Prepaid Travel Cards

[capricorn62]

Off to Italy & then France later this year & was considering Prepaid Euro card.
Seem to be so many on comparison sites that I`m bewildered!
Like to add cash when I can afford to.
Can I load it in Sterling or is it better to load Euro?
Will I get a better exchange rate with the former or latter?

[Buenchico]

If you're going to be making periodic top-ups you obviously don't want a card that charges you for doing so. Similarly (because you'll be keeping the card for quite some time rather than just loading immediately it before you travel) you don't want a card that charges a monthly fee. So the Post Office Travel Money Card (in Euros) might well suit you. The exchange rate currently offered in marginally below that offered by some other card providers but you don't pay a fee to acquire the card, there are no monthly charges and there are no top-up charges (although you do have to top-up with a minimum of £50 on each occasion that you do so). Further, at just €2, the charge for withdrawing cash from an ATM is quite reasonable (as long as you take out relatively large amounts each time - a €200 withdrawal would cost you €2 but taking out the same amount in €50 instalments would cost you a total of €8).
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-money/card

As I've indicated above, there are cards with somewhat better exchange rates available (giving you up to an extra €25 for each £1000 you put onto the card) but you could easily end up worse of with some of them through other charges.

Normally though it makes far more sense just to use a standard debit card abroad but I accept that it's far easier to get hold of a prepaid card than it is to open a separate bank account to get a debit card which can just be used for your holidays. (Written a day after a half-hour interview with Santander just to try to switch a savings account to a current account - and I still won't know until next week whether I've been successful!)

[theshedman]

Thomas Cook also do a card like the post office but they have the added bonus of a second card which can be used by a second person or kept separately in case one gets lost or stolen. They will both send you out a new card if yours gets stolen but there will be a charge for it. By having a second one if it does happen to get stolen you can cancel it and still use the other one so no need get a new one sent out. Always better to get it in Euros as if you get it in sterling you will find the exchange rate never favours you.

[fbg40]

Hi Capricorn
As Shedman has said, Thomas Cook do a prepaid card - my wife and I used them two years ago when we went to Canada (loaded with Canadian dollars) and they worked really well. I would thoroughly recommend them.
Hop this helps
FBG40

[capricorn62]

Thanks folks, Like the Post Office or Thomas Cook. Will consider all ideas.