Long time lurker here. I’m an American currently living in Sydney, but I’m headed back to the States next week. I have a stop in London and I’d like to make it into a mini-holiday and see as much as I can while there. My biggest concern is not having a credit card and the security that it brings. To my knowledge, I cannot book hotels/hostels in advance and I understand that few places with take you in without a credit card to cover costs you might incur during your stay. I’m traveling on a budget, so I most likely will be staying at hostels. I’ve never stayed at one before, so, my first question is, will I be able to stay at one paying only cash? Will there a safe place to store my valuables during the day? Any recommendations for London hostels? Any hostel organizations I should join?
Most importantly, any tips for a gal traveling alone without a credit card? Anyone have experience with those travel cards you can buy at the bank? Right now my plan is to withdraw money from my account at the ATM and hope to God most places will take cash.
I am open to all opinions and experiences on this matter as well as general advice for travel in London. The more money-saving the tips, the better.
Most hostels prefer cash, so no worries there, and yes, most of them have lockers for valuables. I don’t have any specific recommendations for London, but the reviews at www.hostelz.com are a pretty good resource (some, obviously, need to be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s usually not too hard to spot the ones from trolls with a grudge or people who are looking for a 24-hour party).
Not having a credit card can be a bitch when it comes to emergencies. On the other hand, there’s nothing so convenient - or as risky - as carrying around cash. Most if not all places prefer cash to credit cards, but like Gatopescado said, cash is impossible to replace once something happens to it. The only times I found cash preferable to credit cards was when I was traveling around small villages - they didn’t take cards, obviously, and ATMs were few and far between. If you’re in London, carrying around a lot of cash is not advisable. There will be plenty of ATMs, but every time you withdraw cash they charge you something like 2 dollars, which can add up.
If you’re not planning on getting a card, my advice would be to withdraw as much as possible in one go, then storing the bulk of it in the hostel safe. Carry around what you’ll need for the day plus a little extra. Keep an emergency bill tucked deep inside your shoe. If you’re not traveling for very long and are not planning to travel round the more rural areas, you should be all right.
Can’t you get a pre-paid credit card? Like one of those Visa gift cards or something? I’d be very nervous doing international travel without a credit card. I s’pose it can be done, but I’d rather have the ol’ plastic.
The only other option I can suggest is travelers checks, at least they give you some protection from theft, or loss. It’s very difficult to travel w/o a credit card, you really should get one. **Kalhoun’s ** suggestion of a prepaid card is a good one.
Thanks for the advice so far. Any advice on which pre-paid card I should get? Is there a heavy fee involved? Could I use it to book a hostel if I wanted?
I’ve never had a prepaid, but your bank, or the internet, should provide answers to your questions. Prepaid CC’s are used just like any other CC. The merchant will see no difference.
There are several Google ads for prepaids at the bottom of my screen right now.
Are you sure about that? Hotels and rental car companies often put a hold on your card: they “lock” a certain amount of money while your bill is still pending. The amount isn’t removed from your account, but it’s deducted from your available credit total. When you check out or return the car, the lock is lifted and the actual charge is deducted.
I don’t know how prepaid cards work, but if you had $400 on one and the hotel tried to put a $500 hold on the card, would it work? If they applied a $400 lock, would you be able to use the card for anything else?
Unless you can put way more than you’ll actually need on the card, my guess is that prepaid cards might not be the best way to go. I’d suggest getting a real credit card.
:smack: I guess a pre-paid card may be your only option short term. But I’d still suggest that, long term, having a real card will make your life in the modern world easier.
Prepaid cards are “real” cards. People who can’t qualify for a line of credit often get a prepaid card and, after a relatively short period of time, then establish themselves as credit worthy. While most CC’s will allow a transaction over your credit limit, they will not allow a significant amount and they often charge and additional fee for exceeding your credit limit. It sounds like a prepaid card is the obvious solution for the OP. She will know her limit and it shouldn’t be difficult to stay within it.
If you mean they establish themselves credit worthy through other means, I suppose that’s the case. But I don’t see how a pre-paid credit card could provide evidence of creditworthiness, since no credit has been extended.
Why would they allow anything over the pre-paid amount? Wouldn’t that be an invitation to being ripped off?
My point about the holds that some merchants will put on cards was that she might not know how much she needs on the card, or the effect that such holds would have on subsequent use of the card. Hotels and car rental companies don’t always make it clear that they are putting a hold on your card, or tell you how much it is. (I know this from painful personal experience.) Without knowing that in advance, it would be hard to know how much to put on the card.
But I agree that, despite these uncertainties, a pre-paid card is probably the best option if she can get one in the short time available.
The thing that I’d worry about a prepaid credit card, is that your name really isn’t tied to it. Would it be difficult to verify your identity? Even though theory, it’s as good as cash, the verification might be pain in the ass for rental companies and hotels. I have never used one so I don’t know if this would be an issue or not.
It’s not like a prepaid phone card, it’s a credit card just like any other CC and it has your name on it, it’s limited by how much money you have on deposit, but you can increase your deposit at any time.