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Keeping a UK credit card

Keeping a UK credit card

Old Dec 5th 2003, 1:09 pm
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Default Keeping a UK credit card

Just thought Id let people know.

Nationwide do a credit cards that dont charge you the 2.75% that most other UK banks do on overseas transactions.
You can pay online if you open a current account with them.
They will send statements to OZ.
They dont charge for using cash machines abroad. Although they say that they dont have control of the overseas bank charging for the use of their machine.

Does anyone know if any of the australian banks let you use your UK bank card in their ATMs without putting on a charge.
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Old Dec 5th 2003, 11:10 pm
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Default Re: Keeping a UK credit card

Originally posted by graham__smith
Just thought Id let people know.

Nationwide do a credit cards that dont charge you the 2.75% that most other UK banks do on overseas transactions.
You can pay online if you open a current account with them.
They will send statements to OZ.
They dont charge for using cash machines abroad. Although they say that they dont have control of the overseas bank charging for the use of their machine.

Does anyone know if any of the australian banks let you use your UK bank card in their ATMs without putting on a charge.
Hi,
I was wondering about using my UK card in Aussie ATMs today; I'm going to Adelaide in February on a validation trip and was pondering whether travellers cheques or using my switch card would work out cheapest.

My assumption (maybe naive though) is that the charge for using ATMs is applied by the bank you're with, not the one owning the ATM you use.

Can anyone advise if this is correct? If so, the Nationwide card sounds like a good idea.

Elaine
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Old Dec 5th 2003, 11:26 pm
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Does this info help ?

Maestro is an international EFTPOS system that lets you use your ATM card and existing PIN to purchase goods and services at 4.4 million Maestro retail outlets around the world. Look for the Maestro logo at the shop.

Cirrus is an international ATM network. With your ATM card and existing PIN, you can withdraw cash from your deposit account and obtain account balances (in the local currency) at any overseas ATM with the Cirrus logo.
 
Old Dec 6th 2003, 12:05 am
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I've got LLoyds card & an Abbey card with the "plus" symbol - that is international as well. Also you can withdraw cash on any UK Mastercard or Visa with your existing PIN. Worth checking the small print on your agreements with them though - some do charge more for withdrawls overseas because of the conversion to $. Much easier than travellers cheques though.
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Old Dec 6th 2003, 12:08 am
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Originally posted by Pollyana
I've got LLoyds card & an Abbey card with the "plus" symbol - that is international as well. Also you can withdraw cash on any UK Mastercard or Visa with your existing PIN. Worth checking the small print on your agreements with them though - some do charge more for withdrawls overseas because of the conversion to $. Much easier than travellers cheques though.
The banks charge an extra % when converting, thats were they can make "extra" profits.
 
Old Dec 6th 2003, 9:57 am
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Default Re: Keeping a UK credit card

Originally posted by graham__smith
Just thought Id let people know.

Nationwide do a credit cards that dont charge you the 2.75% that most other UK banks do on overseas transactions.
You can pay online if you open a current account with them.
They will send statements to OZ.
They dont charge for using cash machines abroad. Although they say that they dont have control of the overseas bank charging for the use of their machine.

Does anyone know if any of the australian banks let you use your UK bank card in their ATMs without putting on a charge.
We have a Nationwide current account with a bank card. We withdraw funds from St George ATMs regularly. $500 = about £215. No extra charge by either party. And the rate we get is better than the rate we got converting £8000 by international transfer! It's a good way to get to your money while over here.

We have also used our Barclays bank card over here. The rate is worse than Nationwide. Each $500 costs us about £3 extra. So, the logical thing we do is to transfer the funds from Barclays to Nationwide, then withdraw it via Nationwide bank card.

HTH
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Old Dec 6th 2003, 3:34 pm
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Default Re: Keeping a UK credit card

Originally posted by mrladyboy
We have a Nationwide current account with a bank card. We withdraw funds from St George ATMs regularly. $500 = about £215. No extra charge by either party. And the rate we get is better than the rate we got converting £8000 by international transfer! It's a good way to get to your money while over here.

We have also used our Barclays bank card over here. The rate is worse than Nationwide. Each $500 costs us about £3 extra. So, the logical thing we do is to transfer the funds from Barclays to Nationwide, then withdraw it via Nationwide bank card.

HTH
We're with Barclays at the moment and were looking for another account to avoid all the charges when we use our cards in Oz. After reading several threads on Nationwide and looking at their web-site, we applied for a FlexAccount online this afternoon. Sounds like it should save us a few quid.....
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Old Dec 7th 2003, 5:01 pm
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We spent last chrimbo in Perth (bloody wonderful it was), and I constantly used my LloydsTSB cash card in the ATM machines in the City. Dont recall being charged for this.
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Old Dec 7th 2003, 11:38 pm
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While on the topic of credit cards does anyone know of a good card (i.e. no annual fee and rewards if possible) suitable for newly arrived folk?

I looked into the Virgin one, but you have to be a permanent resident and get someone to sign one of those `I'm a bank official and I've known you for 12 months' forms. I managed to get one of these signed in the UK before coming so that I could open a bank account, but suspect any attempt to get my old UK bank to sign another long distance will come to nothing.

TC
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Old Dec 7th 2003, 11:48 pm
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Why not send the money to an Aussie bank and spend it using Aussie bank cards. Don't give the banks your hard earned cash unless you have to.
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Old Dec 8th 2003, 12:57 am
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Default Re: Keeping a UK credit card

Originally posted by mrladyboy
We have a Nationwide current account with a bank card. We withdraw funds from St George ATMs regularly. $500 = about £215. No extra charge by either party. And the rate we get is better than the rate we got converting £8000 by international transfer! It's a good way to get to your money while over here.
HTH
That's interesting: we have both the N/W and St George accounts. We've pushed N/W in the past because of their 2.75% advantage over almost all the rest with their Visa but it's nice to know about the charges or lack of them on ATMs
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