withdrawals.

Another vote here for FairFx - my kids have used them several times on school trips and holidays. Very low charges and good exchange rate

Have a look at Flex one with nationwide. DD has had one since she was 11 and she’s often shipped abroad to relatives on her own. I know they don’t charge for purchases in Europe, and I don’t think she’s ever been charged for cash withdrawals, I remember using it to take cash out with no fee a few years back.
Anyway, what I do is transfer a few hundred pounds when she leaves and she manages the rest. She has a app on her phone to control the card.

I've used both FairFX (DD is 13) and the Post Office travel card and both were good. FairFX is particularly easy to top up and I was able to move all the money off both DD and DS's card when they lost theirs.

And another vote for FairFX (think they are about to rebrand and change names)
Always used that card in the USA and it's so simple.

remember she probably won't be covered by your travel insurance if she is travelling alone, she'll need her own policy.

DD (12) has a Nationwide account and used her debit card last year on holiday in France and Germany.

You can only get what is on the account and the card can be blocked like any other debit card. We can wire more funds over to her account if she would require it.

remember she probably won't be covered by your travel insurance if she is travelling alone, she'll need her own policy.

That's a good point. When my ds and dd went I couldn't get insurance for them travelling on their own. I ended up speaking up the school as they use insurance companies for trips. They put me in touch with their company and I got it through them.

It's been mentioned a couple of times, but my DD (12) also has a nationwide debit card and it's fee free for use abroad.

Yes, another vote for the Nationwide FlexOne - you can put the app on your phone as well as your DD's so you both have access, can freeze and unfreeze the card etc

Just get a monzo in your name and give her that

Another vote for FairFX; good rates, free to use as a payment card, and available at 13. There is a charge for ATM withdrawals, but still a very useful card.

Thanks all- we've ended up with the nationwide teen account. Stupidly didn't think of it sooner as the debit card I use abroad is the nationwide one and it's fee free.

She's also covered when travelling abroad by the travel insurance that comes with our nationwide account. I now sound like a Nationwide advert.

That's a good account - glad you got something to suit! And made me look at the Nationwide Student Flex account for my niece, who also needs the free transaction abroad facility. Think that might be the best one for her.

HSBC advance - she can use the HSBC branches in Paris in an emergency and the ATMs are free