Heading off on holiday in a few weeks and struggling to decide the best way to carry my money. Understand I need to take some cash with me but don’t want to take nearly 3 weeks worth of cash, will also take my debit card just in case.
Have had a look around and seen travel moneycards, however I have only read bad things about them.. Such as charging 10% on everything you withdraw/spend. Any help greatly appreciated!!

Halifax Clarity credit card doesn’t charge fees for foreign transactions. Useful if you canget one in time.

Caxton fx works for me

Halifax Clarity credit card doesn’t charge fees for foreign transactions. Useful if you canget one in time

It also doesn’t charge a fee for cash withdrawals either.

It’s a brilliant card. You get the true Visa exchange rate and so is by far the best value.

Going to Costa rica…Ill have a look at the halifax clarity credit card, I bank with halifax so should be more convenient too. Thanks!!

Halifax Clarity user here too. As above, you don’t get the loading added (2.75% on one of my other cards!!). However, although they don’t charge for cash withdrawals, you do get charged interest on the cash withdrawal from that day. Interest rate is a reasonable 12.9% if I remember correctly.

I tend to take some cash (pre-book from Travelex at the airport, not the turn-up rate, which is awful), and use the credit card for most things.

Have applied for a clarity card, thanks all for the help!!

Understand I need to take some cash with me but don’t want to take nearly 3 weeks worth of cash, will also take my debit card just in case.

I avoid using my debit card in the UK (having had my credit card cloned more than once), and certainly wouldn’t be using it abroad…

You need to balance cost vs risk; get a credit card, or TBH two (VISA and MasterCard) to ensure that if one has a problem, the other one will work.

Credit card for me normally. Yes you pay but it is peanuts compared to the cost of a holiday.

Next holiday is Ethiopia though, cards aren’t “widely accepted” (which I think means don’t bother) so we’ll be taking cash. You can only get the currency in the country so we’ll probably be subject to whatever rates the airport has.