What are the differences between credit cards and debit cards here and abroad?
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Written on: 03.11.2009 [16:08]
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Cooke
Cooke
Topic creator
Posts: 5
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I'm moving to Germany and want to know if there are any major differences between credit cards and debit cards there and here? Can I keep my old cards or do I have to open new accounts? Are there any disadvantages to keeping my banking in the UK? |
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Written on: 06.11.2009 [17:16]
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Martins
Martins
Posts: 2
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It's a good idea to open a bank account in Germany. You'll need one to pay rent and direct debits and to accept your salary. If you keep all your money in the UK, or have your salary sent to your UK account, you'll find that there are annoying delays and expensive charges... Debit cards in Germany work in the same way – except that you can't withdraw cash from every ATM for free! Credit cards are very different. Basically, you can't get into debt in Germany with a credit card – you're allowed to roll the balance over to the next month, and then they take the whole amount out of your account! It might be a good idea to keep your UK credit card account for that reason... |
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Written on: 25.11.2009 [15:04]
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Marv
Marv
Posts: 2
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Plus, it depends on which credit card you have obviously, but I found that when I was studying abroad, my credit card (Barclaycard Gold) gave me a better conversion rate than my Barclays Debit card. Obviously it wasn’t great for taking money out, but I used to use it for those one of purchases that you know you shouldn’t have lol. Plus in certain shops it used to let me pay in GBP, the pin entry device would ask me which rate I preferred... the Euro rate or the GBP so I would always know exactly how much was going to come out of my account. |
