Travel News

Pre-pay cards make travellers ''less vulnerable'' to charges - 10/05/2006

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Britons flocking abroad on holiday this summer may benefit from the use of pre-pay cards to make purchases rather than conventional methods, says a travel finance company.

Topping up cards with the currency of the country being travelled to "fixes the exchange rate at the point of purchase which means travellers are not then vulnerable to unreliable exchange rates while abroad", said Travelex marketing head Carole Harbord.

The introduction of pre-pay cards to the travel market could provide travellers with a potentially cheaper alternative to more conventional methods of payment.

Some credit and debit cards carry higher charges for being used in foreign countries than they would in the customer's home country.

Lisa Taylor of Moneyfacts comments: "With each provider charging varying fees which are not immediately visible and often not fully appreciated by the consumer, it is a potential minefield to find the 'best' deal, and this becomes much worse as we consider the outside influence of exchange rates."

Travellers should take the time to shop around for the best rates, adds Ms Taylor.

Holidaymakers may also benefit from lower mobile phone charges, after Vodafone and T-Mobile announced they would be slashing the cost of using mobiles on their networks abroad.

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