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APR aside we have just got married and are going to consolidate our credit cards to one joint card and was wondering which is better/most accepted world wide. MasterCard, Visa, American express?
We don’t have any balances on our cards and I know APR is important but was wondering which company stands by you most and perhaps offers the best rewards be it air miles, points, cash back or other.
visa IMO
Tesco then swap points for 1 for 4 offers. we swap ours for tunnel ticket to Alps every year and have also had 3 holidays out of it
Never thought of that will look into it.
Assuming you're not going to be using it to spend money you don't have then look at what benefits it offers. AMEX is a pain as they charge too much and so places don't accept it. VISA/Mastercard are much the same IME.
Look at a supermarket one if you regularly shop at the same place. The points can be worth it. We have a flybe card because it allows my GF to fly to Jersey or London to see her family. Put everything through it and direct debit 100% per month. Get a couple of flights a year out of it.
im going with visa - after my recent issues with mastercard i want off that ship.
the only 2 guys with mastercard were the only 2 guys that had issues ... all the visa boys were fine.....
so if your traveling get a visa.
or both.
It's a very good idea to have both a visa and mastercard for a bit of redundancy tbh, both are well accepted and reliable but you'll find also that both have their moments so if you're relying on one card, especially with foreign travel, you might well get caught out.
Get a MasterCard or Visa something or other. Tesco good due to clubcard points and if you've got any major purchases coming up and can get one get Amex platinum credit card - 5% cashback for first three months
If you want to factor in an ethical dimension too, you may find that one or two of the charities you support have an affinity card available (sometimes in both visa and mastercard flavours) - then you can be donating as you're shopping. The co-operative bank have quite a large suite of affinity cards, but it's also worth checking the websites of your preferred charity.
For years I had an American Express Red, but outside of the States it seems many hotels and retailers either don't accept Amex, or they pay a higher Merchant Fee than they do with Visa for example. Several times I've been asked if I have another means of paying as soon as they see the Amex.
As other posters have said, it sometimes pays off to have two cards on different networks (or whatever the word is), lest one lets you down in the back of beyond
Virgin do really good balance transfer deals. 0% for a year, 3.5% transfer fee.
quick question - best card for traveling ..... perhaps a prepayed card ..
traveling to some scummy places - what would be my best option - really want it to be a visa too ... after last weeks debauchel !
A [url= http://www.fairfx.com ]Fairfx[/url] prepaid card is supposed to be good for travelling, according to Martin of Moneyexpert fame.
It is mastercard, but should be ok being a prepayment card.
hadnt heard of them , sounds like a good idea. anyone got one ? how long does it take normally to top up ?
If travelling its always safe to have one of each.
As for consolidation, its irrelevent as you just need the lowest APR for your debt.
And then another card which you spend on and pay off all every month.
APR isn't important if you're paying off the balance each month (as you should be).
I've had a cashback Mastercard with Egg for a few years now. Most of my spending (work expenses included) go on it, and they pay 1% cashback. Doesn't sound like a lot but it's a "free" £200 a year (assuming you can put £20k a year through it, obviously). I see they charge £1 a month for new customers though so you'd have to take that off.
its just for work - want a visa , already got a mastercard - ill keep it for personal/back up - had no end of issues with the mastercard portion of my cards last week in usa. got declined everywhere except taxis ...
APR is not important - always pay it off asap
trail rat
most card companies want you to call them and tell them that you are travelling - otherwise anti fraud stuff kicks in and starts blocking your transactions.
i discovered this myself in the us last year with amex/ visa and mastercard
phone calls to all 3 sorted it
Nationwide credit card is (I think) the only CC that doesn't charge fees for using it in EU countries.
+1 for nationwide visa.
You get an excellent exchange rate when using aboard.