LEL - Visa or Maestro?

[Angstbremser]

Good evening!

As for getting cash along the route, which is better: a VISA or a Maestro card? On the continent I always take Maestro, yet during my last visit to London I found that many places will not accept it and want a credit card (with PIN) instead.

What do you think?

TIA Gernot

[nuttycyclist]

For "cash" (i.e. monetary withdrawals from the bank cashpoint) I'd stick with a bank card as I think most are accepted and you'd be charged for a credit card.

For purchases in a shop (food/bike parts/emergency clothing/etc) then if you are out of cash then I think a VISA card (credit or debit) is more widely accepted than Maestro.

[delthebike]

My bank has withdrawn Meastro cards and now use VISA debit cards instead. I've not had any problems in shops yet.

[frankly frankie]

I think if you only want to carry one card then Visa is the better bet.
Cash points may be quite rare though, on this route - it really does avoid sizeable towns.
St Neots, Wragby??, Barnard Castle??, Alston??, Innerleithen??, Lincoln on the way back.

[Greenbank]

I think if you only want to carry one card then Visa is the better bet.
Cash points may be quite rare though, on this route - it really does avoid sizeable towns.
St Neots, Wragby??, Barnard Castle??, Alston??, Innerleithen??, Lincoln on the way back.

From memory: Cheshunt (several, plus small supermarkets), Gamlingay (cashpoint by Co-Op on left when entering village), Bourne (detour), something on the edge of Sleaford, 24h Somerfield at Petrol Station in Thorne (I think it's on the route), petrol stations north of Thorne, Howden (short detour into town centre), Thirsk (small detour), Scotch Corner services (short detour from Middleton Tyas), Barnard Castle (detour onto High St), Alston (several at bottom end of the town), Brampton, Longtown (next to Co-op) plus petrol stations, Langholm (petrol station), Innerleithen (shops and atms), Dalkeith (several).

I used most of these as proof-of-passage on my DIY ride of the L->E route.

[yello]

A most useful post greenbank. I shall add those to the route sheet.

In answer to the original question, in my experience Visa would be the better card to take.

[MSeries]

There is actually a cash machine at the garage near Howden where the route sheet says "L after garage"
I don't think the Somerfield at Thorne in on the LEL route though, 2005 it wasn't and while 2009 route is different it approaches from the same direction as 2005 did. There are other cash machines in Thorne town centre which is not far off route.


Lots of pubs have cash machines too though I don't know of any on the LEL route.

+1 for Visa

[red marley]

But note though that the types of cash machine you are more likely to find in a pub or inside a garage are more likely to charge you a fixed £1.50 or so for any cash withdrawal. If you have a choice, look for outside cash machines attached to banks, which are much more likely to be free (excluding any extra charges your own bank makes for an overseas withdrawal).

[stubbo]

As for getting cash along the route, which is better: a VISA or a Maestro card? On the continent I always take Maestro, yet during my last visit to London I found that many places will not accept it and want a credit card (with PIN) instead.

One thing i will add is, either Visa or meastro, its essential that you have a pin number.

[rogerzilla]

Outrageously, the Co-Op in Middleton-in-Teesdale charges for cash withdrawals, or did the last time I was up there.  I wouldn't have expected that from them.

Angstbremser, you can also get "cashback" from many shops when you buy something with your card, although there may be a minimum purchase of £5 (that's a lot of Frijj!).  Just ask at the checkout.

[wajcgac]

For info

There is a cash point on the route north bound at Washingborough - outside the Spar shop. It is on your right about 200m before the control.

Southbound takes you on a slightly different route through Washingborough so you will need to make a slight detour of about 100m.

For those that are suffering a bit on the way back - there is a chemist next to the Spar at Washingborough, and also one on the route at Branston just before you rejoin the B1188 Southbound

[Helen]

My cash/debit card is Maestro.  I never have trouble getting money out with it/using it as a debit card in the UK.  I did have trouble in Canada last year as they did not seem to recognise Maestro.  My credit card is Visa.  I'll be carrying both (let's face it - cards don't exactly weigh much!!!) but the only time I tend to pay with visa rather than maestro is when I'm starting to get worried how close to the bottom of my overdraft I am!!!!