Do you have to tell your bank you’re going abroad? Will you really have to obtain a code from the DVLA before hiring a car? Check our list of the dos and don’ts to make sure your holiday doesn’t turn into a crisis.
1. Ring your bank
Some banks want you to call before you go abroad so they can put a note or “flag” on your profile, which reduces the chance of your card being blocked when the bank computer systems detect unusual activity.
Lloyds, Halifax, RBS, NatWest, HSBC and Nationwide advise customers to call or notify them via online banking, or, in the case of Lloyds and Halifax, via their banking apps. Barclaycard, Barclays, Santander and Tesco Bank say it is unnecessary to notify them.
2. Get the new car hire code
Now that the paper part of the driving licence, which lists any endorsements, is going, the DVLA has a new system for car hire companies to check your driving history. The idea is that you log on to the DVLA website before you head off and obtain a one-time passcode, valid for 72 hours, which will give the car hire company access to your driving record.
When Guardian Money first revealed the new system, which comes into force on 8 June, there were concerns it would provoke chaos at car hire desks. With just weeks to go, car hire firms are taking various approaches. Some will want you to provide a print out of your licence information, available via gov.uk’s view your driving licence service. Others will want the passcode, while others want just the photo licence and a self-declaration about endorsements.
Europcar says that for people renting in the UK it will demand the passcode, but for rentals abroad it only wants the photo licence plus another form of ID such as a passport. It’s likely that few car hire companies abroad will refuse a customer a vehicle if they don’t have the 72-hour code, but obtaining it beforehand is the super-safe thing to do.
3. Apply for or update your Ehic
A European health insurance card entitles you to state-provided healthcare in European Economic Area countries, plus Switzerland, at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. An Ehic is free, and you can apply for or renew a card via the EHIC website. Beware copycat websites which will charge you £25 or more for something that is free. But an Ehic is not a complete alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover stolen property, cancellations or repatriation to the UK.
4. Book airport parking
Pre-booking can save up to 70% of pay-on-the-day prices. Parking at Gatwick’s long-stay car parks without booking is £20 for the first day and £15 for subsequent days (ie, £215 for a two-week trip), while Manchester charges £170 for two weeks. But booking in advance online or by phone in May, for two weeks’ parking in August, reduced these costs to £124 at Gatwick and £49.99 at Manchester. There are dozens of online (and telephone-based) brokers offering parking deals, but save time on trawling these by going to airport-parking-shop.co.uk.
5. Sort out your currency
Don’t leave buying currency until the last minute. Exchanging money at the airport, ferry terminal or train station will get you an appalling exchange rate (and forget “commission-free” currency, it is the rate that matters). Instead, shop around online where you can either arrange for delivery or pick it up. A good place to start is TravelMoneyMax.com.
6. Take out a Halifax Clarity credit card
We don’t normally endorse just one provider (and they aren’t paying us to say this), but this is a bit of a no-brainer. There are no fees when you use it abroad, and when you spend it converts the cost into sterling at the best prevailing rate that day. Just remember to pay the balance off in full every month to avoid the 12.9% interest charge.
Travelex’s Supercard is also a “best-buy” but is in the “pilot” stage and no new ones are currently being issued. Meanwhile, avoid using debit cards when abroad – if you have a Lloyds one, for example, it will “load” the exchange rate by 2.99%, so it is terrible value – as well as charging you another £1 for the privilege. Pop the card into a foreign ATM and the bank will whip out as much as £4.50 for themselves, too.
7. Check your mobile phone
Yes, it’s cheaper than it was to “roam” in Europe, but you can still get burned. Before you go take out one of the deals on offer: 3’s Feel at Home deal lets customers call and text the UK from most major destinations for the same rate as if they were in the UK; 02 has a £1.99-a-day unlimited data deal; Vodafone has a £3-a-day deal which lets you use your UK price plan abroad; while EE has a £2-a-day unlimited text and calls deal in Europe. But it can be a pain trying to arrange these once you are already abroad, so do them before you go.
8. Check your passport
A lot of non-EU countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond your date of entry, so check the immigration requirements of the country you are travelling to. You can renew a passport online, though you have to print out a form to send off with the required documents and photographs. Allow at least three weeks for processing. A standard adult passport renewal costs £72.50, or £82.25 if you use the Post Office’s Passport Check and Send service. Child passports cost £46, or £55.75 via Check and Send. Time left on an existing passport is added to your new one up to a maximum of nine months.
If you’ve left things to the last minute, the Premium Service, where you make an appointment at your nearest passport office and collect it within four hours of your application being accepted, is £128.
9. Pack the suntan lotion
Pack suntan lotions and other toiletries that tend to cost a lot more abroad in your hold luggage. But if you’re taking hand luggage only, you’re snookered – security will bin anything above 100ml.
