Beware of Post Office Travel Money Card

[steve532]

Im just posting this as a warning for anyone going on holiday and using this card. The Travel Money Card is a pre pay credit card that you can load with Dollars, Euros. My story I was going away with work and obviously have no credit cards because of my IVA, My work pre payed me for my hotel and food expenses before my trip, So 2 days before i went i went to the Post office registered for a card, had to show 2 types of id, I showed passport, photo driving Licence and Forces ID card ALL with photo and signiture, all approved loaded the card with $2000. I was told to phone a hot line number the next day to check it cash had been loaded corectly! HAPPY DAYS.
Two weeks later when i went to pay for my hotel the card was REFUSED!!!!!!.[:I]. I called customer services to find it was Bank Of Ireland! they told me they had sent a questionaire to my home address as I needed to prove my address!! I explained I had taken 3 TYPES OF id to the PO!! they were not interested I HAD TO PROVE TO THEM MY ID!! I told them i was abroad with no money, there response!! SORRY NOTHING WE CAN DO TILL YOU SEND THE QUESTIONAIRE BACK!! So im stuck in no money no credit card and a Card thats as good as a CHOCOLATE FIRE GUARD!!!
moral to the story please dont use this service and advise all your friends to do the same.

Sorry for the rant,
But now im back they want me to pay commmision on the money if i withdraw the money in the UK!!!!!

[nolongeranxious]

omg! i'm not suprised you are having a rant i would be too! I had a bad experience with the post office in May. I tried to change money for my holiday and was doing it on there website. They accepted the order for the first currency, then declined the second. However they took the money out of my account for both orders!!! I couldn't believe it. It took lots of phone calls and stress just before i went on holiday to get my money back. It was soooo stressful and the automated phone line they have is ridiculous......

I would NOT recommend the post office to a friend for anything more than a book of stamps!

[kallis3]

That is bad! I certainly won't be using them!

We used to have an American Express travellers cheque card, which was great - but they withdrew it for some reason!

We're getting a Bread card now so hopefully that will be ok.

[louiseh]

i did think about getting one of their cards a while back, but i read through the terms and conditions and IVAs were mentioned which made me think twice.

[kallis3]

Was that for the post office card or bread Louise? I just looked on the bread site and couldn't see anything.

However, if it is a prepaid card, they shouldn't worry what your financial situation is anyway as you can only spend whatever money you have put on your card. You can't go overdrawn.

[pennyfortheguy]

I have been using a Tuxedo card for past few weeks and used it ok in Spain recently. So far so good and you can control balances online as well plus text for balances & other services.