Pre loaded travel card

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I am looking for recommendations... I believe it is possible to have a card which is pre loaded with Sterling and then used for pay for goods and services and to obtain cash abroad. And advice/experience? Thank you!

We have the Thomas Cook Cash Passport. It is as you say a debit card, and you can choose which currency you want, sterling, dollars, euros etc. You need the card for the currency you intend to spend, but you load the card in sterling and it is converted during the loading payment transaction. You can do this on the internet I think, and they send you the pre-loaded card, or you can do it in the Thomas Cook shops.

Because it is not linked to your bank account it is safe. If you do lose it or it's stolen you are insured and thieves would need to know your pin number as well. You need to keep tabs on your spending though, as not all ATM's abroad give balances so keep a note of each spend/withdrawal and a running balance total. When you withdraw cash you will be charged a fee, so don't take out lots of small amounts as you'll be charged each time, take larger ones less frequently. Transactions in shops/bars/restaurants/petrol stations etc don't incur transaction fees.

You can also get the Halifax Clarity credit card, where you can choose a small maximum credit limit. This means you can spend with it and it isn't linked to your bank account. This is useful for larger payments or emergency money in the event of a disaster on holiday, say if your holiday company goes bust and you need to get yourself home.

Thank you for the info girly!

I use fairfx for euros and Caxton for dollars.

check the exchange rates; you may find it cheaper just to pay with your standard debit card, having told the bank where you are going. ALWAYS pay in local currency if offered a choice, never accept the option to convert to sterling.

Check out the fees charged by your credit and debit cards on Moneysavingexpert.

If you have the right card, you can get the official bank (ie best) exchange rate without any fees or commision. Preloaded cards usually charge fees somewhere.

But apparently, the card to have now is Revolut