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 www.escapetravelmoneycard.com.

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Press information and images: Katie Wright, Emily Cuthbert or Sarah Rathbone at Siren katie.wright@sirenpr.co.uk; emily.cuthbert@sirenpr.co.uk or sarah.rathbone@sirenpr.co.uk 020 8237 1210 or 07595 055 882

About EZPay EZPay Ltd (www.ezpayltd.co.uk) is the prepaid card provider from the Phones 4U Group. The company specialises in prepaid MasterCards and currently offers three products: The Escape Prepaid MasterCard; The Escape Travel Money Prepaid MasterCard and the Neon Prepaid MasterCard for under 17s.

Escape Prepaid MasterCard The perfect card for people who want to take control of their general spending and those who regularly transfer money abroad. It's free to load with cash at Phones4U stores and can then be used fee-free online or in-store like any other debit or credit card. Alternatively, the Escape card can be used to send cash to friends and family overseas without charge - and users benefit from some of the best exchange rates available today - making it far better value than traditional money transfer services. As an additional benefit users can earn up to 20% cashback on online purchases from great brands such as Apple, BHS and Top Man.

Escape Travel Money Prepaid MasterCard The Escape Travel Money card is the ideal travelling companion. The card can be used in over 30 million locations worldwide - anywhere you see the MasterCard acceptance mark. There are no fees for using the card abroad and there are no fees for withdrawing money from ATMs while you're abroad. You can also earn up to 20% cashback on your online purchases, excellent for when you're booking airport parking and other travel essentials.