UKC

Before heading off to the Alps last month I obtained a Revolut Pre-Paid card and loaded it with roughly what I expected to be paying by card.
I found it very useful in being able to manage my day to day expenditure. Transactions show up almost immediately so that you know what you have spent and what you have left at any time.
I'm almost thinking of ditching the "normal" cards and using Pre-Paid in future.
I never had any problems using it and if I felt the funds on it were getting a bit low I just topped up using their app. It's based on MasterCard so seems to be universally accepted.
:O)

In reply to mypyrex:

I use one when abroad and agree it is great, particularly for ensuring you get the best exchange rates, but see limited benefit in using in the U.K. over traditional debit and credit options alongside a standard banking app.

In reply to The New NickB:

Meant to mention that.

In reply to mypyrex:

Before heading off to the Andes last month I obtained a Revolut Pre-Paid card and loaded it with roughly what I expected to be paying by card.
I found that when topping it up via credit card(*), I was charged £3 a time (or 1% perhaps).

* I had planned to link it to a current bank account but when I did this and tried to transfer some money to it, my bank flagged it up as a suspicious transaction and suspended my account. Not Revolut's fault but still rather annoying as, with short time to spare, I needed to set SOMETHING up so used a credit card.

In reply to mypyrex:

I'm a big fan of Revolut. Only snag I have found is occasionally it not being accepted on French toll roads near Chamonix and at one petrol station. Otherwise very convenient and great forex rates.

In reply to mypyrex:

Yes, I have used the Post Office travel card and been please with it

In reply to Postmanpat:


Ditto, last time I went to France my Revolut card was declined more than normal. Especially on toll roads.

In reply to Jimbocz:

Recently got a Monzo card, which as a similar system. Slightly higher cash allowance before they start charging you. Not used it in anger yet but given that it's MasterCard based, I'd assume all the same issues with tolls and pay at the pump style forecourts.

In reply to Postmanpat:

Yup, it's because they can't guarantee payment to the vendor up-to a certain amount when the exact payment isn't taken at point of purchase, where non-pre-paid debit and credit cards can. Petrol stations for example are authorised to an amount rather than checking the balance in realtime. It's there to protect the vendor, you could authorise the card to take fuel, and use the card in the shop before the fuel has been charge. The money is gone and the card can't be charged beyond its top-up amount, nor will the card issuer guarantee the payment.

Only time you'll find revolut rates slightly out is during the weekend when there's 0.5% (or variable depending on currency) surcharge for payments during closed markets.

In reply to JR:


I noticed several times that I used the Revolut card for payment and, literally, within seconds I heard a message alert on my phone, I went to the Revolut app and found that the transaction had gone through.
I must admit that the only problem occurred when I tried to use it for a fiver's worth of refreshments on easyJet. There was still about £100 on the card but it was declined.

In reply to mypyrex:





Was it a bag of crisps?

In reply to ianstevens:

Have used my monzo card tons and love it. It worked fine in Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Denmark over the summer - no problems at all and the app is great.

In reply to mypyrex:

I used my Monzo card on Ryanair and it came through 24hrs later.

In reply to blackmountainbiker:

Monzo is brilliant, got one myself this Summer and following a 24hr system wide issue just as it arrived, it's performed flawlessly since! My phone usually buzzes with the transaction update before the receipt has printed in the shop!

In reply to mrphilipoldham:
Agree, love it - especially the ping on the app. The downside is that I have to remember not to use the card on my mid-ride coffee and cake stops as my wife has the app on her iPad and it makes her kinda jealous when Monzo pings whilst she's at work and I'm out playing.

In reply to mypyrex:

I've found my Monzo card really good for keeping track of spending - my traditional banking app (Lloyds) has incredibly limited functionality, whereas the Monzo card gives me a breakdown of where I'm spending per month in a nice pie chart. Super simple! You can also set up alerts for if you start to reach a budget limit on certain categories of spending (eg eating out).

So very useful in the UK as well as abroad

In reply to joshtee25:



Yes, much like my Revolut card.

In reply to JR:
That totally makes sense. It was getting declined in exactly those situations, especially pay at the pump. How does this Monzo card avoid that problem?

In reply to Jimbocz:

It doesn't - My card got rejected as I didn't have the £150 loaded onto it that the pump requested. If I'd had more than that, I assume it wouldn't have been rejected, but haven't tested the theory.

J

In reply to mypyrex:
I highly recommend Monzo card when abroad as you get zero transaction fees, and zero commission, even on cash withdrawals.