UKH

I'm sure it's been done before but thing change all the time... As per the title, is one card better than another for using in Europe. contact less and chip and pin. Personal recommendations welcome!

I use the Halifax Clarity card.  It uses the standard Mastercard exchange rate - just make sure to avoid being charged in sterling: the retailer/card processor will use their own rate which will not be as good.  (You may need to check on the card terminal before paying.)  No commissions or foreign currency transaction charges.  Normal credit card repayment terms for purchases but cash withdrawals attract interest from the day of the withdrawal so make sure to pay the balance off ASAP rather than waiting until the due date shown on the statement.

Alternative recommendations listed on Martin Lewis' web site:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/ 

That's brilliant, thanks. Do you know whether contactless attracts extra charges or is it just treated as cash?

If you're not needing to use the credit facility then Monzo works great. No foreign usage fees. 

Didn't notice any charges when I used the Halifax card contactless whilst in OZ (having put my PIN in such a safe place I couldn't find it for the duration of the trip). 

Monzo.( Am in Europe at moment and using it)

Load it up with credit before you travel and no fees.

Can withdraw  £200 cash per month without fees.

Worth having a look at Starling. Similar to Monzo in that it's app based and can be set up in minutes.

It's basically a bank account, you can, if you want transfer all your banking to it outright, or use it as a second account.

Overseas - zero commission and MasterCard rates on cash withdrawals and payments. The advantage versus Monzo is no limit of £200 per month for cash withdrawals.

As it happens, I was in Berlin last weekend.  I've just checked my transactions, which were a mixture of chip & pin and contactless: no extra charges.  They're just transactions, as I would have expected.

(I wasn't aware that any card issuer treats contactless transactions differently to chip & pin.  Does it ever happen?)

The only safe place for your PIN is in your head.

Another vote for Halifax Clarity. Really good exchange rate, also good for buying rail tickets etc on line in local currency.

Another happy Monzo user here. Used it for the first time abroad in France last week.

Use both Monzo and the halifax clarity. Monzo is good because as soon as you pay for something it flashes up on your phone how much it was in sterling. Literally in seconds. Sometimes before they even get the approval. And it tots up what you spent and tells you when you get home. Doesn't seem to work in French toll booths tho. 

I use Revolut, similar to Monzo, really just an arbitrary choice on my part to go with one over the other, maybe Monzo is somehow better but essentially I think they work the same, just prepaid credit cards. Only had mine turned down during an actual flight. Easy to manage via mobile phone apps. 

They are different. Monzo and Straling are proper bank accounts, covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The Govt will compensate you up to £85k if the bank goes bust). Revolut is not. I shut down my Revolut account as it no longer offers anything I cannot get from Starling:

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-6080099/Are-Monzo-Revolut-...

Those Halifax b*stards declined my application! This is a bit bizarre because a) I'm pretty solvent, b) I've got a Halifax Gold card already, c) and a near impeccable payment record. I wonder if i's because I'm now over 65? 

Anyway I've now signed up for Monzo, seems like the way forward. And won't need it at the tolls because we have one of those Tag gizmos. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Not so, if you have a gun to your head or a knife to your throat! I may be being somewhat facetious but it is a remote possibility. I know what I would do in such circumstances (apart from cack myself).

On the original OP I have heard recommendations for Starling.

Did you try switching from chip & pin to the old school magnetic strip via the app?

While it’s true that Revolut isn’t covered by the FSCS, your money is still very safe with revolut. All account holders’ funds are stored in ring-fenced accounts at Barclays / Lloyd’s - revolut cannot lend or invest that money somewhere. If revolut were to go bankrupt, every account holder would get their money back.

That being said I’m not sure what happens if Barclays / Lloyd’s go bust.

https://www.revolut.com/help/more/security/is-my-money-safe

https://community.revolut.com/t/safety-concerns/44886/7

Starling is better than revolut or monzo as long  yr happy with a debit rather than credit card. You can withdraw up to 250 (or is it 350) pounds per day or pay for as much stuff as you want with the card, anywhere in the world without and fees from starling. Unlike revolt it’s akso FSCS protected. It also has interest on the current account! Monzo and Revolt will only let you Withdraw 200 pounds per MONTH before fees are incurred.