Nationwide UK introduces charges for Visa debit and credit

I know many UK based visitors to Thailand use Nationwide Visa and Debit cards because up to now they haven't charged fees. Sadly, this is about to change. Their website has the following notice:

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"When you use a Nationwide Visa debit card or credit card to make a transaction in certain currencies other than sterling, Visa charge a fee for each transaction and Nationwide currently pays that fee on your behalf.

We will start to pass this fee onto you from 6 May 2009 on credit card and from 1 June 2009 on debit card and it will be included in the sterling amount shown on your statement.

The fee is currently 0.84%. From 1 July 2009 this fee will increase to 1%."

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Anybody know any other methods of avoiding transaction fees when using Visa, or Visa Debit, cards in Thailand?

I'm sorry for this off-topic repy, but my advice would be to get an American Express card. They've never once charged me a fee for buying things in foreign currencies, and every time I use it I wrack up miles that I can put toward a number of airline mileage programs. So every two years I get a free flight to Bangkok.

American Express has also proven a huge help on the few occasions I was the victim of Internet and other types of fraud. And they've reimbused me for Internet purchases when the services I bought turned out to be not as advertised.

There is a yearly fee, however.

The Post Office still do a credit card with no fees for overseas transactions. How long that lasts is anyones guess.

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/j ... d=34100665

American Express is fine, if it is accepted. Not everywhere will, even in Europe, because they charge above average fees to traders.

nationwide-charges-for-overseas-card-use-t17344.html

This subject already covered in an earlier thread by Whitedesire.

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Originally Posted by M0TEL69

I'm sorry for this off-topic repy, but my advice would be to get an American Express card. They've never once charged me a fee for buying things in foreign currencies, and every time I use it I wrack up miles that I can put toward a number of airline mileage programs. So every two years I get a free flight to Bangkok.

American Express has also proven a huge help on the few occasions I was the victim of Internet and other types of fraud. And they've reimbused me for Internet purchases when the services I bought turned out to be not as advertised.

There is a yearly fee, however.

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The only problem with American Express is that they are not used in every hotel/store compared to Master or Visa.

AHHHH, the FREE ride is over.
This is a bit off-topic...
On my trip last year to the Philippines, I used my ATM/Debit Card to withdraw money there. My Account is with Bank of America and they told me no fees if I used an ATM of Philippines National Bank or China Bank. It worked fine.
But I did not check before my trip this January. Got home and found a charge of USD5 for ATM use and another charge USD1 for Foreign Exchange. I was PISSED but Bof A would not do anything.
SO BE WARNED!!!
:angryfire:
George

It could be worse - many US banks add their own charge on top of the Visa 1% (Chase Bank charges 3% total, plus gives you a lousy conversion rate - same when using their debit card). Because of those fees, I now use debit cards from 2 US Internet banks - Etrade (they do not charge a fee if you maintain a minimum $1,000 in the account - they pay interest, but at today's rates, it is minimal) - to open an account, you need to provide a US address and telephone number. The other is INGDirect (no ATM fee, no minimum balance, interest (minimal) paid on the account, good conversion rate). As with Etrade, you need to provide a US address and telephone number - but, as I recall do not have to provide a US State driving license number. I have a Credit Union Visa card, which I sometimes use here - they only charge the 1% levied by Visa). A couple of others that have the higher fees I keep handy just in case I should require surgery or hospital stay at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.

I arrived in LoS recently and went to a nest of varied ATM's near Lumphini. My intention was to withdraw a certain amount each day from my Nationwide account. It has been very hit and miss; certain banks always referring me to the account holding branch and only Bangkok Bank being consistent with an informative English language interface.

In frustration I called the number on the Nationwide card from my hotel at the time which doesn't overcharge overseas calls. On the first call I was asked to ring back a couple hours later as it was 7AM. On the second call, which was over-chatty given that I was calling from abroad I was told that they could not note their computer files with my traveling dates. However, they advise making withdrawals from airports on arrival. To me this sounds like they are using AI techniques to track customer movement patterns. These calls had cost me about twelve pounds which is still less than I would have paid to use my HSBC "back up" card.

I find the lack of transparency and UK-centric thinking quite objectionable and will be reviewing my use of their facilities on return. I will certainly be increasing the amount I carry in TCs but I don't like Nationwide's method of selling TC's by post and will look at what other sources are available. However, I suspect that money laundering concerns are what has made buying TCs more awkward.

I will be assessing whether to open an American Express card account. When I had one before (15 years ago) they bent over backwards handling a trader I had a dispute with.

My Nationwide card works just fine in at least 4 SE Asian countries, including Thailand.

For Thailand I've used Kasithorn ATMS on all but one occasion, on the basis that they work & the fees were negligible.
The one time I went elsewhere, it worked fine too.

This is their current account card, complete with Visa logo on top. The savings account card does not work outside the UK.

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My Nationwide card works just fine in at least 4 SE Asian countries, including Thailand.

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Yeh, z, mine worked just fine in 2008 too in several countries on three continents. Problems started at Zurich airport where before getting a train to a ski resort one bank's machines refused the first attempted withdrawal but their machine upstairs coughed up minutes later.