This feels like something I should know the answer to, but I don’t. Ahead of going on Holiday in a few weeks I have followed the advice here: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money#halifax and ordered a credit card which won’t charge me any fees for spending abroad.

Unfortunately, the initial credit limit isn’t going to quite cut it. Can I “pay into” my credit card from my current account and will this increase my credit limit by the amount I have paid in?

I have the spending money saved, I just want the protection of not getting loads of charges every time I use it.

Cheers

Probably

How about ringing Halifax themselves to ask?

They will be able to tell you if so or increase your credit limit 😉

yeah, I can’t see why not. just make a payment onto it when you receive it, that will effectively put you into credit.

i’d ring up to check, just to be sure, but I’ve definitely been in credit on CCs before.

Just saw this in the FAQ:

Can I put money on my card to increase my available credit whilst on holiday?

Credit cards are not designed to be used this way. Using the card in this way breaches the product’s Terms & Conditions, which state:

7.7 You must not make payments or transfer funds from another credit or store card to your account that would leave a credit balance on your account. We may return any funds that exceed the balance owing on your account to the account from which the money was sent.

It doesn’t say current account accounts specifically, but it doesn’t look good. Oh well, just have to order more currency than I would have liked to carry around.

If you’re somewhere with internet access, could you not just clear the balance mid-way through your holiday? If you’ve got the details set up to transfer from your current account to your credit card, it should only take a couple of minutes in an internet cafe.

can you pay in mid-way through holiday? so, create some debt, pay it off, restart.. or ask to increase CC limit ASAP.

Does your internet banking allow you to set up a payment to go out on a certain date?
If so arrange for a set amount to be paid to the credit card 5 days in to the holiday to ‘top it up’.
EDIT: ^^^almost what he said

Yea, cheers SamB / kcal, that’s what i’ll do – make an ad hoc payment partway through the ‘credit period’ to effectively zero the balance.

Will also take some extra currency just in case, I don’t think the place will be awash with chip and pin machines tbh!

Travel Agents can do you a pre-paid credit card for travelling abroad

Would it not be cheaper just to break another bone an save the honey moon costs entirely? 😉

scaled – it’s paid for! Plus I need a blimmin’ holiday!

I’ve been with HBOS for over 20 years and have done this on quite a few occasions but only ever from my current account. Never had any communication about it from them and it has always gone through.

Travel Agents can do you a pre-paid credit card for travelling abroad

+1

And so do the Post Office: http://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-money/card

You need one of these prepaid debit card

I’ve done it (Natwest MasterCard)
Had a bill for £x, went and paid £x+n and it was fine, had £n to spend before I started using my allowance. They charge interest when in the red but don’t pay it if you are in the black. That was for going abroad too, it’s the only card I had which works there and I didn’t want to run out