travellers cheques card thingy

[bednobs]

hi, can anyne tell me if you can still get those cards that are like travellers chrques? you put the money on them, then just hand the card over to pay for things and the balance goes down?

amex used to do them but i believe they have been discontinued by them - does any one else do them?

[Buenchico]

Just head for your nearest Post Office:
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump1?ca tId=19300207&mediaId=26800661&campaignid=HTML3

Chris

[Eve]

There's an American Express one you can get via Thompson...

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/extras/trav ellers-cheque-card-information.html

[bednobs]

hi chris, do you know much about them? It just seems easier than faffing with tc numbers etc to me. If you have money left on, can you get it back? Is the exchange rate much different?

[Buenchico]

Hi Bednobs

I don't use the Travel Money Cards myself. (I prefer to simply use Visa debit/credit cards. It's usually cheaper, especially if you use something like a Nationwide FlexAccount card, which is charge-free for overseas use).

If you look down the left hand side of that page I've linked to, you'll find loads of information. However, the answer to your question about exchange rates is that the POst Office use the same exchange rate for TMCs as they do for travellers' cheques. See here for current rates:
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/foreigne xchange?type=buy&pageId=fex_main&catId=1930021 0&campaignid=HULFREX

. . . and your answer about unspent money is at the foot of this page:
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1 ?catId=26800661&mediaId=66200771

Chris

[bednobs]

sorry, just goes to show how lazy i am!

[bednobs]

okay, now i have looked on the nationwide webbie but cant see - that account with the free abroad transactions - do you have to do the full current account (e get your wages paid in etc) to get the debit card? Have i got time? I leave in 7 weeks.
sorry to pick your brains, but they are very pickable!

[Buenchico]

You've got plenty of time to get a FlexAccount but I'm not sure whether you'd get a debit card straight away or if you'd only get a cash card initially. (You can use both types of card, free of charges from Nationwide, at overseas ATMs but you can't use cash card to buy goods in shops).

Plenty of people open a FlexAccount (which is a full current account) just for their holiday money. There's no need to have your wages paid into it and you can keep your existing current account with another bank.

Nationwide's telephone lines are open (at local call rates) 24/7, so why not ask them about the account details:
http://www.nationwide.co.uk/contact_us/telepho ne_numbers/telephone_numbers.htm

Chris

[pink-kittens]

The AMEX one was excellent but is no longer available - it was discontinued Oct 07

[Fish the Mod]

Matyn lewis of money expert .com says not to use them. Why give money up front with no rewards. moneyexpert.com will tell you what buenchico says. Use a credit / debit card

[ojread2]

I had the American Express one and, apart from the ATM withdrawal fee of �2 that you would get when drawing money out of an ATM in a country not your own regardless of which bank you are with, it was as GVFM as the Nationwide. There were no fees and you got the exchange rate offered at the time which is all you get with the N/W.

Be wary of the Visa pre-loaded card. It is not as widely accepted as travel agents would have you believe it is. I have no experience of the PO card and can't see what 'make' it is on the link Chris gives - however, his advice is a sound as they come :)

[munchie63]

as well as the travel money card, the post office offer a credit card (backed by mastercard) which has 0% FX fees.
Basically you'll get a very good rate if you use it abroad (except in atm's where the atm will charge a fee). No hidden charges.
theres also a balnce transfer option.
takes 2 weeks to get one.
used mine in the US last year, and got $1.98 - $2, which was better than the $1.94 I got when I purchased my currency in the bureau.
if you apply online, it takes 7-10 days.
there's a promotional code of 0051047 for the apps.

As above, Nationwide are the only other one to offer this 0% overseas.
if you go for the TMC, the usual �10 purchae fee is waived this month