BEWARE OF FEES FOR USING YOUR CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD ABROAD
Banks are now charging around £750m a year to it’s customers for using their cards outside of the British Isles.
Travellers should check their statements as bank charges for overseas transactions are up 6% on 2008.
Double the number of banks, compared with last year, now levy a charge for every debit-card purchase made
outside the UK – an average of £1.13 - says comparison firm Uswitch. Additional fees bring the total fees for
purchases and cash withdrawals to £401m. Add in another £352m in credit card fees & the annual total is more
than £700m.
Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Cahoot & Intelligent Finance all charge £1.50 each time you use a debit card abroad.
NatWest & Royal Bank of Scotland charge £1.25, and Lloyds TSB £1. You’ll also be charged a foreign loading
fee of between 2.75% and 2.99%. It’s even more expensive if you use a credit card abroad to withdraw cash.
A Halifax Classic Mastercard holder will pay a 2.95% foreign-exchange fee and 3% for withdrawals – meaning
£29.75 for £500 of cash. Credit-card purchases only incur the foreign exchange fee so the Halifax cardholder will
pay £14.75 on £500 worth of purchases.
Travellers should check their statements as bank charges for overseas transactions are up 6% on 2008.
Double the number of banks, compared with last year, now levy a charge for every debit-
than £700m.
Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Cahoot & Intelligent Finance all charge £1.50 each time you use a debit card abroad.
NatWest & Royal Bank of Scotland charge £1.25, and Lloyds TSB £1. You’ll also be charged a foreign loading
fee of between 2.75% and 2.99%. It’s even more expensive if you use a credit card abroad to withdraw cash.
A Halifax Classic Mastercard holder will pay a 2.95% foreign-
Cosmos Tours and Cruises has just launched its new winter Europe & North Africa brochure. It offers a wide
selection of touring holidays including Escorted Tours, Tour & Stay, Cruises, Cruise & Stay, Resort Stays.
Special features include:
· No single supplement – they’re waiving single rooms supplements on a first come first serve basis, on
some tours for holidays departing between January and March 2011.
· Flights to European destinations from a selection of UK airports.
· ‘Just the tour’ (on selected holidays) – Book a tour with Cosmos with the flexibility of making your own
flight arrangements. An ideal opportunity to visit friends or family before or after the tour.
· National Express service from over 1000 UK joining points to your destination airport for only £9 return.
· London Link – For every holiday using the cross – channel ferries, Cosmos offer a convenient London link
service. This is a free coach transfer from their central London hub to your Channel port.
· Free Parking at Dover for added convenience, with Relyon Parking.
· Single share option (on selected holidays) – Share a room with another single traveller (of the same
gender) and avoid the single supplement charge. If there is nobody available to share, the single
supplement will be waived anyway.
· Eurostar – A range of holidays feature Eurostar services direct to the Continent, from London St Pancras
or Ebbsfleet International stations.
· Individual Audio systems – Many Cosmos tours feature an inclusive audio system. You will be given head
phones & a receiver so you can always hear the tour director/local guides clearly on the coach and visits.
selection of touring holidays including Escorted Tours, Tour & Stay, Cruises, Cruise & Stay, Resort Stays.
Special features include:
· No single supplement – they’re waiving single rooms supplements on a first come first serve basis, on
some tours for holidays departing between January and March 2011.
· Flights to European destinations from a selection of UK airports.
· ‘Just the tour’ (on selected holidays) – Book a tour with Cosmos with the flexibility of making your own
flight arrangements. An ideal opportunity to visit friends or family before or after the tour.
· National Express service from over 1000 UK joining points to your destination airport for only £9 return.
· London Link – For every holiday using the cross – channel ferries, Cosmos offer a convenient London link
service. This is a free coach transfer from their central London hub to your Channel port.
· Free Parking at Dover for added convenience, with Relyon Parking.
· Single share option (on selected holidays) – Share a room with another single traveller (of the same
gender) and avoid the single supplement charge. If there is nobody available to share, the single
supplement will be waived anyway.
· Eurostar – A range of holidays feature Eurostar services direct to the Continent, from London St Pancras
or Ebbsfleet International stations.
· Individual Audio systems – Many Cosmos tours feature an inclusive audio system. You will be given head
phones & a receiver so you can always hear the tour director/local guides clearly on the coach and visits.
