28° Mastercard Cash Advances while overseas [No more free cash advances from 1/1/14]

[MEL_Traveller]

I called them and i have got my account number. Its the same as the credit card number except the last two digit are different for security purposes. When i transfer money from my westpac bank into the 28 degree account my bank sends me a sms confirmation number to my phone. How when im overseas will this happen as i will be using a pre-paid sim card. My westpac bank will send a sms confirmation code to my australian number which i wont get , and therefore the money will not transfer so i can not top it up.

The agent also said the money i transferred with my card number will show up in a couple of days. This is not convenient if i use all my funds on the hotel and need more money i have to wait a few days before the money transfers , what do i use to spend in the mean time ??

normally the SMS is a one time security protection required for a NEW biller payment. Once you have made the first one you do not need to provide it again.

i have already answered your other question... you can just go and top up the account once you have used some of it. Just bear in mind it may take a day or two for the funds to show up.

So if you spend $500 on Sunday, log in later that day and transfer over $500 or whatever. Then you keep topping up the account.



If you ever get such a message again, the only real option is to ring westpac and change your mobile number. you cannot do this on line. They are quite happy to change it to an international number (I have done this while overseas).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

post #137 states that the total amount you can take out in cash per billing cycle is your credit limit. So from what i understand, if you have $1000 limit, you can only take out $1000 in cash per 30 days. That would seem to be your biggest issue shanye. (Can someone confirm that is still the current position?)

If it is - then there is no point topping up more than $1000 (except for purchases) as that will be all you can take out in cash. You would then need another card for the rest of your spending money.

 

[Shanye2233]

I thought the total amount I can take out in cash in my limit which is $2,000 , which I thought was every couple of days as long as I kept putting $2,000 into the account to top it up.
I also did another transfer of $2,000 just now with the correct account number and again it asked me for a SMS code which was sent to my phone. I think this is a problem as if I waited until I was o/s I could not make any bank transfer . I can not call westpac and give them a mobile number which I don't have yet.

If its true from what your saying I can only take out $2,000AUD in cash for a month holiday it won't be enough . But if I pay by credit card for hotels , rentals , tours and use the money in credit is that the right way to do it ? And I get the good exchange rate? Hope it increases in the next few days

 

[serfty]

post #137 states that the total amount you can take out in cash per billing cycle is your credit limit. So from what i understand, if you have $1000 limit, you can only take out $1000 in cash per 30 days. That would seem to be your biggest issue shanye. (Can someone confirm that is still the current position?)

If it is - then there is no point topping up more than $1000 (except for purchases) as that will be all you can take out in cash. You would then need another card for the rest of your spending money.

Post #137 is incorrect.

The links in post #1 are correct - the first is to the revised user Guide in post #298 helpfully compiled by FL360 (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....stercard-cash-advances-6960-8.html#post241810)

As for cash withdrawal limits; aside from the $100 per day max, there is this:

Gotcha on limits with cash withdrawals:
There is a gotcha based on your credit limit that also limits the amount you can take out. It's actually a max of your credit limit per length of time it takes between you taking the money out, and the transaction showing in the transaction history on the wizard website. This length of time varies based on a lot of factors, and the only way to check it is to either log in, or attempt to take more money out, according to Wizard.

 

[Fifa]

Post #137 is incorrect.

The link in post #1 are correct - the first is to the user Guide in post #298 helpfully compiled by FL360 (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....stercard-cash-advances-6960-8.html#post241810)

Thanks for the link to the updated post, serfty​.
I thought I had done a thorough search but missed the link in the first page .

 

[Shanye2233]

So if my limit is $2,000 that's the most I can withdraw as cash from the ATM say every 4 days is that right ? What about the SMS code I'm going to get when I transfer money into the account. Maybe I have to transfer say 10k into it before I leave , but maybe that might trigger some alarm bells.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I thought the total amount I can take out in cash in my limit which is $2,000 , which I thought was every couple of days as long as I kept putting $2,000 into the account to top it up.
I also did another transfer of $2,000 just now with the correct account number and again it asked me for a SMS code which was sent to my phone. I think this is a problem as if I waited until I was o/s I could not make any bank transfer . I can not call westpac and give them a mobile number which I don't have yet.

If its true from what your saying I can only take out $2,000AUD in cash for a month holiday it won't be enough . But if I pay by credit card for hotels , rentals , tours and use the money in credit is that the right way to do it ? And I get the good exchange rate? Hope it increases in the next few days

Serfty has cleared it up - it is $1000 per day. And to the total amount of your credit limit until that appears on your transaction history.

So if you have $2000 limit you'll be fine.

Also be aware that if you put your card into credit, and pay for a hotel or car hire, those charges come out of the credit first. And if you then make a cash advance you could be paying interest straight away. The safest way to cover cash advances if you are not sure if you are in credit is to transfer money covering the cash advance the next day.

You CAN call westpac with your new number. You only need to do this however SMS notification. It will tell you that an SMS has been sent to your registered number. You then call westpac and explain and give them your new overseas number. Yopu then use the new one sent to you when you do the transaction again.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So if my limit is $2,000 that's the most I can withdraw as cash from the ATM say every 4 days is that right ? What about the SMS code I'm going to get when I transfer money into the account. Maybe I have to transfer say 10k into it before I leave , but maybe that might trigger some alarm bells.

there is NO point transferring $10000 into the credit card before you leave. $10000 in your bank earns $1.36 a day in interest. If you took out $1000 as a cash advance and then paid it off the next day it has only cost you 55c. you lose 80c a day by keeping the money on the credit card.

It might also set off alarm bells. And I'm not entirely sure, if your credit card is stolen, if you are covered for money taken out when it is in credit?

 

[Shanye2233]

So scenario would be I land in Paris go bank take out 350 euro enough for taxi hotel food etc which is say $500 I still have the card in $1500 credit. I continue my holiday take out 1000 euro for hotel car rental say $1500 . I'm at even I transfer another $2,000 and then wait a few days and away I go again , assuming I'm paying cash for everything . If 80 cents a day is worry I'm worried about credit card surcharges as well.

 

[Flashback]

I called them and i have got my account number. Its the same as the credit card number except the last two digit are different for security purposes. When i transfer money from my westpac bank into the 28 degree account my bank sends me a sms confirmation number to my phone. How when im overseas will this happen as i will be using a pre-paid sim card. My westpac bank will send a sms confirmation code to my australian number which i wont get , and therefore the money will not transfer so i can not top it up.

The agent also said the money i transferred with my card number will show up in a couple of days. This is not convenient if i use all my funds on the hotel and need more money i have to wait a few days before the money transfers , what do i use to spend in the mean time ??

As stated above, given you'll already have the payment setup it shouldn't do it again. If it does, put the SIM card in and receive the text. It doesn't cost you anything.

there is NO point transferring $10000 into the credit card before you leave. $10000 in your bank earns $1.36 a day in interest. If you took out $1000 as a cash advance and then paid it off the next day it has only cost you 55c. you lose 80c a day by keeping the money on the credit card.

It might also set off alarm bells. And I'm not entirely sure, if your credit card is stolen, if you are covered for money taken out when it is in credit?

Beside the fact that if you transfer way more than what the limit of the card is, you're definitely going to have issues. I wouldn't transfer any more than $2,000.

 

[greenfrog86]

Easy solution for Shanye2233 - you might find it simpler to have a dual approach given all of your concerns and uncertainty...

Cash Withdrawals - Open a Citibank Plus account. This is a transaction account so no need to worry about top ups, whether you're using cash or credit, no worries about having too much cash there etc etc. It is an ordinary transaction account with a visa debit card. Use this to take cash out of the atm overseas and pay no ATM fee (from Citibank - the ATM owner might charge you though and this is true of the 28 Degrees too). The fx rate you get is set by Visa and you will not get charged a conversion fee.

You could also open an Online savings account with Citibank so your extra cash (which could be a lot if you are planning to spend $10,000+ on your trip) is earning you interest (currently 4.25%) and then you just transfer money into the transaction account (this transfer is instant as the accounts are linked and are both with Citibank) say once a week to cover your cash withdrawing needs...

Credit Card Purchases​ - I'd suggest that this is where the 28 Degrees card might be most useful to you. Pay for your hotel on this or anything else where a credit card makes the purchase easier.

I think that from the questions you have been asking it is clear that you might have trouble while you're away given you are struggling to understand how BPay can be used etc.

The above two options used together sound like they might be a better option for you as you would then be using each of them as they were designed to be used​ which means you can always call the company and ask questions if you run into trouble etc.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

good advice greenfrog but I think shanye might be heading to the airport in a matter of hours

 

[Shanye2233]

Shane isn't at the airport yet . I just called US airways 4 times to upgrade a leg I have YYZ-lax opened up 2 more J seats all agents said if I want to do that I need to cancel the flight and re deposit the miles . Their customer service hasn't improved .

Icant open any Citibank accounts I leave in 36 hours. I rang westpac today and cancelled the SMS code rrequest for transferring money over . There is still no money in my 28degrees account I transferred 3k a few days ago.

Also since last Thursday I changed over 2k AUD to euro for 1535 if I do it now I lose 100 euro so I should have changed more!

Im still searching for flights out of BKK to CDG on the 19th not keen on goin to CAI with this new Islamic gov.

 

[greenfrog86]

A suggestion for others then perhaps...

And to Shanye, ​my practical advice is to setup Skype for the calls you are likely to need to make while you're away when something goes wrong...

 

[Shanye2233]

A suggestion for others then perhaps...

And to Shanye, ​my practical advice is to setup Skype for the calls you are likely to need to make while you're away when something goes wrong...

I have skype set up just need to find the westpac number and the 28 degrees number just in case. What im planning on doing is just using this credit card for everything. And have my citibank platinum credit card and westpac master cards as back-ups.

 

[Origin]

there is NO point transferring $10000 into the credit card before you leave. $10000 in your bank earns $1.36 a day in interest. If you took out $1000 as a cash advance and then paid it off the next day it has only cost you 55c. you lose 80c a day by keeping the money on the credit card.

It might also set off alarm bells. And I'm not entirely sure, if your credit card is stolen, if you are covered for money taken out when it is in credit?

Gee if you are worried about 80 cents per day I don't think you can afford to go overseas. Let's be sensible !

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Gee if you are worried about 80 cents per day I don't think you can afford to go overseas. Let's be sensible !

not at all! this is a card designed to save money, and this thread is all about saving. so many are racing out to put the card in credit, when in fact that money earns good interest in an e-saver account. 80c a day, or $1.36 a day when you're not making a withdrawal adds up to about $360 a year. I'm often away for 10 months of the year, that's $300 in my pocket. I think that's pretty sensible

 

[Pushka]

So what will happen to the $1k I transferred ? Where do I find my account number when I don't have any statements ??

Also, GE wont be expecting that the first transaction you do, will be a credit one. You may have raised a flag with them. And also, you need to be patient, transactions take quite a few days to process.

 

[kpc]

Interesting occurrence. Noticed an unusual charge on my 28 degrees card overnight. BILLED FINANCE CHARGES for $0.54c. As was curious, I rang up to enquire about the charge. Was told that it was the daily interest charge for $79 I withdrew as a NZ cash advance from NZ 2 weeks ago. Without asking, he offered to refund the amount, which I accepted

Background was that 2.5 weeks ago, I had an outstanding debit of $1250 on my 28 degrees credit card. As I was going to NZ for the w/e, I TF $1400 into the card via Bpay, putting the card into $150 +ve balance. I withdrew NZ$100 cash (AUD$79) from an ATM in NZ on a Sat, leaving my card still AUD$71 in +ve balance. I then paid for my hotel in AKL (NZ$330) the next day (Sun), putting my card approx AUD$240 in debit, which I paid off in full a week ago.

The BILLED FINANCE CHARGES for $0.54c was for the daily interest for the $79 cash advance I withdrew from NZ, calculated from the day of the cash advance till my account was paid off in full. My credit card was in credit at the time of the cash advance (so in theory shouldn't have been charged interest), and only went into debit the following day when i paid for my hotel bill....didn't want to explain this to the agent but it was an interesting occurence that has never happenned to me before in more than 6 years of using the card. Not sure whether the issue was that both transactions were done on the weekend, so only was processed at the same time on Monday, or that I should not put my credit card into debit in the cycle that I withdraw cash advances form overseas to avoid interest being charged for cash advances

Anyone have something similar happen to them?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting occurrence. Noticed an unusual charge on my 28 degrees card overnight. BILLED FINANCE CHARGES for $0.54c. As was curious, I rang up to enquire about the charge. Was told that it was the daily interest charge for $79 I withdrew as a NZ cash advance from NZ 2 weeks ago. Without asking, he offered to refund the amount, which I accepted

Background was that 2.5 weeks ago, I had an outstanding debit of $1250 on my 28 degrees credit card. As I was going to NZ for the w/e, I TF $1400 into the card via Bpay, putting the card into $150 +ve balance. I withdrew NZ$100 cash (AUD$79) from an ATM in NZ on a Sat, leaving my card still AUD$71 in +ve balance. I then paid for my hotel in AKL (NZ$330) the next day (Sun), putting my card approx AUD$240 in debit, which I paid off in full a week ago.

The BILLED FINANCE CHARGES for $0.54c was for the daily interest for the $79 cash advance I withdrew from NZ, calculated from the day of the cash advance till my account was paid off in full. My credit card was in credit at the time of the cash advance (so in theory shouldn't have been charged interest), and only went into debit the following day when i paid for my hotel bill....didn't want to explain this to the agent but it was an interesting occurence that has never happenned to me before in more than 6 years of using the card. Not sure whether the issue was that both transactions were done on the weekend, so only was processed at the same time on Monday, or that I should not put my credit card into debit in the cycle that I withdraw cash advances form overseas to avoid interest being charged for cash advances

Anyone have something similar happen to them?

sounds like the $330 may have come off first, then the $74. So you would have been paying interest on the cash advance. Transactions are only posted M-F, so weekends will show during the week.

its worth pointing out at this stage for others that you should always wait a day before paying off a cash advance if your account is already in debit from purchases. If you pay the cash advance too early then the money you top up will come of the purchases and not cover the CA.