Best credit card abroad

[CellophaneFlower]

I read in a previous thread (can't find it now) about cards that are best to use abroad. Also somebody mentioned it was either better to ask to pay in Euro or sterling as exchange rate was better, but I've forgotten which way round!

Any advice? Thanks!

[Oriunda]

I’ve got a Starling account. Life saver when I moved to France and didn’t have a bank account open. You do it all on the app and just slosh funds into a separate € fund. The rate charged is very low, too.

[BarbaraofSeville]

We had a Clarity card for a long time, but now have a Santander Zero, which is pretty much the same deal, but we only really use that for emergencies and to put the hire car deposit on. It always puzzled me why MSE pushed Halifax Clarity but pretty much ignored the Santander Zero, even though they seem similar.

For day to day spending we have Starling cards, which do the same job, but don't involve withdrawing cash from a credit card, which is often seen as bad by banks, plus you always pay a tiny bit of interest between withdrawing the money and paying it off.

The main thing is to not use what MSE call the 'debit cards from hell' which charge commission and a fee every time you use the card, which will work out really expensive if you pay for every last coffee, ice cream and round of drinks on your card.

[devildeepbluesea]

I got a Halifax Clarity one for use abroad. Have to use it here now and then to ensure my credit limit stays nice and high- in case of emergencies abroad!

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

It doesn’t sound like you need a credit card if you’re paying it straight off. If not you try a startling bank card or a prepaid like revolut that you load as and when you need it.

[CellophaneFlower]

The APR on the Clarity was actually lower than most I looked at, 19. something, all the others were in the 20's! But never fear, I have set up to pay in full at the end of the month, then will squirrel it away, pray the world doesn't fall apart again and we can use it again in the future 😆

[OxanaVorontsova]

We use Halifax Clarity too, pay it off straightaway though!

[Whammyyammy]

I use and love BA AMEX..I travel to u.s a lot and it gets me a lot of avios, which I convert to nectar.
But it's pretty useless in many coastal resorts on the med, as not accepted

[beaconofsanity]

I've used Halifax Clarity for years (good to hear it's still a best buy @CellophaneFlower !) It has next to no forex loading on the exchange rates and no fees. It does however have a hefty APR if you don't clear the balance that month so doesn't work well if you genuinely need the credit to repay holiday spend.

[emmathedilemma]

I have a nationwide gold card that doesn’t charge for overseas use and only charges a small fee if you withdraw cash abroad on it. I haven’t taken currency abroad for years!

[CellophaneFlower]

I've just had a check and it seems the Halifax Clarity is the best. We have a virgin one and there was a charge that you don't get with the Halifax. There's a good Barclay card one that doesn't charge interest for cash withdrawals, but think that's for existing customers only.

I checked out MSE and there's a really good checker on there, so thanks for that!

I'll get the Halifax, take some euro, and use debit card if we've got a bit spendy and need to withdraw extra cash!

[Jmaho]

We have a Virgin one. Only just it abroad and pay the whole balance off once statement is in
Always pay in euros not sterling
It uses Mastercard conversion rates which are usually very good
You can't withdraw cash on the one we have though well you can but you get charged a lot and pay interest too

[CellophaneFlower]

Thank you! That rings a bell actually!

[bettybyebye]

Check the MSE website in case there is updated info, but historically the Halifax Clarity CC has always been best to use abroad. I have been using it for years, and it’s always best to pay in euros rather than sterling