Travel money cards

[polly1]

Fellow AFF members, I am seeking recommendations on the besttravel money cards. Have members used Qantas Card, NAB Traveller card or any other?I am going to load USD, UK pounds and Euros currencies. Any recommendationsplease
Regards
Polly1

 

[samh004]

I think everyone raves about the 28 Degree MasterCard, but if you can't get credit, the QCASH card does work very nicely.

 

[zainman]

I think everyone raves about the 28 Degree MasterCard, but if you can't get credit, the QCASH card does work very nicely.

+1. The community here on AFF is big on the 28 D card but personally I haven't used it. The citibank fee free option is also an option as the 28 D card isn't a 'prepaid' option.

 

[markis10]

What do you want a card for, if its to lock in exchange rates then probably the QF or Virgin flavours are best, if you just want access to cash, the Citibank Plus account cannot be beaten, with ING coming in a close second for ATM cash withdraws with a small fee.

 

[NM]

I think everyone raves about the 28 Degree MasterCard, but if you can't get credit, the QCASH card does work very nicely.

28 degrees is a good credit card, for making purchased as a Master Card while overseas. But its no longer good as a source of cash via ATM withdrawals overseas. That crown sits with the Citibank Plus personal bank account, which also includes Visa Debit capability. This is a bank account and as such you need to move you cash into this account to be able to use it (much like a regular travel card).

I do not use "Travel Cards" as they all have worse overall effective exchange rates than the Citibank Plus account (for cash withdrawals) and 28 degrees MC (for purchases). And with those cards there is no need to select which currency you want to "load".

28 Degrees card also has the option for Shopper Protection Insurance, for which the fee is charged based on the outstanding balance at the date the statement is issued. If you balance is zero, the insurance is free.

 

[marki]

Shopper protection insurance wow had no idea any more info on that?

 

[NM]

Shopper protection insurance wow had no idea any more info on that?

From a statement:

Shopper's Protection lets you shop with confidence
The amount shown on the statement is for Shopper's Protection (Consumer Credit Insurance). To
make a claim or get more information, call us on 1800 800 230 or visit us at
Insurance | GE Money Australia | GE Money Australia. This insurance is provided by Hallmark Life Insurance
Company Ltd. ABN 87 008 446 884 AFSL 243469 and Hallmark General Insurance Company
Ltd. ABN 82 008 477 647 AFSL 243478 (the insurer), both trading as GE Money. The insurer
pays a commission of 20% of the premium, before government charges.

 

[breakNegg]

I just ordered 2 ANZ Travel cards for $11 each and a min load of $200. I have a QFF Card but there was better security and back up with the ANZ cards with a 24/7 concierge, they also send u 2 cards and will flash a replace card off to you anywhere in the world. We are going overseas shortly and being OS Virgins I just wanted the best option. I am also an ANZ customer.

 

[breakNegg]

I think the max load is $25000.00

 

[polly1]

Thanks for the advice. The card I am looking for will be used for several different currencies, will need to have ATM withdrawal capability and hopefully minimal fees and charges. The 28 degree sounds good from a MasterCard point of view, thanks for that advice. Any further suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Regards
Polly1

 

[breakNegg]

the anz holds 10 currencies by the way

 

[NM]

Citibank Plus account works for any currency. No need to worry about what currency to "load". Your balance is in A$ and you can withdraw via any "Plus" logoed ATM anywhere without worrying about which currency you "loaded" and getting the exchange rate on the day of the transaction with no foreign currency exchange fees or commissions. I can't understand why anyone would want to use a so-called "Travel Card" that requires you to nominate the currency to load and incurs a few to do the currency conversion or a fee to "buy" the card in the first place.

 

[markis10]

I can't understand why anyone would want to use a so-called "Travel Card" that requires you to nominate the currency to load and incurs a few to do the currency conversion or a fee to "buy" the card in the first place.

I agree, you have to pay 1.1% to reload the ANZ product, pay a 3.3% margin on forex and then to withdraw pay a fee of $3.50. With citibank I can get $10 out locally and pay no fees and very little forex margin, in fact I cannot remember a trip where my fees came close to the $11 issue fee for ANZ.


ANZ Travel Card has a flat card issuance fee of AUD $11.00. Additional fees and charges are set out below:


Card issuance fee AUD 11
Initial load fee Nil
ATM withdrawal fee*AUD 3.50
USD 2.50
GBP 2.00
EUR 2.20
NZD 4.50
CAD 3.00
HKD 20.00
SGD 4.00
THB 95
JPY 260
Monthly inactivity fee (After 12 months of inactivity)AUD 3.00
Reload fee (including via BPAY and Postbillpay)1.1% of the value purchased
Transaction fee for purchase
(in-store and online)Free
AUD currency fee 3% of Value of transaction
Card replacement fee AUD 35.00
Balance enquiries Nil
SMS activity alerts
AUD 0.35
USD 0.35
GBP 0.25
EUR 0.30
NZD 0.70
CAD 0.45
HKD 1.00
SGD 0.40
THB 10
JPY 30

 

[Powerballsam]

I think some people like travel cards as it locks the rate. They can budget easier.

 

[Cynicor]

This has come up a few times and the detailed maths is on other threads, but I concur with the others- there is almost no value in a travel card unless obtained at amazing promo rates.

I used an Amex one where they waived all fees and gave a 25% load bonus on my $100, and even then I hated the card, and promptly destroyed it after use.

The currency would generally have to depreciate ~15% before value is realised through these products.

 

[breakNegg]

I am an ANZ customer so was peace of mind for me.

 

[dazza5000]

Hi,
We recently travelled to USA and Canada. We used the multi-currency cash passport issued by Aussie post. There was no load fee and no ATM fee overseas. You can load online and pay by bpay . They issue 2 cards and they are embossed like a credit card. Used them everywhere in both USA and Canada with no issues.

Hope this helps

Regards

 

[here2go]

Citibank Visa Debit is great for flexibility, but you cannot "hedge" your cash, should it be of value.
Also, depending on where you are going, there is no point getting a travel card, as it won't have any benefit. An example of this if you pop over to Indonesia - no travel card I can find allows for loading of Rupiah. (Happy to be proven wrong).

An alternate to the 28 Degrees Card is Bankwest Platinum - you won't earn any points on Forex Purchases if you chose a rewards card, but get Platinum benefits.

 

[NFF]

Does it still take several days for BPay to transfer money to your card ?

 

[here2go]

Does it still take several days for BPay to transfer money to your card ?

Qantas Cash is 2-3 Business Days. From experience, go with the 3 days. Reloadable Prepaid Mastercard | Prepaid Travel Card from Qantas Cash