Europe Travel - any advice appreciated!

[james.tafts]

Hi everyone,

As a relatively avid aviation fan, I've been an occasional browser here and have found this forum very informative.

Now to tap into your collective wealth of knowledge: I'm travelling to Western Europe for the first time in December / January on Etihad (MEL-AUH-LHR, MXP-AUH-MEL). Any tips or advice, on any aspects whatsoever, would be very welcome and certainly appreciated!

Main issue occupying my mind at the moment is the whole Travel Card / Wizard Clear Advantage Master Card / NAB Gold Debit Card issue - I've read through the numerous forums but it's doing my head in, especially the difference in currency conversion fees, transaction fees, ability to do cash advances cheaply etc. How do these 3 alternatives compare? (particularly the latter 2, given the extensive discussion on Travel Cards already)

Also, how can I maximise my credit limit and chances of successfully applying for the Wizard card, and get the highest credit limit possible? E.g. When applying for the card, I'm not sure whether to put my # of existing credit cards and credit limit as including the 2 supplementary AMEX / MasterCards I get from my parents' accounts (with fairly high credit limits), or to include only the one card with CBA that I have in my own right (with a pretty low credit limit, being a uni student)

As with other posters before me, I am thinking of getting the Wizard card that comes so highly recommended here, together with my supplementary cards on the parental accounts, and potentially an ANZ Travel Card to lock in the rates today while the AUD is doing well.

Other things I'm thinking about (less important at this stage):

• Budget carriers in Europe (EasyJet, Ryanair etc) - heard and read horror stories about their cancellations and punctuality issues - what's your experience been? Do you think it would be the same in the less busy winter period?
• Your experiences on Etihad Airways, and how to minimise jet lag upon arrival in London

Thanks!

 

[serfty]

Moved thread from introduction forum, hopefully some may be able to assist.

 

[equus]

Also, how can I maximise my credit limit and chances of successfully applying for the Wizard card, and get the highest credit limit possible? E.g. When applying for the card, I'm not sure whether to put my # of existing credit cards and credit limit as including the 2 supplementary AMEX / MasterCards I get from my parents' accounts (with fairly high credit limits), or to include only the one card with CBA that I have in my own right (with a pretty low credit limit, being a uni student)

As far as credit applications, you will need to list the credit accounts (not cards) that you are responsible for. So you only list your CBA account, not the supplementaries where your parents are responsible for any debt on the account.

In general, the way banks approach assigning credit limits is by repayment ability, so the more existing credit exposure you have, the less additional (i.e. lower limit on a new card) they will give you. What they do is take your income, deduct off amounts for living costs, then assume all your cards are maxed out, and deduct off the required payment amounts. Anything left over from your income is then looked at as available as a repayment, and used to calculate the maximum limit. This won't necessarily be what they will assign, as they may assign less, but they certainly won't assign more!

In other words, the more high limits you have, the less likely you are to be given more.

 

[rechoboam]

EasyJet, Ryanair:

I used them a lot ten years ago and a little recently. I never encountered any problems. However be aware mainly of the fact that they service airports than can be a LONG way from the target city, wiping out the savings. Getting to some of the distant airports from London can be a long, expensive drag compared to a minicab or even the tube to Heathrow. I commuted in fact London/Cambridge - Scotland on Easyjet many times - they serviced my towns well - and they were fine when the airports they served were nearby.

Jet lag - Basically expect to be tired in the evenings for the first 3-4 days, up to a week and don't make any really important plans for the evenings. It will sort itself out.

And no, your parents' cards would not be assessed in your application.

 

[james.tafts]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Interestingly I applied online, and:

• Was required to verify my ID at Australia Post; and
• Was not told my credit limit immediately (still don't know what it is)

In contrast, a friend who'll be traveling with me got his application approved immediately (within 30 seconds) and was informed of his credit limit instantaneously too!

Anyway, enough about the credit card. Thanks again to both posters above.

 

[medhead]

Welcome

As a student you could see if NAB have any special deals on the Gold debit card. I know they have some student products but it's been awhile since that was relevant for me so I don't know any details.

The travel cards that I've looked at have been hideously expensive. I would suggest avoiding. I would normally suggest NAB gold banking which allows accessing ATMs without fees (except some operator fees) and at pretty close to the headline exchange rate. However, as a student I'd guess you wouldn't be able to avoid the monthly fee. Unless they offer a similar deal for students then I'm not sure what is best. Perhaps get some euro before heading over. I'm sure with a search here you can find some suggestions of the best places to exchange money.

 

[Jobu]

One way to try to get around the jet-lag is to try and adjust on the flight over. That is, as soon as you take off, work our what time it is at your destination, and then either force yourself to sleep (can be tricky!) or 'pull an all-nighter' and force yourself to stay awake until it's night time in the UK.

Enjoy the trip!

JOBU