How do you spend abroad?

A question about : How do you spend abroad?

Poll started 26 Feb 2013

With the value of the pound plummeting, how you spend abroad counts (see cheap travel money).

Which of these is your most common method?

Vote in this week's poll

Did you vote? Why did you pick that option? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click this

Best answers:

• Why is there no option for 'usual card for spending'/'specialist card for cash'!!!
• I chose prepaid card but I could equally have chosen a specialist card which would be about the same thing I think.
• No correct option for me.
  I have a good-value debit card that I use to withdraw cash, and I also use a normal credit card for larger value spends, like meals etc.
• I think the options in the poll are wrong.
  There needs to be a distinction between drawing cash and spending using a card.
  I use a pre-paid euro card for atm cash/small shopping and a no fee cost credit card for large spends like fuel or accommodation. Most regular travelers that I know do the same.
  I pay no fees and have business exchange rate applied to my credit card purchases.
• This was really a very poorly designed set of questions - Survey Methodology 101 = don't combine two options in one question. Like other respondents, I only use my regular credit card for regular credit card purchases and I would never dream of drawing cash on it. I do use my debit card for cash withdrawals but I minimize the number of withdrawals and look for ATMs without added local charges (eg most credit unions). This probably isn't the optimal strategy but it is less hassle than running multiple UK accounts and shunting cash between them, which has a cost in my time. I suspect this is a common strategy but your survey doesn't capture it and makes respondents look more naive than they are.
  Maybe your team should recruit someone who actually knows how to design survey questions - I have noted this problem before. It's OK if you just treat these things as a bit of fun but you obviously want to do more than that with the responses.
• Shame on you, Martin, for "Tut-tutting" those of us who use our normal debit cards abroad!
  I'm sure I'm not the only one whose normal card is one of those with the lowest charges so why would we do otherwise?
  I holiday in Northern Cyprus and I get such a good exchange rate when withdrawing cash that this more than outweighs the small amount I am charged by my bank.
• Far too easily
• Clearly Halifax Clarity