Maybe I'm being dumb, but if it's just like using a Credit / Debit card, why not use a Credit / Debit Card?

I smell an opportunity here for holiday companies to make a bit more money out of their diminishing number of customers, since more and more are finding out how easy it is to go DIY.

Very few clubs / bars accept Cards anyway, so you're going to have to carry cash, and I can only see these things being of use to people who can't / won't use normal plastic cards, which will rather reduce their popularity. I cannot believe they are free of charges- otherwise why would they bother?

I have no axe to grind here, but their relevance seems a bit limited. Enlighten me please!

Cheers

Adam

Definitely understand your point there Adam, and I don't know anything about the charges. I suppose the bank or whoever is providing the service is profitting on the fact that people are depositing money with them, which they will probably invest (like most banks). The bank will also probably be making money on the exchange rates and perhaps not giving the best exchange rate available.

I suppose it could be a good idea for people who are worried about taking their cash cards on holiday and risk losing them/fraud from skimming/pick pockets etc..... If there is a limited amount in a short term account then the amount a persons finances can be damaged are limited to the amount deposited. So I suppose there is a market for them

That said, I'll probably not use one. I tend to just use my normal cards.......

There are several discussions on this subject in the General Tips section and the consenus seems to be that a Nationwide card is the best value. Have a look here :http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=36831&highlight=nationwide