Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Travel Credit Card: The Cheapest Way to Get Cash Abroad?

Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Travel Credit Card: The Cheapest Way to Get Cash Abroad?

The Barclaycard Platinum is one of our favourite travel cards for both purchases AND cash – if you can pay the full balance each month.

Good for

  • Paying no interest on cash ATM withdrawals abroad (if you pay your full balance each month)
  • Paying no FX fees on purchases or cash withdrawals abroad

Bad for

  • Those with an income less than £20,000

Editor's Rating

4.8/5.0

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

The Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card is no longer accepting new applications; instead consider their Barclaycard Rewards card with many of the same features.

The Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card is a top-notch card for travel use, good for both purchases AND cash withdrawals in a foreign currency while abroad. Plus you get 0.25% cashback on all your spend until 31 August 2023. There are no FX fees or foreign cash withdrawal fees, plus by paying your full balance on time you won't pay interest on ATM withdrawals abroad—a highly unusual and potentially valuable feature.

Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card Review

The Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus card is currently one of the best travel credit cards on the market, particularly for anyone who plans to withdraw cash while abroad and can pay their entire credit card bill each month. There are no foreign-currency transaction fees on cash withdrawals or purchases made abroad or non-sterling cash handling fees. Plus you won't be charged interest on cash withdrawals, if the full balance is paid on or before the next statement date. This feature is likely to save money over other travel cards that tend to charge interest immediately, from the date of withdrawal, until the balance is paid off.

Given the Barclaycard Cashback Plus card’s high interest 27.9% variable rate on cash withdrawals, you’d always want to pay off your cash transactions in full and on time, anyway. The chart below shows what you could potentially save in interest charges using the Barclaycard on a £500-valued cash withdrawal (taken in the local currency) by paying the full balance by the next statement date (assumption: statement date is 50 days from the transaction date).

chart Comparing the Cost of £500 worth of Foreign Currency Withdrawals across 9 of the Best Travel Cards
Comparing the Cost of £500 worth of Foreign Currency Withdrawals across 9 of the Best Travel Cards

Promotion Ends: After 31 August 2023, the Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card will start charging 2.99% fees for non-sterling cash withdrawals and purchases made abroad.

Pay in Pounds or Local Currency? As with all transactions abroad, it is very important to pay in the local currency. This means, when you're asked if you want to "pay in Pounds or Euros," for instance, you should say "Euros." You’d rather have your credit card do the currency exchange for you than the shop, as you'll get a better exchange rate that way.

Cash Back: Earn 0.25% cashback on all your spend until 31 August 2023.

While you can transfer a balance to the Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus card, we don't recommend it. The card does not offer a no-interest period, which can be found on a number of other balance transfer cards in the market. If balance transfer is your goal, look elsewhere.

Finally, as a purchases credit card, you'll also get up to 12 months of no interest on new purchases.

Bottom Line: Those planning a trip abroad can use this card without incurring any additional costs, benefiting from significant cost savings—if you don't need to carry your balance over from month to month.

Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Card Benefits & Features

Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Card Features
Transaction FeesNo non-sterling transaction fees on foreign purchases and cash withdrawals at ATMs abroad until 31 August 2023 (then 2.99%)
Travel Cash InterestNo interest charges on non-sterling cash withdrawals if you pay off in full before your next statement due date
Annual Fee£0
APR
  • 21.9% variable APR on purchases
  • 27.9% variable APR on cash withdrawals

Income Requirement: There is a recommended £20,000 minimum income requirement on the Barclaycard. Those with lower incomes may want to consider the Aqua Advance for foreign purchases (but not for foreign ATM cash withdrawals—you'll pay a fee and interest).

Cash Withdrawals

The stand-out feature of this card is the beneficial treatment of non-sterling cash withdrawals: as long as you pay off your balance in full, on or before your next statement date, you won’t be charged any interest on non-sterling cash withdrawals abroad. Most travel cards charge interest immediately from the date you’ve withdrawn cash until you pay it off.

The downside of this card is the high interest rate on cash withdrawals, which you will pay on non-sterling cash transactions if you don’t pay off the full balance each month. This card is clearly aimed at cardholders who will pay off in full and on time.

Keep in mind that some ATMs will charge their own fee for using the machine. So even though Barclays will not charge a fee for withdrawing cash with this card, you may still incur a fee when using some ATMs.

The following table shows the interest charges for £200, £500 and £1,000 worth of non-sterling cash withdrawals that isn't paid off for 60 days, 90 days and 180 days—these charges can be totally avoided by paying your full balance on time.

Interest on Cash Withdrawals at 27.9% APR When Balance Not Paid Off in Full

Cash Withdrawals of...60 Days90 Days180 Days
£200£9£14£28
£500£23£34£69
£1,000£46£69£138

The Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus card's 27.9% APR (variable) on cash withdrawals is roughly average across travel credit cards, as shown in the chart below.

A chart comparing the interest rates on cash withdrawals for the best UK no-foreign-transaction-fee travel credit cards
Interest Rates on Cash Withdrawals across Travel Cards

How Does the Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card Compare Against Other Credit Cards?

In order to decide if the Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus credit card is for you, it’s best to compare it against the closest competitors. Below we discuss the differences between the Barclaycard travel card and some other popular cards, so you can decide which is best for you.

Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus Credit Card vs Halifax Clarity Credit Card

The Halifax Clarity Credit Card charges no fees on non-sterling cash withdrawals or transactions, making it an ideal travel card. The only aspect of the card to be aware of is that, like most credit cards, interest on cash ATM withdrawals starts accruing immediately. By getting online and paying back your cash withdrawals ASAP (even while you're still abroad), you can mitigate this potential cost.

Quick Takeaway: The Barclaycard Platinum Cashback Plus card may be better to use abroad for those who will pay off their balances in full every month and offers cashback; but the Clarity sports a lower cash interest rate.

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

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The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.