Post Office Euro cash card

[RayS]

With the demise of the popular no fee NW accounts some of us are looking round for an alternative for European touring and the pre-paid cash cards are fairly attractive with the added advantage of having no available link to your main bank accounts. One such offering is from the Post Office, available on line of by visiting a local office.
Since - by definition - members of this forum are computer-savvy - you may try the on-line route. Based on my recent experience, if you have anything by way of an 'unusual' address take a double dose of any anti-hypertensive you happen to be on before tackling the PO website. By unusual I mean something like ' Rose cCottage, Anywhere' which does not have the full monty number,street, town etc.

The Address Finder, the only available access, does not necessarily produce the correct address and when you access the form you can see a mandatory line on the form but have no means of filling it in. Realising I am in grave danger of being 'moderated' as being way off the subject, I'll stop - but if you like the look of this card - just leave plenty aka lots of time to get it. The website does not inspire any confidence about how easy it might be to use from Spain to top up any card you may actually get.

 

[JonnyG]

Thanks Ray. Just to clarify things please. Do you pay sterling into this, that is then converted to Euro's? So your card is sort of in Euro's?

Or do you pay in sterling and it stays sterling, until you use it abroad, then you get whatever rate applies then?

 

[RayS]

You pay in sterling but the card gets loaded with euros (or dollars if you choose a dollar card) at whatever rate the Post Office is offering at the time. If you need to top it up then the top-up goes on at the rate at that time. Top up by internet - but given the troubles of getting this particular card - still not resolved despite intervention of Help Line and Web support - I don't have much confidence in the process.

If yopu want to see what cards are available, Google 'travel cash card' and you will find comparison sites which list the rates and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

 

[Jennifer2]

We have been using the NW account for quite a few years now, so it is disappointing that they are about to start charging. We also have their credit card, which will still be free to use in Europe, so we mainly use that and don't get through a lot of cash.

If you withdraw in decent chunks, that will keep the cost down, and the exchange rate is generally very good, so they will still be reasonable, just not free. Not sure about the Post Office card, but could be interesting.

We have also taken out a Halifax Clarity Rewards credit card, which is free to use worldwide, and gives us £5 in every month we put £300 on it.