Originally posted by becandruss

Hey guys,

Just got back 6 weeks ago from almost 8 week travelling ALL over Europe... We considered the ANZ card, but they slug you lots of fees and there are (from memory) still conversion fees.

We opted for the Wizard Clear Advantage Mastercard. This was FANTASTIC! I cant believe more travellers dont know about it! Its fee free on all purchase, both here and overseas, no monthly fees, no annual fee. The only catch is, you use it like a debit card to get these advantages. Basically, you get the card, with a PIN number issued. Put the card in CREDIT (we loaded about $1000 per week onto ours via direct debit from our bank account on internet banking...scheduled weekly). You can then pull out cash all over Europe. Pay with credit anywhere. With NO fees and the exchange rates were great also. We never got charged an exchange lower than 0.58. Most of our trip we were at 0.63. It was great, and we compared with a traveller friend who was spending roughly the same amounts and frequencies as us, and we saved almost $500. We saved around $250 from the ANZ and Travelex users on our tour.

Seriously, look into it. Also, be advised, VISA is accepted most places, but in Europe, Mastercard is much more popular and commonly preffered.

I honestly wouldn't travel with anything else.

Also, because it has a PIN, if it gets stolen, the money cant be taken. You can cancel the card immediately with Mastercard, and they will get a card to u within 24 hours anywhere in the world. We didnt have to worry about that, but it's good to know. With ANZ and Travelex, you get 2 cards (from what I remember), but if you lose both or 1 has probs and doesnt work, you're stuck)...also there is a delay in the amount transferring into your account of around 2-3 days, and you get charged for each additional load onto the cards. Not with the Clear Advantage Card.

Becky and Russell
European Getaway - Dept 3rd Oct-22 Oct 2009
From Sydney, Australia

Originally posted by Jade_H85

Can you let me know if its fee free, if it is I will def get one if not Ill prob get the anz travel card

i went to europe last year and i didn't have any dramas using my anz travel card (great thing that you can lock the currency so in case the market went down, you're good).

i usually took out about 300 euros and that last me several days, saves me from atm fees & the hassle of locating atms whilst sightseeing. because visa/mastercard is accepted everywhere you won't have any problem.

btw, don't worry about making big purchases through your card (with no chip), they will still accept your card with no issues as they can put it through manually (the old style way where they would have to carbon copy it).

I want to know .. can I use the Wizard card for online transactions that are to be purchased in a different currency? (e.g buying online Uk Easyjet flights) And if yes, does that mean i won't be paying a conversion fee?
Technically, its a Mastercard so I should be able to use it... hmmmmm

Hi Shez,

Yes you can use your Wizard card for online purchases in foreign countries - I do it all the time. No fees in my statements, and the statement lists both the foreign and local (AUD) prices.

I've bought some flights for my upcoming trip with it, plus paid in UK Pounds for my topdeck tour via STA UK.