SHERGAR

We just had a letter from the nationwide building society informing us that between June and September they are changing the cards to a .cash card +.This card will allow purchases on-line and in shops but will not allow you to withdraw from A.T.M.s abroad.in u.k it will be o.k.for cashback in stores.
How will this effect those of us who withdraw cash over here?It will probably mean we have to keep more money in our spanish accounts.As the nationwide were not charging us to withdraw cash over here it will mean more expense for us.
comments please

ausgal

Yes SHERGAR we had the same letter yesterday ...spoke to Nationwide on the phone and they could not offer us any alternate options....so we are now looking at either making our Spanish Bank account our main one or opening an account with the Halifax here in Spain.
Either way it¨s a pain in the backside

shaggymon

What sort of Nationwide card/account do you currently have? Flexaccount? With debit card or cash card?

ausgal

Just a bog standard Flexaccount with cashcard ,Shaggymon.
It was just handy for drawing money without the charges.The guy I spoke to at Nationwide said that Nationwide was moving the goalposts with regards this account,as they were losing so much money by allowing the "free" cash withdrawals whilst abroad
Still it was good while it lasted

shaggymon

...and yet the card they are replacing it with can be used online and in shops? Abroad as well? I agree though the free cash withdrawals abroad is very useful. What branding does the new one have? If you can use it online and in shops, presumably it is still visa/mastercard?

twistedmelon

Bugger.
Maybe that shows how many expats there are with flex accounts.
Will have to check out how much they charge for transfers otherwise there seems little point in having this account now.

Chiclanagir

Any changes to the credit card?

frigilianafreddy

I don't understand. I have been to their website and drilled down through all pages. It still mentions free european cash wthdrawals as a major advantage of the debit card.

Nada about charges for withdrawing cash abroad.

I wonder if they are doing this to "inactive" accounts where people only have a flexaccount to make these withdrawals and conduct no other business through the account.

I've received nothing. Yet!

shaggymon

I don't think there are changes to the debit card. I believe it is the Cirrus Cash Card that is being withdrawn.

frigilianafreddy

There isn't a Cirrus Cash Card is there? there is only one Nationwide DEBIT/CASH card that can be used to withdraw cash abroad and that's the flexaccount debit card - accepted at Visa or Mastercard/Cirrus ATM terminals.

shaggymon

You can have a flexaccount with a debit card or a flexaccount with a cash card. The cash card is simply that, for use in ATMs, in the UK and abroad, you cannot use it as a debit card. It is the cash card that is being replaced.

campolife

This is weird!

I only had a response from Nationwide last night via the secure messaging. I was asking if they made any charges if I used my Flex account debit card to pay in euros to my Spanish account.

They replied that transactions are free of Nationwide charges but could not say if the Spanish bank would make any charges.

They reminded me that I could withdraw form ATMs FOC.

But then again I always thought there was a distinct difference between their debit cards and cash card.

frigilianafreddy

Yes, sorry there is a cash card which allows nothing except cash transactions. It's basically there for the less credit worthy or poor. Obviously this is the card that is being modified.

Anyone with a flexaccount VISA debit card will continue to be able to withdraw cash in europewith no charge. The solution is simple - ask for an upgrade to a VISA debit card.

frigilianafreddy

Yep it's the cash card. Unless you have the misfortune to be 'unwaged' just upgrade to the real card. here's Nationwide's official link.

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/current_...d-changes2.htm

Don't see a problem, myself.

ForHotspot

Does anyone know if there is another bank or building society in UK which allows free ATM withdrawal of cash abroad (Spain), like the old nationwide flex a/c with cash card? Thanks