Hello I’m going on holiday in April and I’m taking 2 cards with me, my monzo for example will be left at the hotel as a backup in case anything happens to the card I’ll be using, anyway I just want to know if I can freeze my card for say a week while its in the hotel, so it can’t be used if stolen, and unfreeze it a week later in case I need it. I don’t trust hotels staff if there in your room when your not there,
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I don’t imagine that being a problem. As far as I’m aware there’s no limit on how long a card can be frozen.
Edit: Also… That’s a pretty good idea 
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Cheers Dan, i’ll be hiring a room safe when I get there anyway, but i’ll feel a bit better now knowing my money should be safe as I can freeze the card.
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Hotel room safes are notoriously insecure as the maintenance staff often know a bypass or reset code for when clients lose or forget the pin code for the safe. So even if you do lock up your phone bank card, passport, etc, make sure your phone and sim are passcode protected, freeze your bankcard, and take a photocopy of your passport in case original stolen (it makes it easier to obtain an emergency travel document or replacement passport)
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Just curious what card you intend to use as your primary card on holiday. Monzo obviously has no debit card use charges other than free £200, 30-day rolling withdrawal (3% charges after that). This makes Monzo debit card pretty good to use abroad I think.
I’ve got a starling card that I’ll be using, and keeping my monzo as a back up, will probably take my Halifax card as well but I heard there the worst for using abroad
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Halifax Clarity is good, other Halifax cards are bad, Halifax debit is atrociously bad.
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I use the Halifax Clarity Card. It’s probably the best for foreign travel
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Does it support contactless magstripe mode? I’ve one but I’ve never tested it. If it does, they’re tied for purchases, if not Monzo is better for purchases.
As for cash - Monzo’s better for the first £200 (no interest), Halifax better over £200.
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And Transferwise Borderless for unlimited (for now).
It isn’t free.
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The Halifax debit is the one I have so hoping not to have to use it, i have monzo and Starling anyway
Yes, it’s one of the worst cards there is for foreign use!
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One potential advantage of the Halifax Clarity over Monzo with purchases is that it’s a credit card, which may have advantages (especially for hotel and other “deposits”, and fraud risk, as any fraudulent transactions never hit your bank account in the first instance).
Though those advantages are hard to quantify, I always prefer my credit card when travelling abroad for these two reasons, and use the others for cash withdrawals only (and as freezable backups in the room safe).
True. It’s only 0.35% though
Traditionally, I’d agree - but every report has been that Monzo’s great about this, and while I haven’t had fraud, their customer service has been top-notch to me. The compatibility of supporting contactless magstripe, which most British cards don’t - along with a general lack of declines for poor authorisation messages (except on Coke machines) - is huge.
Fair, probably makes the cost similar to the hidden cost with a fee-free Visa or Amex (they have exchange spread).
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