Money abroad-Australia

[AmazingLemonDrizzle]

We're going to Australia soon and I've just realised HSBC charge transaction fees on everything and also sterling fees if withdrawing money.

Is it better to use a starling or hyper jar card instead?

I dont really know these things! Please help :)

Look at the Money Saving Expert site. It will tell you the best card to use.

Thankyou yes just looked and they have everything!!

I'm getting a bit lost on it though. I looked at hyper jar and starling as we've used those in France once so have accounts.

But it looks like it's a fiver for each kids card if I get them.

And hyper jar isn't a bank but starling is?

And I've gone down a rabbit home wondering if I want to reorder some currency. I assumed id do it all on card but kids would probably like to see some cash! And presumably exchange at the airport won't be a good!

I’m in Australia and no idea what you would need/want cash for? I do not think it’s even legal but lots of places now have signs (post Covid) saying no cash, so I’d just stick with cards. Personally, I can’t even remember the last time I touched cash!

Well until about an hour ago I was thinking about cards and that's my main concern as obviously this is our main spending (hotels /food etc) and our home bank charges a percentage which I'm planning to avoid.

The cash is literally going to be some small amounts so the kids experience it. Won't seven elevens etc take cash?

When I went I used my Santander credit card and I also used a Revoult card that I put Australian Dollars on.

If you already have Starling then I would use that.

You could get a small amount of cash but I’m just back from Australia and hardly used cash at all. Even for small purchases everywhere just expects you to pay by card.

Thanks peridot. I think I can get kids accounts attached to the starling so might do that now.

We aren't going to spend vast fortunes so I may be worrying about saving £10 here and there.... But it's still £10!!

I get it! DH hates paying any bank charges we don’t need to. So I use Starling for cash withdrawals if needed and our main credit card doesn’t charge extra for overseas transactions. Better in your pocket than theirs I say!

Thanks yes that does lead to my next question...

(it was super easy to get kids starling set up and just made a joint one for my husband and myself too!!)

I'm with HSBC and they charge fees for their credit card abroad.

Is it okay to use starling for hotels/everything?

I used to use my credit card in the dark ages and I've got vague memories of my dad saying a credit card has more "protection" (I'm not actually sure from what...)

I can't find the answer on Moneysavingexepert! I'm surprisingly bright in real life but this feels like a whole new world where I don't really travel anymore and the world changed since I did!

Yes I think you do get more protection from using a credit card but I think using Starling for just paying hotels, restaurants etc is fine. I think the protection is more relevant for purchase etc especially on line. As far as I know.

Having just returned from Sydney, I'm going to disagree with the above posters who said that cards are used much more than cash. Yes, nearly everywhere will accept cards, BUT, I found lots of places adding a surcharge to do so. Generally 1-2% but 1 restaurant wanted 10% extra! Its not always clear either- sometimes in the small print or a tiny sign near the till! Always best to check.

For money exchange/cash, I always used this site: https://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/

hsbc have a global money card. transfer your sterling into aud and spend away. no fees

The cash is literally going to be some small amounts so the kids experience it. Won't seven elevens etc take cash

As I said, it’s now hit and miss. Some places like this will, and some won’t. That’s the case where I am anyway (Sydney), but maybe other places are different. The hilarious bit is though, many places now have a sign that say Eftpos only (that’s card) but also specify a surcharge if you use a card under $10. So if just grabbing a milk from a convenience store that doesn’t accept cash, then you have to pay by card and pay a small penalty fee also, so you tend to grab a few other things to take you over the $10🤣.

In fact, this has been in the media recently as a pollie got a coffee from a place which refused to accept cash so he kicked up a stink because it is technically illegal. No one gave a shit though as a) he is mad and an embarrassment to everyone, just has an odd voter base that keeps him there, and b) the government is currently trying to develop policies to move to a completely cashless society, so no huge care there either.

Not actually sure what the great experience our cash would give? It’s not exciting. Not special leprechaun money or anything, and as I said, huge numbers of our population, myself included, haven’t even seen it themselves for years. Even places like school fete stalls take card these days because most people don’t use cash.

Oh wow no I don't want to pay a surcharge for cards. And restaurants etc would mean generally carrying cash!!

Didn't realise I could access an HSBC one without fees. Will look again after work!

Hopping have you never travelled? Or travelled as a child? I loved it when we had francs and deutchmarks and enjoyed the differences. It's just euros now but my kids have enjoyed seeing things in a different country and that includes different currency.

So yes they would love to have a go with Australian dollars (and some Singapore money too possibly) as its all part of the fun.

I agree though day to day we rarely use cash in the UK now either so it will be fun to do it while they remember the experience and before it dies out completely!!

Open a Wise account and get a debit card:
https://wise.com/

Oh wow no I don't want to pay a surcharge for cards. And restaurants etc would mean generally carrying cash

You misunderstand. Usually there is no surcharge for cards in most places (except AMEX which has a surcharge virtually everywhere). Except, lots of places like convenience stores and coffee shops where they will charge a small recharge unless you spend over usually $10. That would never be relevant in a restaurant as you would of course always need to spend a lot more. Not sure of your reference to restaurants and cash as you wouldn’t use cash at restaurants, you would use a card (and again, surcharge no issue in this scenario).

Hopping have you never travelled? Or travelled as a child?

Wow. Yeah, obviously not as in Australia we don’t go anywhere, we just sit on our island and wait for visitors to come grace us with their presence. And we ride around on kangaroos. Ffs. It may assist you to know that most people raised in major metro areas in Australia (which would be the majority of the population) are REALLY well travelled. Admittedly, many outside of these areas (which would be the minority of the population) are not. I am in the former, thanks. And no, I can’t recall foreign currency ever holding such a great appeal for myself or anyone else I’m aware of. It was certainly never a topic as a child or adult when anyone came back from somewhere they espoused about as a highlight, but I do appreciate everyone is different. Sorry to have tried to be helpful with how purchases are usually dealt with here, good luck with it all and I do hope you enjoy your visit. Am off now to ride me kangaroo to the shop with me cash.

I saw an advert for a fee free card called Currensea the other day (after I'd just signed up for a Starling account to avoid foreign currency fees). With Currensea, the payments are linked to your current bank account (like PayPal I guess). I think it's fairly new but the comments under the advert looked favourable. They can't link to all bank accounts yet - but there is a long list of ones they can link to - and most currencies - you'd have to check for Australia - but the advantage of it is not having to open a new bank account.

Starling isn't free either; it has a currency conversion fee. I haven't travelled anywhere in the last month, but HSBC's was better than Starling's last time I did.

HSBC do have a travel card that has lower fees, though...

I wouldn't overestimate how much people want/will accept cash. My toddler loves to use it too, but most places prefer being cash-free now, so he's had to learn to love tapping my card instead 😅 If you get money out and can't use it, you'll find it difficult to exchange it back without losing money.

Oh Hopping.

No I wasn't talking about you having been abroad as anything to do with living in Australia (!? Compeltley not the point and most Australians I know are well travelled so not at all the point I was making) but surprise that you didn't see the appeal to kids of money from different countries. It's certainly an interest to many people here as I said, especially when there were lots of differences as kids. I was still exited as an adult to have American dollars and yes my kids

And the surcharge for restaurant was on direct response to DDSD9472 and their experience in a restaurant and being asked more for a card which I was surprised at.... If you'd read their post further up. Nothing to do with your or with a charge for under 10 dollars (used to be similar here that places charged for card for small amounts but that's completely gone now.)

You're really chippy and rude!

Thanks to others for the useful comments though :)

Starling doesn't have fees for buying in Australian/Singapore and I've ordered a card for each of us which is geat and so easy. But I'll look into HSBC too but looks like starling is quite easy for the kids.

So excited now :)

So treat/snack money all ordered now too. I did check and yes the kids DO want to see money from other countries. And I must admit last time I was in Singapore for a change I don't think I remember using cash so I'm quite keen to see what it looks like!!

Just working through my list now of other bits to sort :) Thankyou

So we're here and the Singapore money and the aussie money has been well received. They both want to keep a (small) bill to take home!

We spent cash easily in changi and kids loved doing so (complete novelty really)

So far in Australia they've had starling cards which have been brilliant allowing them to shop but not charging the fees hsbc would have done. We are liking starling so much it's much more user friendly than hsbc and it pays a fee pounds interest a month!!

It was helpful to know that some places charge for credit. The hotel bill was huge and they add a few percent for "card fees" but also don't take cash which is an odd hidden fee.

Also thanks to my other thread discovered an extra 20% got added twice to meals over Sunday /bank Holiday Monday for it being the weekend/bank Holiday. There were no signs!

We need to get some actual coins for the washing machine and dryer in the hotel. There's a 7-11 over the road so may send them to have a go there.