Nationwide Flex a/c

I always use Servired machines.

Another tip is that if you have a joint accout you can both draw out £300 in euros a day.  Very handy if you're having work done on the house.  With the falling rate you can only get 350 on each card but at least with two cards you can draw out 700 a day.  Some machines have a 300e limit per transaction but you can put the card back in and get the remaining 50 or more euros.

You also don't need to inform them when you want to use your debit card abroad but you should inform them if you want to use your credit card.  Especially if it's the first time you'll be using it in Spain.

I always ring them when we go to Florida but as a regular visitor to Spain I don't bother.  I only really use it for the car hire and the occasional Eroski or Carrefour purchase.

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Semi, do you not get charged for using your N/wide Flex a/c debit card in the Servired ATM's, then ? 

I was always under the impression I should only use Servired for our Banco Halifax debit cards ! (Free for Banco Halifax there & not free with their cards elsewhere.)

If anyone wants to look at the website click on this link >>>  
 SERVIRED LOCATIONS IN SPAIN it is in English generally. It has the interchange rates there. Also you can find your most convenient Servired ATM in whichever town you want. If you click on the far right where it says "ATM locator" then on next page there are two menus. "Provincia" (so click on "Alicante" for example) then where it says "Ciudad" do same & click on "Guardamar del Segura", for example. You can tell it the name of the road etc but also you can just click on "buscar". Use the + & - & click on map on the little black dots with coloured arrows. These dots signify where a bank is which has a Servired ATM & you get address. For instance, if you click on the dot to the right of the Plaza Labradores the small screen, which you can print off, has this on it.

Entidad: BARCLAYS BANK
Dirección:  MAYOR, 6
Localidad: GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA
Provincia: ALICANTE
C.P.: 03140
Horario: 24 horas
Nº Cajeros: 1


The dot to the right of that dot (corner of Calle Mayor & Calle Norte) has this 

Entidad: BBVA
Dirección:  MAYOR, 2
Localidad: GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA
Provincia: ALICANTE
C.P.: 03140
Horario: 24 horas
Nº Cajeros: 1


Clever eh ?  Go have a play with the site.










This message was last edited by morerosado on 5/25/2008.

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I may be wrong but I thought a Nationwide leaflet told me to use Servired.  Anyway I've never been charged although I have come across some atm's outside Banks which ask you if you want to pay in local currency.  Some of the atm's questions can confuse you and I've pressed the wrong button by mistake and it's gone through in £'s rather than Euros.

I now know the Servired machines to avoid, the one in Carrefour rarely works.  It's just a matter of trial and error to find the ones which are straight forward,the one around the corner from the Banco Halifax in Torreveija limits each withdrawal to 150e.  A pain when you're trying to load up the account.

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We'll check with Nationwide, there's nothing on their website. NATIONWIDE SITE If we can use Servired ATMs that would be a bonus. Actually we were told to only use ATMs displaying the VISA sign. Cambank must've changed their ATMs to include VISA now as I remember we wouldn't use our cards there as we'd been told we'd be charged. 

I told a friend, Paul, recently to use ATMs with VISA displayed & he told me later after we met up in Spain that he'd been using Cambank ATMs. I said I'd told him to only use those displaying VISA signs & he said they had ! When we went to check we found the Cambank ATM at Dona Pepa near us indeed had a VISA sign on it. Paul says he wasn't charged.

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When I bought our house in October 2003 the agent took me to Solbank to open an account to use for Direct Debits etc.  I needed to load up this account on each visit so I opened a Flex a/'c to use for getting currency abroad.  I've been doing this for 4 years now, in Spain I use Servired machines and in Florida I use SunTrust.

I have never been charged for using Servired machines other than an indirect charge by having the atm machine calculate the rate I'm going to be charged.  This I explained earlier when the atm screen asks you a question on how you want the transaction to go through.  It's happened to me a couple of times at different machines and the wording is never the same so I can't quote how you need to answer.  I have pressed the wrong button and it's gone through, the difference in the rate when I checked my statement wasn't a lot.

For me this system works, I only need to draw out the amount of euros I need for each trip.

MikeT - Whereabouts in Spain are you based, if we're in the same area I can tell you the best machines to use.

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Morning all, rain, rain, rain here.

Semi, MikeT is in Las Chapas, Marbella. It says so under his avatar.

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So it does, better go and clean the glasses as I scrolled down and couldn't see it there.  Funny I thought I was sure I'd seen a reference to the Costa del Sol

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Hi All

I am going back some years now but when Nationwide first started the no charges on cards offer, they sent out information for how to use the cards so not to be charged any commission. The key information I recall was to always use ATM’s that had the VISA sign and only at Bank’s not ATM’s in shops and places like that as they may charge (But not all do). Then don’t opt for the bank you get the money from to do the exchange rate for you as this may not be as good as the rate Nationwide will give. I have always followed these basic rules all over the World including Spain and have used my debit card to obtain cash from all banks that display the VISA sign on the ATM and have never been charged. I have sometimes used ATM’s where I haven’t been sure if I am going to be charged but these have always informed me there will be a charge so I have cancelled the transaction and gone to another ATM. I last used my debit card in Spain at the beginning of May 08 at two different banks being CAM & Bankinter but have used others in the past.

Obtaining cash with Credit Cards is not free of charges as you pay interest on cash withdrawals or that’s how I understand it I am not sure on this one as I don’t use Credit Cards to obtain cash just goods for which again Nationwide make no charges in converting the currency to £

Regards

Phil

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Hello all,
We have lived here for nearly four years and always use Nationwide cards to withdraw cash. We were  told to use ATMs with the Cirrus symbol and I have used most of the banks in the area over the years. You should always be informed if there will be a charge and can cancelat that point. I know we shouldn't stll have a Flex account but simply use our family address for correspondence in UK. 
Jean

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I always use the Nationwide FlexAccount when not in the UK--(I am buying offplan in Quesada)--my wife works for nationwide and so would love it if they opened a few branches in Spain !

If anyone wants more info on the accounts you can see the rates etc from their website.

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Took the advice and opened a Flexaccount. The Wife is in Spain for a few days and withdrew some cash today (not sure what bank yet), and what a crap rate 1.18 , very disappointed when we could have sent money over with our normal cash service and got 1.26!! The rate would have been better using our Citibank debit card with the conversion fee charge on it too.

Mark

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Hi Mark

If she was given the rate of exchange by the ATM at the time of withdrawing the cash she had probably opted for the bank that she used the ATM at to do the conversion and not Nationwide. When using ATM in Spain you have to opt not to have the conversion done by the issuing bank and then it will be done by Nationwide and the rate you received will show on your statement (paper or online)

Is this what has happened?

Regards

Phil

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I would hope not as I specifically told her to opt for the Euros and not the Sterling conversion. I won't find out until this evening when she rings.

Mark

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Hi Mark

As far as I am aware the only way she could know the exchange rate she received whilst using the ATM is if the conversion was done by the bank she obtained the money from, as if you opt not to have the exchange done by the bank your transaction screen and slip just shows the amount you have withdrawn and no mention of exchange rate as this is done later by Nationwide and only shows the rate given on your online/paper statement from Nationwide.

If this is the case don’t be to hard on her, I have done it once by accident and I new not to, but the way some of the ATMs ask the question is confusing.

Regards

Phil

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I only know what the rate was because I looked at the online statement and saw how much had been lodged against the account. Shewon't know until I speak later.

Mark

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Hi Mark

Have you had to work the rate out for yourself or is the rate of exchange shown on your Nationwide online statement, if you had to work it out for yourself then I suspect it has been done by the issuing bank and not Nationwide.

Regards

Phil

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You'll find out why in a mo!

Mark

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Time to hang my head in shame

I have just spoken to my Wife and in my haste I did the calculation wrong

I took the amount from the online statement and assumed (never assume because you make an ass out of u & me) that she had withdrawn €200. Got the calculation ar+e about face and divided the statement amount by the assumed Euros (instead of the other way around) to come up with a crap exchange rate. 

It appears she actually withdrew €300 and the exhange rate was 1.26 .

I apologise to all the Nationwide fans for "dissing" them and also my missus for thinking she may have got it wrong .

Mark

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Hi Mark

That’s more like it as the money markets are showing bank rate of 1.2633 at the moment so that’s good

Regards

Phil

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Just to confirm. We got the statement yesterday and the rate given was 1.262. Spot on . We didn't take the option of the credit card we were pre- approved for when we applied (which in afterthought was a bad idea), so I applied again and am waiting for the card to arrive. Would be good for the car hire and stuff. Hopefully it will arrive before we go away next Wednesday.

Mark

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