Credit/Debit Reward Cards, Discounts etc

[canalsiderenovation]

On 06/10/2025 at 01:56, Donattan said:

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, Ferdinand!

 

This makes the Travelex Supercard sound like a solid option for anyone traveling abroad frequently. The ability to avoid FX charges while still getting the benefits of your linked credit card is definitely appealing. I’d probably use it mainly for small purchases and ATM withdrawals while traveling, given the UK fees and potential limitations on purchase protection.

 

Good tip about applying early via the Moneysaving Expert link – sounds like it could sell out fast.

 

Free to use abroad, no foreign transaction fees for ATM withdrawals, used it for years in lots of countries and paid for items online in foreign currency. Also made a claim once under cc guarantee.

 

 https://www.barclays.co.uk/credit-cards/reward-cards/barclays-rewards/

 

[Alan Ambrose]

The thing to watch out for is the FX rates/spread - a lot of bank cards these days use the Visa or Mastercard rates which are not crazy bad (but not crazy good) at 2% of the transaction. As usual, financial services usually takes the micky on anything that isn't written in plain English in front of you.

 

See e.g.

 

Currency Converter – Exchange Rate Calculator | Visa

 

Whenever you see 'zero or no commission' that means they're trying to fool you into thinking there is no transaction charge. Some people call that 'lying'.

 

 

[Ferdinand]

On 06/10/2025 at 08:31, JohnMo said:

Do you realise your quoting advice from 9 years ago - is the information still true today?

Indeedy-doody.

My suggestion is that principles likely still hold, but at any time a tactical reassessment is helpful as teh marketplace chnages constantly at a slow rate and significantly over several years.