jaizan wrote: However, I sometimes cross check transactions with an XE mid market rate. Halifax is always near zero forex load. Starling is about 0.5% worse. This is really interesting, because Mastercard itself applies a spread to the mid-market rate. For example (data source: https://www.mastercard.co.uk/en-gb/pers ... rency.html) for a transaction on 24th April, a purchase of 100.00 USD would convert to 80.52 GBP if the bank applies no fee of its own. But a purchase of 80.52 GBP would convert back to 100.39 USD for someone with a USD card. So there's about 0.4% of bid-offer spread in ..read more

jaizan wrote: a4alan wrote:As far as I know, there is no forex loading with Starling - they use the Mastercard rate the same as Halifax Clarity That's what I thought was supposed to happen. However, I sometimes cross check transactions with an XE mid market rate. Halifax is always near zero forex load. Starling is about 0.5% worse. They are both Mastercard, so I presume Starling pocket the difference ? Thank you for your reports of Halifax & Santander usage. BullDog wrote: I like that I get instant notification on my phone for each and every transaction on my Clarity card. So if a ..read more

a4alan wrote: As far as I know, there is no forex loading with Starling - they use the Mastercard rate the same as Halifax Clarity That's what I thought was supposed to happen. However, I sometimes cross check transactions with an XE mid market rate. Halifax is always near zero forex load. Starling is about 0.5% worse. They are both Mastercard, so I presume Starling pocket the difference ? Thank you for your reports of Halifax & Santander usage. BullDog wrote: I like that I get instant notification on my phone for each and every transaction on my Clarity card. So if anything untowa ..read more

jaizan wrote: scrumpyjack wrote:I have a Halifax Clarity card, which I got mainly for using abroad, but have recently changed to using a Chase card. I'm very happy with it. They give immediate mobile phone notification every time I use it. It gives at least as good an exchange rate as Halifax. For the first year you get 1% cashback on spending, max cashback £15 a month. It is a debit rather than credit card but pays interest and has a savings 'pot' paying 4% so you can pre load that and transfer as required to the current a/c. If only Halifax adopted some 21st century methods, like Chase ..read more

Niksen wrote: swill453 wrote:I always seem to manage fee-free withdrawals with my Nationwide or First Direct debit cards abroad. By seeking out ATMs at major banks (including Santander!) and avoiding anything that looks like a private one or a Bureau de Change one. Testing that out at a random selection of three major banks in Spain today with my First Direct card, Caixa wanted to charge an additional €7 for a withdrawal, Sabadell wanted €2, and BBVA said 'nope' and refused the withdrawal at all. I'm in Spain just now. I tried my First Direct debit card in a couple of banks, including S ..read more

I like that I get instant notification on my phone for each and every transaction on my Clarity card. So if anything untoward happens, I'll know immediately and can block the card in the app. Statistics: Posted by BullDog — Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:35 am ..read more

Well, as Halifax are in the doghouse, today I made an online transaction with my Santander Zero card. This was authorised via the Santander App. For my needs, that's far more convenient as I am abroad with a foreign SIM card in the phone and it's far more secure as they have a fingerprint to log in. Times change. A few years ago, I stopped using the Santander card after they sent a text asking me to phone them to confirm a transaction. The idea of racking up international call charges to do that was just ridiculous, so I just used a different card. It seems they have corrected that error and ..read more

stevensfo wrote: ukmtk wrote:I have 1 debit card that normally doesn't leave the house (unless I need some cash). I have 4 credit cards - each used for different purposes: food, Amazon+petrol, shops. I invariably pay for almost everything on credit card. I was happy to discover that a local chippy accepts credit cards. The thing that I think is disgusting is councils forcing people to use phone apps to pay for parking. It should be cash or credit card. The thing that I think is disgusting is councils forcing people to use phone apps to pay for parking. So far, I haven't seen one of thes ..read more

ukmtk wrote: I have 1 debit card that normally doesn't leave the house (unless I need some cash). I have 4 credit cards - each used for different purposes: food, Amazon+petrol, shops. I invariably pay for almost everything on credit card. I was happy to discover that a local chippy accepts credit cards. The thing that I think is disgusting is councils forcing people to use phone apps to pay for parking. It should be cash or credit card. The thing that I think is disgusting is councils forcing people to use phone apps to pay for parking. So far, I haven't seen one of these. It's always co ..read more

I have 1 debit card that normally doesn't leave the house (unless I need some cash). I have 4 credit cards - each used for different purposes: food, Amazon+petrol, shops. I invariably pay for almost everything on credit card. I was happy to discover that a local chippy accepts credit cards. The thing that I think is disgusting is councils forcing people to use phone apps to pay for parking. It should be cash or credit card. Statistics: Posted by ukmtk — Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:43 am ..read more