Holiday money

[clipclop1]

Am asking a question on behalf of my friend who's going to Oz for a month.... she's trying to decide on the best way to carry her cash.... take it all with her and possibly get asked dodgy questions at customs... carry a little bit then get charged over there for taking some out... Anyone have any ideas???

[dzug]

<so there are no currency exchange charges >
other than those loading the thing in the first place

Doesn't mean it's not a good idea, but just remember it isn't free

[Buenchico]

Pre-paid debit cards usually work out extremely expensive. It's simpler just to take an ordinary bank debit card with you. As long as it has either the Visa or Mastercard symbol on it, it should work almost anywhere in the world.

Some banks don't charge for using a debit card abroad. (e.g. Nationwide's FlexAccount). Others do, but the charges usually come to far less than alternative methods of getting hold of cash. However your friend should notify her bank that she intends to use her debit card in NZ, otherwise she might find that the withdrawals are treated as 'suspicious'.

Chris

[clipclop1]

Ooo really? Y NZ?

[Buenchico]

It's got nothing to do with NZ specifically. Whenever you plan on using a 'normal' debit or credit card abroad you should always tell your bank (or credit card company). If you don't they might assume that someone has illegally obtained the card details and is fraudulently using your card.

Every year thousands of Brits experience problems with using 'plastic' abroad, simply because they've forgotten to tell the card issuer that they'll be going on holiday (which results in transactions or cash withdrawals being refused). The fact that card holders should always do so is frequently included with all the 'bumph' that is sent out with people's statements, but very few people actually seem to read it.

Chris