credit/debit cards

[MissLittleDeer]

Hi there,
We're out in PP in August and wondered if the bars and restaurants readily accept credit and debit cards? We have heard the Halifax Clarity card is the best option, according to Martin Lewis!! We normally take Euros but seem to spend most of the holiday worrying about security! Thanks guys!

 

[Sparky]

I would say that all restaurants accept card payments and most bars but not all .

 

[lovemallorca]

I see that even Eroski have moved into the late 20th Century and have introduced card machines! No longer any need to also bring-along your passport to buy a couple of essentials like, toilet rolls and 38 bottles of wine!

So much easier that carrying all that cash.

 

[cumberland8]

Cash is King, we refuse to give the banks any more, thats why everything is so dammed expensive, everybody has to stick at least 2% on everything to pay the bank:mad charges.

 

[Gommar Goffer]

cumberland8 it costs as much to bank cash as it does to take cards - we get stuffed by the banks either way

 

[P&C@29]

Cash is King, we refuse to give the banks any more, thats why everything is so dammed expensive, everybody has to stick at least 2% on everything to pay the bank:mad charges.

Not for every one we have Saga Platinum credit cards no charges at all if paid off in full plus great exchange rates much better than in banks, also got a Santander Gold Debt card and if used at a Santander bank no charges. As for the 2% banks charge the hotels / restaurant's that's already built into the price they charge and if you pay by cash they will not take it off!

 

[tangofan]

Halifax Clarity is similar to the Saga card - just make sure you pay it off. You can also withdraw cash at ATM's with the Halifax Clarity with no charge other than a very small amount of interest (unlike purchases with no interest) but minimal compared with bank charges at ATMs. Also if you have the Santander 123 debit card you can use it with no charge at the Santander ATM in the port and in fact any of theirs in Spain with no charge. You always get the best rate with these cards but must specify if asked that you do not want them to convert it for you (I think that is the right way round - I can never remember) but if you use the Santander with your card it doesn't seem to ask you as there is no need as it is your own bank.

 

[favie]

Have always just taken debit & credit cards and a small amount of euros with us and withdraw more when required. Always knew I should be looking into some other arrangement to avoid they ghastly bank charges, just never got round to it, until this year! My Son set me up with a revolut card, a one off charge of £5 to register and not a penny in charges, great exchange rates and I used it everywhere, atms too. You can deactivate the card on the app until your next holiday. I loved it, took debit/credit cards as I was worried there may be a problem with this new arrangement but never used them once.....until I was on my own the second week and went to Sirocco!

 

[El Gordo]

....... You always get the best rate with these cards but must specify if asked that you do not want them to convert it for you (I think that is the right way round - I can never remember)
,..............but if you use the Santander with your card it doesn't seem to ask you as there is no need as it is your own bank.

1) The Conversion option screen appears with my Santander Gold Visa Debit card.

2) I think "Without Conversion" is the option to chose.

3) UK Santander and Spain Santander are different banks!! It would be great if they were the same

 

[Bircho]

Halifax Clarity is similar to the Saga card - just make sure you pay it off. You can also withdraw cash at ATM's with the Halifax Clarity with no charge other than a very small amount of interest (unlike purchases with no interest) but minimal compared with bank charges at ATMs. Also if you have the Santander 123 debit card you can use it with no charge at the Santander ATM in the port and in fact any of theirs in Spain with no charge. You always get the best rate with these cards but must specify if asked that you do not want them to convert it for you (I think that is the right way round - I can never remember) but if you use the Santander with your card it doesn't seem to ask you as there is no need as it is your own bank.

It has to be a Santander 123 or Everyday account. There is another thread about this somewhere

 

[tangofan]

Thanks El Gordo, I thought it was without conversion! I dread that one day the Santander branch will close - I assume it is still there this year haha!

Yes, the UK Santander is wholly owned by the Spanish Santander Group but it manages its affairs autonomously, with its own local management team, responsible solely for its performance - this is how Wiki describes it anyway!

Before all this we used the Caxton prepaid card which was good, probably similar to the revolut card that favie uses. You still get the best rates with Santander 123 or Halifax Clarity though but the prepaid cards are definitely the 2nd best thing.

 

[Sherberts]

Look into a monzo card

 

[Mark]

A pre paid card is the safest option as the most money you can ever lose is the amount that is loaded onto the card.

With a debit card you can loose everything in your bank account if a criminal gets the card details and the pin.

 

[Mark]

Look into a monzo card

Looks good , I signed up for it on my phone and there are over 24 thousand people ahead of me waiting for a card

This will be perfect for general shopping in UK and use on holiday as much safer than a debit card that can directly access a bank balance and overdraft facility.
(when my nationwide debit card was cloned /skimmed the criminals emptied the bank account and maxed out my overdraft)

This morning I am in position 23,175 in the queue so not too long hopefully..

 

[Sherberts]

Yes I totally agree Mark. I saw it was on that program that Martin Lewis is on and they were discussing the best credit cards to use abroad and even he said the monzo card is good. Ours took 2 weeks to come and we tried it out. It was instant - the phone buzzed literally 3 seconds after transaction. And you get the MasterCard rate which is usually better. As you say, you can put on the amount you want on there so if it did get stolen, not all your wonga will get pinched - I too had my card cloned taking money out of an atm in pp many years ago and they rinsed me!!

 

[Mark]

I have been using the Monzo card for a few weeks as my main shopping card and it works perfectly, not had the opportunity to try it in Spain yet.

Wikipedia for anyone interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monzo_(bank)

I also signed up for a revolut card which is similar and with more features and more security settings to block payment types such as magstripe and contactless etc.

Wikipedia about revolut:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolut

I like both of these cards a lot and will continue to use both so I always have two safe payment options with me and maybe some cash as well.

Lets hope they continue to prosper as the concept is excellent

 

[Rangers1]

just seen this regarding the Monzo card seems fees are already creeping in.

Monzo's introducing new ATM fees: Here's how much you'll pay using your card abroad | City A.M.