Travellers cheques, cash or visa?

[chrissb]

I have the Santander Zero card and use it for everything when we are away. However make sure you have a backup as Santander have a habit of suspending the card even if you have told them you will be away. Over 2 weeks at Christmas they suspended our cards 3 times in total and we spent a long tome on the phone to them. Eventually I spoke with a manager at the call centre and she sorted things out, but if we had not had back up cards then we would have had problems.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Albert the Frog
I have opened a Santander Zero account because there are no fees on any overseas transactions. I used it recently in Cyprus and checked the rates etc and you still get the inter bank transaction rate-very impressed.
When we go in August I intend to use my card for virtually all my transactions as i do here.
[/quote]

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:However make sure you have a backup as Santander have a habit of suspending the card even if you have told them you will be away. Over 2 weeks at Christmas they suspended our cards 3 times in total and we spent a long tome on the phone to them.[/quote]

You are apparently not alone, I have read several reports about this happening with Santander on their credit cards, debit card and internet banking.

Since they changed the name of Alliance and Leicester and Abbey, my wife has had her debit card stopped and internet banking suspended.
I have also had my internet and telephone banking suspended twice.

In every case they were adamant that we had wrongly entered our pin - three times. With internet banking it is a real bind as they have to send a new pin by snail mail to your home address(takes 7 to 10 working days) and you have no access during that period.

[Big_Momma]

We are here at mo and are using mainly tc and cash, but also Halifax clarity for bigger purchases! Had no probs with any. Got cash n tcs when rates were better than now.

[DisneyPrincess]

We got a cash card off the travel agents - it was just like a normal debit card but all the currency was insured for loss/theft etc. it was fantastic