Currency question

[steve333]

Good morning all,my wife and I are going on a 30 night round trip cruise from Southampton on Aurora September 1st  to USA/Canada and I’m looking on advice on currency as we intend to go on excursions at all ports of call(some via P and O /some independent )question is ,would it be easy/cost effective to get currency in ports using a debit card as and when we need it rather than getUs/Canadian dollars before we go and do independent tours take debit card as payment and if so what extra charges are likely to be incurred-thanks for any advice,Steve.

[Harry Peterson]

Personally, I'd always use credit cards abroad wherever possible, even for cash - but it must be the right credit card to avoid fees.  Debit cards can prove very expensive.

 

The right credit card will prove much cheaper than any other method.  This should help:

 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

 

Independent tours will vary, but most in the US and Canada would, I'd expect, take a credit card.

[brian1]

I assume you mean credit and not debit card.We use Santander zero with no fees and close to the current market exchange rate.This is no longer issued to new applicants,but Halifax do a Clarity credit card with the same conditions.I would take a bit of local currency but use the card where possible.Regarding private tours,best to research and book online before you go.

[Gazza64]

Over the past few years we have used a FairFX Curency Card.

These are a pre-paid MasterCard & work exactly the same as a credit or debit card. The big advantage is that you can load as much or as little onto it as you wish, you can also instantly monitor purchases and top up via the app. They do a GBP, USD & Euro card.

You can also make cash withdrawals at any ATM. Additionally their exchange rate is one of the best you will find.

https://www.fairfx.com/?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ps-uk-en-exact-brand_pure&utm_content=brand_-_generic_exact&utm_term=[fairfx]&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhOqRkvG94wIVwbHtCh0FLg9_EAAYASAAEgLV1PD_BwE

[Ranchi]

Like Brian, we have & use the old type of Santander Zero debit & credit cards which we use when abroad. The Halifax Clarity ( as I understand it from my daughter) is a credit card so if you want to use it without any charges at all you must be comfortable with using internet banking to transfer funds into your credit card account as soon as you withdraw cash to ensure that you don’t pay interest charges on the cash ( which start to accrue from the time of the withdrawal of cash- unlike the purchase of goods/ services on the card)

[steve333]

Thanks for the replies everyone,I’ve never owned a credit card and have a Santander debit card so will check the fees/charges,would I be correct in thinking that if we book ship excursions onboard then our account will be charged on our return home as any drinks will be?(if we book ship excursions now they will require immediate payment),I will also get both us/Canadian dollars as a back up.

[BrianI]

Any excursions booked ahead of departure will be charged at the time of booking. Excursions booked on board will be charged to your on board account which is paid at the end of the cruise. However bookings on board may be more expensive.

 

i would recommend that you use a credit card for your on board account rather than a debit card. This is because they place an authorisation hold on your account on a daily basis based on your spend. No money is withdrawn but it effectively ring fences a sum of money to ensure that they will get payment at the end of the cruise. This may effect your direct debits if your account is running low. With a credit card you usually have a high credit limit so this does not become a problem. 

 

Brian

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, steve333 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone,I’ve never owned a credit card and have a Santander debit card so will check the fees/charges,would I be correct in thinking that if we book ship excursions onboard then our account will be charged on our return home as any drinks will be?(if we book ship excursions now they will require immediate payment),I will also get both us/Canadian dollars as a back up.

If you have a Santander debit card they should be able to offer you a credit card account.

With a credit card you usually have up to 6 weeks to pay and any purchase over £100 even if you only pay £1 on your credit card gets you section 75 cover which is fantastic.

Always pay your credit card in full to avoid any charges.

[jeanlyon]

It's a few years since we did a US/Canada on Arcadia, but there were super things to do in each port.  It was never necessary to do a ship tour which was at least twice as much as any tour we did in each port.  Type each port into google and ask "tours for cruise passengers" - that's how I did it.  In that way, whatever fees your card charges you will still save.

[yorkshirephil]

As with many things the devil is in the detail. Different banks have different charges on their cards and accounts, check your small print. I have a mastercard debit and a credit card which I use accordingly depending on amount spent and fees. A credit card usually has more protection if you have a problem with section 75 issues or want a charge back. We always used a debit card until we started cruising but some cruise lines wouldn't allow certain debit cards, however that is over 20 years ago and likely doesn't apply now? I also have a currency mastercard which I got for our US cruises last year and earlier this year as we expected to be spending more than usual. I always take some currency too for the lunch/coffee/postcard type purchases as my bank charges a fee for cash withdrawals abroad (minimal but it adds up), we are retired and cruise a fair bit so never change unused currency back. If you do plan to use your debit card or get a credit card make sure you tell your bank when/where you will be using it abroad so they don't block them.

 

We usually look at the ships tour prices then compare private tours online. we find private tours are usually better value as the groups are smaller and the cruise line isn't getting a cut. However if we only have a short duration port stay we will sometimes take the ships tour to guarantee the ship waits for us.

[Thejuggler]

Santander have relaunched the zero credit card.  I applied last Tuesday, it arrived on Saturday and was used immediately on a trip to Italy.

 

No Forex charges, rate is excellent and on cash withdrawals just interest charged which can be reduced by transferring cash from current account to credit card immediately.

[Solent Richard]

9 hours ago, brian1 said:

I assume you mean credit and not debit card.We use Santander zero with no fees and close to the current market exchange rate.This is no longer issued to new applicants,but Halifax do a Clarity credit card with the same conditions.I would take a bit of local currency but use the card where possible.Regarding private tours,best to research and book online before you go.

 

Excellent advice. I have used the Halifax Clarity Credit Card now since 2012 and it is my first call card for both foreign ATM cash withdrawal and general foreign spending.

[jeanlyon]

Nationwide credit card is the same.  No charges and best bank rate when you use it.

[steve333]

Thank you all for the useful help and advice,lots of great tips which I will put to good use,Really looking forward to this cruise now as it’s only just over 6 weeks away😎

[Harry Peterson]

29 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Nationwide credit card is the same.  No charges and best bank rate when you use it.

Careful with that one unless you have one issued before February 2011 - later cards carry charges + an exchange load.

 

Nationwide (post Feb 2011) - Credit Card

This is a bog standard overseas spending card

Using it is not good, but not a disaster. It's far better to switch to a specialist card if you've time before going away. If you use it, spending's cheaper than withdrawing cash. If you must withdraw, bigger chunks in fewer withdrawals is cheaper than smaller, more regular ones.

EXCHANGE LOAD	ATM CHARGE	SPENDING CHARGE	CASH WITHDRAWAL INTEREST
2% standard can earn 0% by spending more	2.5%	None	19.9% (even if repaid in full)

[brian1]

13 hours ago, Thejuggler said:

Santander have relaunched the zero credit card.  I applied last Tuesday, it arrived on Saturday and was used immediately on a trip to Italy.

 

No Forex charges, rate is excellent and on cash withdrawals just interest charged which can be reduced by transferring cash from current account to credit card immediately.

That's good to hear,thought they were mad withdrawing it.

[emam]

We buy currency onboard. As we have only bought Euros, I can't comment on how the dollar compares, but I don't think the euro was much different to prices at home. They charge it to your on-board account. You can buy each day you need it. We didn't buy a lot only €60 and €50. The €50 we paid £49-?? but I believe the euro is almost the same as the £.

Britannia had a board with the daily prices on but I only noticed that when we didn't want anymore so didn't read it. It might be better to check it on a sea day rather than the day you want it.

[emam]

Maybe someone currently on-board or about to go on Aurora can check prices for you. Bearing in mind d they change every day.

[wowzz]

36 minutes ago, emam said:

The €50 we paid £49-??

Even with today's terrible fx rate, in the UK you would probably have paid around £46. In the scale of things, £3 is not a lot to you personally,  but it shows what a terrible rate you get onboard, and how much of a profit earner it is for P&O.

[BrianI]

The current commercial exchange rate is €1.1128 to £1. So at this rate €50 would cost £44.93 which is the rate you would get using a no charge card. It would cost more to change on board but if you are just changing a small amount the extra cost may be worth it for the convenience. However there are many ATM's around most ports where you can get local currency at a reasonable exchange rate.

Brian

[emam]

It would have cost me more in petrol money to go and get some at home.

[majortom10]

The last place I would buy any currency is onboard the rates are so poor. You can virtually get most currencies at your local post office/TA/Bank or supermarket ( which usually have the best online rate, better than buying in shop). With a bit of pre planning you can usually arrange to purchase currency at a suitable time when it is convenient.

[brian1]

2 hours ago, emam said:

It would have cost me more in petrol money to go and get some at home.

You must live in the middle of the moors,lol.

[yorkshirephil]

We order online as we then get a better rate and collect when convenient, I picked up some Euro Monday ordered the previous week at 1.105, it was 1.08 to purchase at the time of collection, the online rate was  1.10. 

[Danamis]

Thanks for advice re credit cards. We have now ordered a Halifax Clarity card. It will be very useful for The Canada/USA cruise in Sept.