Cheeky!

I am very careful not to use my credit card in ATMs due to the typical rip off cash advance fee and the interest charge from the date of purchase.

Usually I will use my Nationwide debit card in an ATM abroad to get currency when needed, but travelling partner wanted some for before we left (don't ask me why), and insisted we get some from Thomas Cook. So I bought 200 worth of foreign currency at their foreign exchange desk at their crappy rate on my credit card and travelling partner gave me 200 later (as they didn't have the cash with them at the time).

Now the bill has arrived and in addition to the 200, they have charged me

3 cash advance fee and 1 cash interest rate for the time when the **cash** was obtained. Of course thats only when the bill was printed, so there will be more interest added until the date it's paid in full.

Surely this is a bit off, after all, you can do a cashback at many retail outlets and it gets added to your bill and charged as a purchase in the normal way? Shouldn't it have gone through as a normal purchase? If not, why not?

Reply to
Steve
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This is the essential difference between credit and debit cards innit. You can get interest-free cashback on debit cards, but if you get cash on a credit card it counts as a cash advance which always incurs interest and/or fees from day one.

Reply to
Ronald Raygun

You can't do cashbacks at retail outlets with a credit card. (try it an see)

No, it has always been like this

tim

Reply to
tim....

Please let me know which retail outlets give cash back on credit cards.

Reply to
brightside S9

I've had fee-free & interest-free cash-back on c/cards in remote-ish areas which are poorly served by ATMs.

E.g. (but not confined to) a well known tourist place in Cornwall (not Eden) which offered CB without asking.

Only available to customers paying their entrance fees - but wouldn't surprise me if they had a "good deal" with their c/c company &/or tourist board, and sold more refreshments etc. (for cash) as a consequence.

HTH

Reply to
Martin

No, because you got cash.

The real rip-off as Martin Lewis points out is being charged for using

*debit* cards, which some banks do when you buy foreign currency in the UK. They treat it like a foreign purchase, which it isn't cos you get charged in GBP (presumably - I've never done it). I guess people who are daft enough to buy foreign currency in the UK are seen as suckers who can be targets for rip-offs like this ;-)
Reply to
Andy Pandy

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