The HfP chat thread – Friday 4th September

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

• Benjamin Dyer says:

  4 Sep4 September 06:24

  Dear HfP,

  I signed up for the Tandem card on your recommendation previously, and it’s served me well (except for the frustrating thing that it had a £2,500 limit that they would not review so you had to manually make payments in months when you spent more,. I put my savings their to offset the card fee when they introduced that, and I stayed when they reduced the rate on savings with the rate cut.

  Unfortunately, I just received an email saying they are cancelling the cards effective from some date in November. And they are cutting the interest rate to 0.5% on savings if you wanted to keep savings open (I’ll be looking for a new home for this money obviously)

  Any suggestion on the best cards now for foreign spend in this new climate?!

  • Doc says:

    4 Sep4 September 07:07

    +1. Same here.
    Looks like either Halifax Clarity, Barclays or Santander cards are only 0% on overseas purchases in non-sterling currency spend.
    Any recommendations?

    • Mike P says:

      4 Sep4 September 07:19

      I use Halifax Clarity for personal spend abroad and have never had an issue with it. HSBC Prem WE for anything that work reimburse however as I get 2 Avios per £ in foreign currency and work picks up the 3%

      • Genghis says:

        4 Sep4 September 09:24

        I don’t like using HSBC Prem WE for non-GBP work expenses as the 3% shows up as a separate charge, unlike Amex and Creation where it’s built into the charge.

    • Young L says:

      4 Sep4 September 07:24

      I applied for Santander Zero recently, then found out they had a new card design, which is the ugliest I’ve seen. Cancelled immediately.

      • Yorkieflyer says:

        4 Sep4 September 07:51

        You are joking?

        • Young L says:

          4 Sep4 September 08:39

          Where’s the joke?

        • Aston100 says:

          4 Sep4 September 09:07

          Imagine if you whipped out something no one wants to see.

        • Brian says:

          4 Sep4 September 11:32

          Yorkieflyer, didn’t you know that credit card design is all-important?? Just as big cars offer compensate for lack of stature elsewhere, it’s similar with cards – the prettier it is, the less people notice how ugly one is.

      • stevenhp1987 says:

        4 Sep4 September 11:18

        Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

        It’s the personality (in this case free FX) that counts!

      • Stagger Lee says:

        4 Sep4 September 12:18

        Just had a search to see what this looks like.

        Man that is ugly.

      • Charlieface says:

        4 Sep4 September 13:56

        It’s very good for stoozing, no cash withdrawal charge. Also Halifax Clarity the same

    • planeconcorde says:

      4 Sep4 September 07:54

      Post office is 0% on foreign too. As is MBNA Horizon, but that’s not open to new applicants.

    • Stagger Lee says:

      4 Sep4 September 12:00

      Just curious as to why you would want to spend in sterling when overseas?

      I have a Clarity card and always spend in the lcoal currency and the exchange has always been excellent.

  • Nick_C says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:15

    Curve and Revolut, linked to our topped up from your favourite MC or Visa.

    And Monzo for some extra ATM capacity.

    • Aston100 says:

      4 Sep4 September 09:29

      Are there any limits on foreign currency spend with those? free basic verisons.

      • Nick_C says:

        4 Sep4 September 15:48

        “Curve Blue (free) – Spend up to £500 per month fee free. There’s a 2% fee for any more spend. Withdraw up to £200 per month from foreign ATMs. There’s 2% fee or a £2 charge (whichever is higher) for any further withdrawals.

        f you make a withdrawal or purchase over the weekend and Curve performs a currency conversion, we’ll use the rate from Friday and apply a surcharge as the Forex markets are closed. The weekend counts as Friday 23:59 GMT – Sunday 23:59 GMT.

        For transactions where both the transaction and the underlying payment cards are in GBP, USD or EUR, the foreign exchange fee will be 0.5%. For all other currencies, the foreign exchange fee will be 1.5%.”

        Revolut – you add foreign currency accounts to your card and convert from Sterling at market rates. You have different balances for each account linked to one card. Revolut will charge the appropriate currency account when you spend. You can convert back from foreign currency to Sterling at any time. You can withdraw £200 (or local equivalent) each (rolling ) month.

        Monzo – “Pay in shops, restaurants and online, anywhere in the world and in any currency, with no fees. We pass Mastercard’s exchange rate directly on to you, and don’t add fees or additional charges.” “From 31 October … You’ll have a £250 fee-free 30 day allowance for ATM withdrawals in the UK and European Economic Area (EEA), with a 3% fee after. Allowances outside the EEA are staying at £200 every 30 days, with a 3% fee after.”

  • Mark says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:44

    Don’t forget the Virgin Atlantic are now fee free for transactions in EU currencies (euro and a handful of others). I completely forgot earlier in the year and put a couple of large euro transactions through the Halifax that could have earned some Virgin miles.

  • memesweeper says:

    4 Sep4 September 13:42

    Starling, Mozo, Revolut or Curve

• Peter says:

  4 Sep4 September 06:43

  NatWest have just told me that they are changing my Visa card into a Mastercard card – which will leave me with two Mastercards (the other being Lloyds Avios) and no Visa card. Does this matter? In the UK all retailers take both. Is this the case worldwide or would a Visa card be useful in addition to a Mastercard ?

  • Chris Heyes says:

    4 Sep4 September 07:01

    Peter Just tell them ok i’m changing to Nationwide they have a good Visa Card plus your uk spend gives you free allowance to spend abroad without charges (you need to check how it works, but it’s ok)
    also free insurance (two types of accounts one free, one premium)

  • Rob says:

    4 Sep4 September 07:18

    Never found a problem just having one.

  • Young L says:

    4 Sep4 September 07:21

    Olympic tickets, you can only pay with Visa card.

    • Chrisasaurus says:

      4 Sep4 September 07:36

      Lol. Need a vaccine before a VISA!

  • Hannah says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:31

    I think it depends where you’re going. I was in South America last year and I found it was mostly either cash or Visa, particularly in Argentina. Lots of restaurants and shops didn’t accept Mastercard.

  • Andrew says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:23

    Rarely makes a difference.

    But then there’s the time that you’re standing at an SNCF ticket vending machine, the Mastercard logo is displayed but Mastercards from two different banks aren’t working, and you try your Barclaycard instead and everything is happy again.

  • Lady London says:

    4 Sep4 September 20:46

    There are some hotel offers sometimes for Visa and IIRC seeing a car hire deal some time back. I woulld always want to have a Visa card on hand. Visa was more prevalent in a few countries too (Latin countries IIRC) but that may have changed.

• KevMc says:

  4 Sep4 September 06:51

  Anyone able to shed any light on how to top up ‘Tax Free Childcare’ using a points card? I have tried Curve, but this gets knocked back as not being accepted. Tried topping up Monese using Curve (IHG and Virgin) but that is also declined.

  Is there any way to pay TFCC without using a boring old debit card?

  • Pid says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:25

    I have had to resort to using Tesco Debit Card in the past just to get some points. Curve could never explain why it would not process when I asked them.

    • Chrisasaurus says:

      4 Sep4 September 08:29

      I recall a while back curve wouldn’t work to pay EE bills, came up as foreign issued. Do not know if still the case even before switch from wire card but there’s a multitude of weird properties that could cause an ill thought out filter to disallow a card

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:45

    Curve Metal works fine topping up Monese with an IHG card

    Was it just that it wanted to charge you the fronted fee rather than declined?

    • KevMc says:

      4 Sep4 September 09:26

      Curve said it was declined, and suggested using a different card. I tried both IHG and Virgin, and also tried various amounts down to £50

    • Wollhouse says:

      4 Sep4 September 09:34

      Ha! If ONLY I could get me curve card to register my IHG card! I posted previously that I couldn’t get Apple Pay to work nor the IHG and curve advised it was because I had the old Beta black free card. Another poster said that wasn’t true as his worked, Curve then cancelled my card and said they’d reissued me a blue card (I hadn’t requested this) and on the new card, it still isn’t recognising my IHG card. Emailed curve, no response. I think curve hates me 😉 but quite annoying as I’m missing points:(!

  • Genghis says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:53

    Contact me on Twitter genghis1232 (follow me first)

  • Charlieface says:

    4 Sep4 September 13:58

    Had the same issue with Help to Save account, i think it’s run by NS&I but has the usual garbage gov.uk login

• Matthew says:

  4 Sep4 September 07:21

  BA Hols question. I booked the Monaco and heli transfer deal back in Jan this year for a 2 Oct departure. Nothing cancelled yet and balance due 11 Sep. Not sure what I should do as thought the hol would be cancelled and both France and Monaco against FCO advice. Are BA likely to cancel my hol even if our flights are running? Can’t take a voucher as the rule is if booked before 3 Mar (and therefore you didn’t know about COVID??) and travel after 30 Sep nothing is in place. Seems rather unfair to me. Any tips/experience from anyone in a similar situation? Thanks.

  • Anna says:

    4 Sep4 September 07:45

    Someone asked something similar the other day and I think the consensus was that if BA won’t let you cancel or change you’ll probably have to resort to claiming on your insurance if you can’t travel. I would try and speak with BA before the balance is due and find out definitively what their position is on your holiday.

    • Matthew says:

      4 Sep4 September 07:59

      Yes I think that’s a good idea. I understand it’s tough luck when flights but assumed we’d have better protection as a holiday!

  • Harry T says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:16

    I would ring BA and ask if I could cancel the holiday and take a voucher for the deposit. If BA insisted my deposit was lost, then I would cancel the holiday and claim the deposit on travel insurance. Keep records of any conversations with BA.

    • Harry T says:

      4 Sep4 September 09:17

      Although the 11th September is still a good week away, so anything could happen cancellation wise.

    • Matthew says:

      4 Sep4 September 14:50

      Good point – not sure what happens with the extra I’ve paid thought before balance was due. I wonder if the’d refund that but keep the deposit if we cancel or if they’ll keep the whole lot. A phone call to BA required…

  • Jody says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:24

    I’m in the same boat, although our holiday isn’t until November so got until some time in October to pay.

    Insurance claim pointless as it’s £75 excess per person, and the BA deposit was £150. Really hoping we can talk them into a voucher (unless the FCO advice changes of course).

• James. says:

  4 Sep4 September 08:18

  Has anyone faced issues when attempted to pay Virgin with Curve? I have attempted a payment today which has been declined by the bank. This looks to be Virgin blocking the payment as this gets approved in the Curve app.

  • The Urbanite says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:28

    I made a payment yesterday and it was fine.

  • Reney says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:34

    Similar here, was paying a CC (not virgin) via curve this morning, tried using 2 different backing card both failed, even thou I approved it in the app. Sounds like not Virgin blocking it if we are paying different cards, I also tried 2 different backing cards so don’t think it is the underlying company either. My guess is curve, will go pay some taxes and see what happens…

    • James. says:

      4 Sep4 September 08:40

      ERNIE works

      Paying Virgin using Curve (IHG or Virgin) both failed
      Paying Monese using Curve (IHG) failed

      Could be the MCC?

      • Reney says:

        4 Sep4 September 11:07

        More data points:
        paying tax via curve backed with a CC works.
        Paying a CC with curve backed by a debit card works. So it is not MCC, it is paying backed with a CC curve doesn’t like.

    • Secret Squirrel says:

      4 Sep4 September 09:25

      Same here, gave up and never tried again. Maybe some are doing it if they have metal version.

• James. says:

  4 Sep4 September 08:19

  @ Rob, is this new. Never seen this before “Your comment is awaiting moderation”

  • Rhys says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:22

    Did you change your email, name or IP address? We moderate every first comment!

  • Harry T says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:18

    It happened to me the other day for several comments and I haven’t changed anything. It’s gone now though.

    • Rob says:

      4 Sep4 September 13:10

      You have. You are probably posting from a different computer or location so your IP address is different.

  • John says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:12

    Sometimes happens when you type certain specific words

• MD says:

  4 Sep4 September 08:19

  I realise this will probably have been answered recently, but I’m afraid search results still aren’t coming back in any sort of useful order, so…

  Flying out of Gatwick N in a couple of weeks with BA. What is the current lounge situation there? Anything open at all? Many thanks.

  • Alex J says:

    4 Sep4 September 09:56

    Club Aspire is open and take Priority Pass. I came through there briefly a couple of days ago. Food was served in cardboard boxes (and was pretty dire tbh) but the space itself was nice and fairly quiet.

    • MD says:

      4 Sep4 September 13:10

      Thanks Alex.

      • Simon says:

        4 Sep4 September 13:46

        I’d avoid- was there last week- very busy and rules not being applied. They have a bar of 5mtrs with a 1mtr screen- so everyone just stands where the screen is not in place! Lots of people without face coverings. Wetherspoons, however, was quiet and totally Covid compliant

• Colin MacKinnon says:

  4 Sep4 September 09:20

  Anyone know what Easyjet’s Covid policy is?

  Is there a Book With Confidence type scheme?

  Thinking of Portugal ex-Scotland later this month/October.

  • Jody says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:30

    You can have a read on their website, tells you what they do. You can change any booking with no fees, just the fare difference (although they don’t give you a refund if the new fare is less).

    If they cancel on you you can opt for a voucher with a bit extra on (£5 or £10, can’t remember which), a cash refund (reports of this taking a while), or the best option (in my opinion) which is being able to change your flights to any flight at any time with no extra cost at all (couple of routes are excluded). We’ve made very good use of this, and did so again yesterday. We were booked for Ibiza in October, cost £135 (booked ages ago, when those dates first came out). We’ve just moved our flights to September 2021, would have cost £642 for the dates we are going, but moved for free. Prices seem really high for next September for all routes, not sure why.

    • Anna says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:56

      I imagine prices are high because very few airlines have released flights for September next year yet. You see this with BA on some routes, booking 11+ months ahead can be extortionate, then when competitor airlines like AA release their seats, the prices miraculously drop.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:48

    Had tried their website, but wasn’t clear to me about what happens if I cancel. Thanks for that, and the tip to move to nd t year if they cancel. Suspect they will now Portugal is in Scotland’s no-go list

    • Lady London says:

      4 Sep4 September 22:04

      @Colin currently if they dont cancel you can move without problem 2 weeks ahead.

      *BEware since July Easyjet has been operating 2 cancellation variants:

      (1) If they do cancel *all* flights on your route on your day of travel then miraculously they do not advise your full EU261 rights but I dont blame them. Their own policy is as @Jody says. This is the traditional offering by Easyjet they gave operated when they cancel flights.

      (2) since July if Easyjet has cancelled the flight you booked, but has any other flight on your route still operating on the day of your flight, even 14 hours before or after your cancelled flight, Easyjet will move your booking to the differently numbered and timed other flight they are still running that day. So you could find you booked a 7am flight but your booking, *without any trace at all in your booking online that this has been done*, will show a completely different flight.

      Even though your flight has been cancelled and you have been moved to a completely different flight leaving at a very different time, Easyjet since July is pushing you onto any itger flight that day and is be ding everything *not* to call it a cancellation. They are not marking their flight cancellation at all, in your booking any more in this case.

      All you will receive from Easyjet about this is a pretty littke hip-casual email about “we’re moving things around a bit”.

      Unusually for any communication from an airline about your flight, it does not contain any flight numbers. Not the flight number you chose and booked, and not the new different flight number thet’ve moved you to. It doesn’t even show you the flight time you originally booked it just shows you the a different flight’s departure time. Even if you were flying at 7am to do a day’s work and Easyjet has decided your day will be fine and your trip will still have a purpose when you now land at 11pm. Really?

      Regular readers who know about EU261 might draw their own conclusions about why Easyjet is being so reticent.

      So just beware there are 2 different ways Easyjet is now handling cancellations now – both ways are indeed cancellations of your flight.

      I actually have a lot of sympathy for Easyjet so currently I am not posting any more detail on the very understandable reasons Easyjet might be doing this sneaky communication and procedure.

  • Lady London says:

    4 Sep4 September 22:49

    PS If you want to go @Colin you might want to do it in September as EJ has pretty much cancelled October on most routes.

    25th October onwards still looks normal but dont count on it.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.