<p>S2 is going on a HS trip to Spain. At the informational meeting, the supervisor recommended against using travelers’ checks, and suggested students bring pre-paid credit cards.
Our Chase branch doesn’t offer these, but suggested he open up a checking account (his savings account is there) and they would issue a debit card, which he could use in Europe. </p>
<p>Before we run down there and do this–
Does anyone here on CC know if most places in Spain (major cities) would accept a US debit card??</p>
<p>I haven’t traveled much, but a debit card can be used pretty much like a credit card (ex, if the place accepts Visa, they should take your Visa debit card). You just sign like you would a credit card receipt.</p>
<p>To clarify - we would like him to bring a card that he could use directly in most cases, rather than going to ATM’s to withdraw Euros.
I know there are conversion fees and transaction fees to think about. He would be using it for probably just a few meals and maybe souveniers-- no large purchases.</p>
<p>As a general thing, debit cards are to be avoided. There is no control on what $$ can be sucked out of your account, unlike a credit card, where you control the payment. </p>
<p>I speak from experience, my checking account was drained when I was out of the country and my debit card # was part of a fraud. I got my $$ back, but I was essentially in Australia with no access to $$.</p>
<p>Make sure you let the bank know that the card will be used abroad. Otherwise, the card may get locked by the bank like it happened to one of our cards during our summer travel.</p>
<p>I’ve traveled many countries with my debit card. My debit card works great everywhere for cash withdrawal, but doesn’t work beyond my region for direct purchases. Maybe it’s just my card though.</p>
<p>Not sure how old DS is, but this may be the time to set him up with both. I always had my kids travel with both and keep them in separate places. So the credit card would go in a pocket in checked luggage and the debit on their person. One card would stay in the hotel safe once they got there so they always had back up. This may not be as important in a large group though.</p>
<p>That said, he won’t have any problem using the debit card in Spain and most can be used where credit cards are accepted as a Visa or Mastercard.</p>
<p>My experience is that the debit card works fine. For purchases and for cash. Keep in mind you can raise the issue limit for daily transaction amounts. With a high school group he will not likely have to book lodging or airline travel but there are always things that can come up. </p>
<p>Does your health insurance cover out of the country travel? That is another consideration you should consider. </p>
<p>Last summer S traveled all over Europe. I got him a pre-paid [Visa</a> Travel Money Card](<a href=“http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/Travel/VisaTravelMoneyCard]Visa”>http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/Travel/VisaTravelMoneyCard) from AAA, which was refillable online. He used it with no trouble at all, and since there was a set amount on it, he couldn’t go over that. Conversely, I could check the balance from home and see what he was spending and if he was running low. It worked very well for him.</p>
<p>We have been using a Wachovia Visa Buxx for one of our kids. We get daily emails as to what is spent. You can set the amount of atm withdrawals. You can use it anywhere. The nice thing is if it is lost the amount on it is limited. Unlike a debit card linked to a bank account.
What I like about the Visa Buxx is I can add money on it from home using my credit card. No having to get to a bank to make a deposit. The money is added immediately.</p>
<p>Regarding debit cards in Europe. My sister used two different cards on her recent trip to Italy. One from Chase and the other from her Credit Union. The credit union charged quite a bit less for using the ATM and less for changing currency.</p>
<p>I have heard that some credit cards and banks charge lower fees for conversion than others also. Does anyone know the best fees offer for Spain, as my S also is heading there soon? He has a credit card and a debit card, but I am looking for the best deal for him since he will be there studying abroad for an enitre quarter.
Thanks</p>
<p>Was going to suggest the AAA visa travel card, but I see Booklady beat me to it. My D and I have done this twice, and you can continue to use it at home. I chaperoned 2 high school overseas trips, many kids used this card and there were no problems. If I remember correctly there is a small fee to refill it on line, but if you have a AAA close by it’s free to do it there.</p>
<p>Thank you all! Will sit down later and sort through these carefully. S2 is 16, junior in HS, not driving yet, so we hadn’t considered a debit account just yet. Wouldn’t hurt, though. There is a lot of good information here. S1 hopes to take a semester abroad next year, so we’ll be looking into similar options then as well.</p>
<p>You need to take both a debit card and credit card. The debit card is needed for withdraws from the ATM. There will be a foreign currency conversion fee but nothing as much as withdrawing money from credit cards, where you are charged a cash advance fee on top of any other fees. Then you need to put your debit card away and guard it with your life. If your debit card is stolen and used, the funds come directly out of your checking account. I don’t recall debit card stolen procedures, but they are not as loose as credit. When you are in stores, use the credit card. You have the ability to dispute a sale (such as if you ordered something, wanted it shipped overseas and it never arrived. Use a debit card, you’re screwed - the store has the money and how are you going to get it back?). Also, if the credit card is stolen, you are able to dispute the fraudulent sales made on the card. Another warning - do not let the store do the currency conversion for you. Have them charge you in their currency. They act as though it is a nice added service for foreigners, but last I checked, which was around 3 years ago, you will be charged a fee for that. And finally, call your credit card companies and ask what the currency conversion rate is. Take the card with the lowest rate, unless you have a card that gets fantastic benefits that surpasses the higher rate.</p>
<p>Could be just my bank, but my banker said to not use a debit card overseas - he said they charge a percentage on every purchase. Use a credit card - they take care of the conversion and the exchange rate is adjusted daily.</p>
<p>Just looked at the AAA travel VISA. Need to call and see how lpong it would take to get one. We never remember to take advantage of any of our AAA perks…</p>
<p>You are probably less at risk with a debit card in Europe than in the US. It always amazes me that my US debit card can be used without a pin in many places. In Europe, most people have debit rather than credit cards. (Many people are actually fooled. They think it’s a cc because it has a cc logo on it, but the money for each transaction comes directly from their bank acct) I have a debit card from a European bank and have never been able to use it anywhere but in the US without the pin.</p>
<p>Boy, we could have used this advice when D went to Australia/New Zealand this past summer. The machine took her ATM card and wouldn’t give it back. She didn’t have a back up plan as to how to get money. Luckily, one of the kind adults fronted her some money.</p>
<p>lspf72- You can just go into AAA and walk out with the card. If I recall, you just needed to have the card holder’s soc. security number. You can probably go to the AAA website and find more info.</p>
<p>If you use a Capitol One credit card (you remember them - the folks who used to send you 5 applications a week), there is no currency conversion fee and the conversion rate is good.</p>