carbonaddict

Have searched but can't find this answered anywhere. Was denied boarding on my CW booking to LHR in Denver last week and was very happy to receive
a seat the next day, $1200 compensation + a hotel and food. The compensation was put onto a non reloadable Mastercard that expires before I return to the US. I've since discovered that there is an ATM withdrawal fee + 6.75% currency charge for non $ ATM withdrawals, and that it is very difficult to use the card online as it is not possible to associate the card with a billing address. Someone suggested linking it PayPal but this doesn't work either. Anyone have experience or suggestions on how to avoid a $80-100 hit, which seems a bit excessive?

ahmetdouas

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Often1

Or ask BA to simply transfer the $1,200 to your bank account or provide a card which meets your needs.

BA presumably knew of your travel return date at the time it issued the card. While I appreciate that BA's goal is not to have you live off the card but to simply use it as a quick vehicle to transfer the money, too short is too short.

For future reference, make certain that the card expiration (chosen by BA) is acceptable before you ask for something else.

Ldnn1

Don't know best solution but 6.75% conversion fee is absolutely absurd.

Jagboi

Is the mastercard tied to a bank? Could you go into a branch of the bank and take the balance out in US cash?

cgtechuk

as its a mastercard i load up my revolut currency card in $ that means its liquid with no charges or conversion rates. there are others too.

sammyg901

I guess warning for others - go to the nearest ATM and withdraw the lot!!

Are you sure it has such a short expiry though ? That seems odd

UKtravelbear

The OP simply stated that it would expire before their next trip to the US which could be in 6 months or 12 months or more away!

unkess the OP comes back and actually says it only has a couple of weeks left on it's not an avenue that needs exploring.

The OP wants an easy way to get the cash on the card without losing a chunk of it in fees. They might not have friends in the States to send it too to cash out and there could be complications - and fees - in getting the money back to the OP.

Is there, for example like @Often1 suggests, a mechanism for the OP to return the card to BA who can then issue him a cheque or bank transfer in sterling? Should the OP just call customer services or are these things dealt with by another department - if so which one? Is the fact the card was given at an outstation a complication?

Egoldstein

I've received these prepaid cards which can be a pain to try to use. OP, there should be instructions to register the card which will then have an associated address with it. You should also be able to make purchases of physical goods in other currencies in foreign countries; although FX fees are charged, these should be far lower than 6.75%. Finally, some prepaid cards allow you to attach a USD bank account and transfer money at no fee through ACH.

jerub

What I'd do is get a Revolut account, and transfer the balance over.

Revolut has exchange 0% fees (you get the mastercard rate), and you can withdraw as cash from an ATM or transfer to your bank account.

carbonaddict

Thanks for these suggestions, which I will explore and report back on. For info the card has a 3 month validity so expires mid Dec, a week before my return to the US. The card was only finally issued mid evening about 3 hours after we were denied boarding (we went off to use meal vouchers at agent's suggestion) so we were quite tired and so didn't really check details. What was confusing is that the expiry given on the card itself is 2021 but the agent told us that it was only 3 months. And wasn't accepted by the single provider ATM at Denver Airport when I caught on next evening and tried to withdraw.

muscat

Take money out of ATM in USD, requesting no currency conversion. Picadilly Circus, Gatwick, LHR Moneycorp? This should/may/might avoid charges

stifle

Will not work. UK ATMs will bill the card in GBP at their conversion rate (which will be fairly crap) and the card will convert it back to USD at its conversion rate (which is known to be crap).

ahmetdouas

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Sussex Bantam

I had one of these cards and couldn't find a better solution than withdrawing the cash at a UK ATM and paying the fee. My bank refused to do a straight deposit.

As a further word of warning be careful about what ATM you use if going this route. The card only allows two fee free withdrawals and most UK cash machines have limits on the amount you can withdraw per transaction. You will have to take out the full amount each time to avoid needing a third withdrawal and getting yet another fee...