# Paying in pounds or Euros



## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

Now I think Martyn Lewis has stressed enough the importance of paying in Euros whenever possible and I alway try to decipher the messages at the cashpoint about "click no if it's not true that you don't want to pay in Euros" or some other meant to mislead message.

But we've been caught out at a couple of campsites lately paying by card and waiting to be asked, when suddenly we are handed the receipt in pounds and see the message

"I confirm that I have been offered the choice to pay in pounds or Euros and have chosen to pay in pounds converted at the ......bank's daily rate plus a 2% commission and that this decision is final."

We have decided not to challenge this but it has cost us about £12 each time, compared to the exchange rate our bank offers.

So always stress first that you want to pay in Euros and let your bank do the conversion.


----------



## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

Whenever we pay by card all of the script on the terminal comes up in English, so no problem.
Gerry


----------



## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Never come across any situation like the one you described Webby. And in supermarkets the 2 choices are normally shown on the card machine and we just click on the appropriate one ie "euros"


----------



## homenaway (Jul 27, 2005)

We had the same problem at two campsites in Spain last year at Las Negras and Trevelez where we weren't given the opportunity to pay in Euros. It was when we handed the card over to those portable hand held card machines. Luckily they were only for one night so about €16 

We do try to be vigilant when paying and haven't had a problem at supermarkets recently.

Steve


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Credit card / Euros, excellent exchange rate from the Nationwide and no charges

tony


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

GEMMY said:


> Credit card / Euros, excellent exchange rate from the Nationwide and no charges
> 
> tony


Almost commercial rates, wether you spend a Few €uros or thousands.

Trev


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

GEMMY said:


> Credit card / Euros, excellent exchange rate from the Nationwide and no charges
> 
> tony


One of the benefits of mutuality - no grasping outside shareholders to satisfy, just the shareholding members.

Lucky they resisted the pressure to demutualise in the 1980's isn't it? :wink:


----------



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Two attempts narrowlly voted down Stanner. 1 in 1998 and 1 in 2001, offer was apparently between 1 and 1.5k per member windfall. Which way did you vote Tony?

Dick


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Me vote NAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let the plebs vote :lol: 

tony


----------



## HarleyDave (Jul 1, 2007)

GEMMY said:


> Me vote NAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Let the plebs vote :lol:
> 
> tony


I like that reply - I wonder how many get it though??

Cheers

Dave


----------



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

GEMMY said:


> Credit card / Euros, excellent exchange rate from the Nationwide and no charges
> 
> tony


Not according to Money Saving Expert.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

The Halifax Clarity Card has no fees and an apr of 12.9%.

The Nationwide requires a current account to be opened and charges £3 or 2.5% per withdrawal and an apr of 27.9%.

At one time Nationwide was the card to hold but they brought in charges for cash withdrawals about 3/4 years ago.


----------



## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

*Euros*

The point is that no matter how good these rates are.................. if you get the hand operated machine, as Steve pointed out, the choice is not obvious (unlike in the supermarkets)

If you pay in pounds you get whatever rate that bank offers probably plus commission.........not what your bank offers.


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Camdoon,"At one time Nationwide was the card to hold but they brought in charges for cash withdrawals about 3/4 years ago."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Am I a special customer, as of 6 weeks ago never been charged a p for withdrawals abroad using the debit card, also the cc rate has been truly excellent.

Are you not mixing up various Nationwide accounts

tony


----------



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Like camdoom I had a nationwide card till about 3 years ago. I was given a choice from memory of essentially making Nationwide my premier bank or losing the free service. I chose the latter. They were making no money out of me.

Dick


----------



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

GEMMY said:


> Camdoon,"At one time Nationwide was the card to hold but they brought in charges for cash withdrawals about 3/4 years ago."
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ...


Unless MSE is wrong then you are special.

If you scroll down http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money you will find a comparison chart.

Having said that I have just opened a Nationwide current account to get the free travel insurance and will "upgrade" later this year for the "free" breakdown insurance. Luckily I still had the CC which saved the rigmarole of proving my identity.

As ever you have to be aware of what banks/insurance companies/power suppliers are up to. They all take advantage of loyal customers. I do not think mutuals treat their customers any better than PLCs.


----------



## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Always pay with something like a Caxton Europe Traveller debit card. The money is already in Euro's and there is no way it can be reversed.

Ron


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

FlexPlus - our premium current account

In a nutshell - get in-credit interest and some great benefits for £10 a month for customers aged 18 or over.

Nationwide FlexPlus Card 


Worldwide Family Travel Insurance (conditions apply), Worldwide Family Mobile Phone Insurance, UK & European Breakdown and Recovery Assistance and Extended Warranty 4


î�ªIdentity Theft and Worldwide Emergency Card Assistance 4


î€®Commission-free cash withdrawals abroad


îƒŸ3% AER (2.96% gross p.a.) variable in-credit interest on balances up to £2,500


î€•3 month fee-free overdraft and a £100 fee-free limit after that 2


î€”Flexclusive product offers and rewards (conditions apply)


îƒ³Contactless Visa debit card


tony


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Another vote for Caxton or similar.

You load the card when YOU want and you get the rate durrent at that point (and it's always a good one compared to many other exchange companies) . When you pay its ALWAYS in Euro's because that's what's on the card. 

Just remember NOT to use it for fuel as the system deducts the maximum money the pump says you can have from your card BEFORE it dispenses fuel. If the limit is €100 and you only draw €20 worth of fuel the system still takes €100 off your card initially. The shortfall in this case €80, is credited back onto your card a couple of days later! One to watch, especially if you are at the end of your trip.


----------



## wobby (May 1, 2005)

We have the good fortune to have a euro A/c with credit / Debit cards with BOI so don't have that problem. :lol: 

Wobby


----------



## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Mrplodd said:


> Another vote for Caxton or similar.
> 
> You load the card when YOU want and you get the rate durrent at that point (and it's always a good one compared to many other exchange companies) . When you pay its ALWAYS in Euro's because that's what's on the card.
> 
> Just remember NOT to use it for fuel as the system deducts the maximum money the pump says you can have from your card BEFORE it dispenses fuel. If the limit is €100 and you only draw €20 worth of fuel the system still takes €100 off your card initially. The shortfall in this case €80, is credited back onto your card a couple of days later! One to watch, especially if you are at the end of your trip.


-------------------

A good point this. It happened to us before we had a Caxton card so I think that some fuel outlets use this system for all types of cards, but I could be wrong.


----------



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I'm spending euros on my caxton card that I put on at 1:23. Today I could load it at 1:31. :roll: Ah well you win some and lose some!

Dick


----------



## ksblair (Feb 26, 2012)

*Paying in pounds or euros*

Nationwide Flexplus Account.
Good range of insurance cover but, sadly, the European Breakdown insurance doe not include motorhomes.
The "free" health insurance does not include pre existing conditions but we found the surcharge for them to be very reasonable and a lot cheaper than other health insurance providers.


----------



## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

*Euros*

Not a thread about the best bank account to have for Europe (although the Caxton cashcard loaded at a good rate is a great idea..............except for you Dick)

It is to warn people, that no matter what you banks rate etc etc, if you do not choose to pay in Euros you will not get that rate.


----------



## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Glandwr said:


> I'm spending euros on my caxton card that I put on at 1:23. Today I could load it at 1:31. :roll: Ah well you win some and lose some!
> 
> Dick


If you put a sum in say, monthly for a year, the average cost of the foreign currency should be generally positive. But it works both ways, depending on the ruling rate when you actually "would have" bought the currency if you'd waited till your trip. The ups and downs of sterling & euros have turned this philosophy on its head, compared to other currencies (e.g. the SA rand) which continues its downward spiral unabated, sadly for me.


----------



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

*Re: Paying in pounds or euros*



ksblair said:


> Nationwide Flexplus Account.
> Good range of insurance cover but, sadly, the European Breakdown insurance doe not include motorhomes.
> ...


There have been debates in the past about this and the Nationwide Document "All you need to know about your breakdown cover" defines a motorhome as "Motorhomes - must not be more than 8 metres in length or a weight when fully loaded not exceeding 7.5 tonnes and must be a recognised make and model which has been coach-built for that precise purpose."

Why do you think Motorhomes are not covered?


----------



## ksblair (Feb 26, 2012)

*Re: Paying in pounds or euros*



Camdoon said:


> ksblair said:
> 
> 
> > Nationwide Flexplus Account.
> ...


First - apologies to Webby 1 for digressing from the the thread. ðŸ˜"

What is covered
What isn't covered
• Vehicles less than 7.0 metres in length, 2.3 metres wide, 3 metres high and weigh less than 3.5 tonnes when fully loaded
• Vehicles which are in a roadworthy condition and which are serviced and maintained
in line with manufacturer guidelines and which meet all legal regulations, including if appropriate, having an MOT certificate. It is your responsibility to ensure that all vehicles are kept in this condition throughout the period of cover and we may ask for proof in the event of a dispute
• Caravans and trailers - your cover includes
any caravan or trailer that is attached to your vehicle (this does not include help at the home address that we have on our records or within a 1/4 of a mile of that address or the location at which your caravan is normally stored). Caravans and trailers should not be more
than 8 metres in length (including A-frame) and fitted with a standard 50 millimetre
ball coupling. All caravans and trailers must meet the requirements of Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
In addition to anything included in the Service limitations and exclusions section of this policy (see Section F):
• Motorcycles, motorhomes, caravanettes,
commercial vehicles (all types), vans, pick up trucks and vehicles being used for hire and reward purposes (such as taxis)
• Vehicles which, in the opinion of the breakdown professional attending the vehicle, were unroadworthy or were broken down before your policy began


----------



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

Which document are you quoting from?


----------



## ksblair (Feb 26, 2012)

*Re Paying in pounds or euros*

It's the Nationwide's Flexplus account's terms and conditions statement. The breakdown cover is provided by Britannia Rescue. It seems unfair that you are OK with a caravan but not a motorhome or caravanette.


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Exactly

tony


----------



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

But if you google the document "Nationwide All you need to know about
your breakdown cover" then within that document you search for "motorhome" it states the size of motorhome that is allowed.

The exclusions you are talking about appear to be if you are renting the vehicle.

I had reached the same conclusion as you but there was a discussion about this a couple of months ago.

I have written to them from my account and will let you know their response.


----------



## kenny (Jun 4, 2005)

*exchange rate*

You are wrong about nationwide card, from some one who has used it all round the world ,the only charge is a very small difference in the exchange rate, same when i get my camping cheque from France,better than in uk kenny


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: exchange rate*



kenny said:


> You are wrong about nationwide card, from some one who has used it all round the world ,the only charge is a very small difference in the exchange rate, same when i get my camping cheque from France,better than in uk kenny


Exactly which "nationwide card" are you talking about?

Visa Debit Card
or
Visa Credit Card 
or
Select Visa Credit Card?

They all have different Ts & Cs


----------



## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

*Euros*

You see this is a thread about the choice to pay in Euros or Pounds.

I find it really difficult to follow threads on the site that go on for ever about completely different things/arguments.

Please go ahead if you want to start a new thread about Nationwide or why YOUR bank is better than someone elses etc etc

Then anyone who wanted to know about "the best card to use abroad" OR why Nationwide is better than Caxton etc etc would easily be able to find that information


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: Euros*



> "Webby1"
> You see this is a thread about the choice to pay in Euros or Pounds.
> 
> I find it really difficult to follow threads on the site that go on for ever about completely different things/arguments.
> ...


It could be argued that the decision as to which it's better to pay in €€€€s or ££££s depends on which card you wish to use.

If it is a commission free, no exchange rate adjustment, card then it is generally better to pay in Euros BUT if the card you have has additional charges it MAY be better to let the shop bear the exchange costs.

I have checked Auchan's rate against the Nationwide and at times there has been very little in it and it wouldn't have taken much in the way of charges to tilt the equation firmly in favour of paying in Sterling.


----------

