The Worst Way To Get Your Holiday Cash

Holiday Cash

As people head off for Easter and even start planning their summer holidays, here are some ways to avoid paying through the nose for your holiday cash.

Terms change all the time so do check the latest, before you apply for any product.

A Bad Place To Get Your Holiday Cash

The worst option is usually getting your cash at the airport, leaving it to the last minute.

MSN looked at how much €1,000 would cost.

• Changing cash at airport (without ordering it): £949

• Using a debit card with a spending charge: £872

• Cash from M&S on the high street: £829

• Cash, via cheapest bureau (must pick up in London): £821

• Top specialist credit/debit card repaid in full: £818

One Of The Worst Credit Cards

Virgin Money

What I most hate about this is that it takes ages to work out what the charges are they are really buried. To be fair - a lot of credit cards are like this and Virgin is not alone. You can find their terms here

An ATM withdrawal will come with a 5% fee plus a 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee

So if you withdrew £250, you'd end up paying an extra £19.98.

If you see the card to spend in a shop, you'll be charged 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee. So spending £100 in a shop would cost you an additional £2.99.

One Of The Best Cards To Use Abroad?

Barclaycard Rewards Visa.

- No fees on spending or ATM withdrawals overseas

- No interest on cash withdrawals if repaid IN FULL

- 0.25% cashback on most spending

- 28.9% rep APR interest

You might also want to use a debit card. One of the better ones is

First Direct Mastercard

- No fees on spending or at ATMs

- ATM limits: £500/day

- TOP service: 91% rated 'great'

- Full credit check

Paying The Restauarant Bill

When the bill comes - it often comes with an option - do you want to pay in local currency or Sterling. This is usually an extra way for the restaurant or credit card company to make money as they will offer you a worse foreign exchange rate than a good credit card will offer. So it is often better to pay in the local currency.

Health

Remember to bring your free GHIC/EHIC for emergency medical issues in Europe. The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get necessary state healthcare in EU countries, and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This may be free or it may require a payment equivalent to that which a local resident would pay.

The UK GHIC has replaced the existing European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you have an existing EHIC you can continue to use it until the expiry date on the card. Once it expires, you'll need to apply for a UK GHIC to replace it.

Renting A Car

If you plan to hire a car, make sure your card has a high enough credit limit. Car hire companies will often seek to block off a large sum on your card as a deposit if you do not buy their excess insurance. That is often not made clear when you book back at home and can come as a surprise, They can also be quick to block the money but slow to unblock it.

It is good to check your credit limit before you travel and, if necessary, ask your card provider to increase it, perhaps for a short period. Usually you cannot use a debit or prepaid card, it needs to be a credit card and in the name of the person who has hired the car.

Using Your Phone Abroad

The issue here is what is known as 'roaming'. That's the setting when your phone connects to a mobile network in another country. Before Brexit you could roam in Europe using your existing call, text and data allowances at no extra cost. But post-Brexit some companies have re-introduced roaming charges. Check before you go and it is possibly to turn roaming off before you land (look in the phone settings). But that will probably mean you won't be able to use your phone.

If you download WhatsApp - you can use that to call if you are on wifi. It would use data otherwise.

Changes vary but as an example Vodafone can charge £2.25/day (or £10 for 8 days or £15 for 15 days) for contracts. From £7 for 8 days for pay-as-you-go.

You might also be able to call your phone provider and ask for a limit to be placed on any extra charges - that way if you do happen to use the extra facilities, these should be capped.