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Starling Bank account or Revolut Pre-loaded Card?

H

HE-J

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2015, 2022)
Camino Ingles (2023))
Hi All,

I’m starting my second Camino in April this year and just looking at the best way to take money to Spain.

I’m in the UK and considering either getting a Starling Bank account for the duration of the trip, or a Revolut (or similar) card. (I’ll also be taking a credit card for times when I can use one!)

Would really appreciate any guidance/other suggestions from you guys!

Huge thanks in advance,
¡Buen Camino!
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
MikeJS said:
I normally just take the cash that I want with me and then use local bank machines.
Click to expand...

Thanks MikeJS, looking to avoid bank charges...do you have a good uk account that doesn’t charge you for atm withdrawals? Cheers and TIA
 
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HE-J said:
Thanks MikeJS, looking to avoid bank charges...do you have a good uk account that doesn’t charge you for atm withdrawals? Cheers and TIA
Click to expand...
I believe Nationwide used to be good for that, but you'll need to check.
 
I take some euros in cash to keep me going and also have a FairFX euro card which i can use as a bank card and also withdraw cash at ATMs i find it better value than using my UK bank account and i can top up the FairFX account with more euros as and when required via the app on my phone. I’ve used FairFX for at least 4 years now and have also used the dollar one when travelling in the US and central america.
 
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Starling don't charge ATM fees or an exchange fee but remember that the Bank you withdraw money from may well charge a fee anyway. Revolut will charge you 2% if you withdraw more than an accumulative £200 in a month according to their website. I use Santander in the UK and Spain. Saves a lot of hassle. I've never regarded reasonable bank charges as much of an imposition. The cost of a couple coffees or a beer once a week saves me carrying wads of cash.
 
HE-J said:
Thanks MikeJS, looking to avoid bank charges...do you have a good uk account that doesn’t charge you for atm withdrawals? Cheers and TIA
Click to expand...
No charges with the account I have with Nationwide.
 
We use a Fair-FX card which does charge a transaction charge but the better exchange rate generally compensates. When in Spain many banks now charge their own transaction fee so it is worth looking out for either Iber Caja or Abianca ATMs.
 
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I use Santander in cash machines and the Halifax Clarity card as my credit card. Neither charges fees. Just remember to press the pay in local currency option when prompted, not £. It makes quite a difference.

When I walked in 2014, cash was king. No one accepted plastic in the albergues etc. A couple of years ago, I noticed people paying with a card on a number of occasions, but generally these were albergues with rooms as well.
 
Both will work fine.

I use a Monzo card wherever I travel Europe/Asia, it's always been accepted and you only need to load it in your national currency.

Currency transactions abroad are free (other cards are available, but read the small print too)
 
I’ve had a Starling account for a couple of years and am very happy with it.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
We have used the Weswap card for several years. Pre-load with £ or top up as required. Then swap to currency of your choice and use in any ATM. It's worked fine for us in Europe, Japan and Hong Kong.
 
I use a Revolut Card when abroad and I have never had any problems. It always gives a very competitive exchange rate. However the best advice is from Felice above: always click the button for the transaction to be in the local currency and not your home currency. The difference can be significant.
 
I found that Portuguese bank ATMs that I used didn't charge an extra fee but that most Spanish ATMs did. A couple of times in Spain I wasn't charged an extra fee but there didn't seem any obvious logic to which ones didn't charge and you don't find out until the last step. At one stage I thought that it might be the bank chain but then made a withdrawal at the same Bank chain in a different village and was charged.

Does anyone know if there is a way to tell which ATMs in Spain don't charge an extra fee?
 
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Thanks for all your replies ...much appreciated. I think I’ll apply for a Starling Card...looking at my Santander 123 account it looks like I’ll get a hefty hit using it in Spain!
¡buen Camino todos!
 
I am pretty sure Charles Schwab is an international bank.
I use my Schwab card for travel and get reimbursed for all fees at the end of each month.
Does anyone outside the USA here use Schwab?
 
I always travel with a TransferWise card,
Easy to set up and easy to monitor.
Joe.
 
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FairFX is very good, and has a great app to charge it up using your normal debit card. Can be used at all ATMs in Spain and the exchange rate is good. It saved me a lot compared to being ripped off by HSBC. I have a feeling you get a better deal if you have separate cards with FairFX for Euros, USD and any other currencies, but check this out.

ATMs in Spain do charge quite amazingly different fees in my experience. I'm going to start a thread which shames the expensive ones! Last year I started a note on my phone with a couple of culprits: BBVA and Sabadell.
 
I take case and use ATM machines.
 
There already is a thread, recently started, that lists actual ATM charges along the Caminos.

Check the list of recently updated threads
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
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