Currency card usage reveals half-term holiday favourites

The US, Ireland and Thailand were the big winners with UK holidaymakers this half-term, according to leading pre-paid MasterCard provider Escape Travel Money.

The market-leading currency card was used most in the three countries, suggesting they led the way in terms of visitor numbers. Traditional holiday favourite Spain was in fourth place.

Escape Travel Money – the travellers’ pre-paid card from EZPay Ltd, part of the Phones4U Group – gives users the opportunity to load currency at better-than-high-street rates before they head overseas. The card can then be used fee-free to shop abroad or withdraw money from an ATM, making it a much cheaper option than using a traditional bank debit or credit card.

Paul Smith, EZPay managing director, said: “Tour operators and airlines have had some great deals to the US and Thailand for the school break and this seems to have struck a chord with holidaymakers, whose bargain hunting extended to making sensible currency decisions.

“It is interesting that Ireland did so well this half-term. Customers can use the cards to buy seats on low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and avoid the rip-off booking charges this way. They are then continuing to use the cards on their holidays.”

The figures also revealed that less familiar destinations topped the list when it came to biggest spend per card. Over the first weekend in half-term Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Jordon led the way in terms of average outlay - highlighting the card’s benefits in destinations where security over carrying large amounts of cash may be a concern.

Escape Travel Money can be used in over 30 million MasterCard locations worldwide and users can also gain access to a range of attractive cashback offers online.

For more information and to start saving money when travelling aboard please visit: escapetravelmoneycard.com