How much money do you exchange vs how much do you use your CC?
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@Mamaof2: In the past I've just taken out cash as needed from an ATM at the airport when I arrive at my destination. I usually don't like to carry a lot of cash, but I suppose it would depend on where you're going and whether you think most places will take your cc. This works especially well if your bank doesn't charge a fee for international transactions.
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@Mamaof2: I take minimal cash. I use my CC almost everywhere. But this is mostly business travel these days...
The cash I take out is to cover souvenir shopping (although so many places take cards) as well as quick bites to eat from food carts/etc.
I only use cash when I have to - so as to not run low!
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@Pancakes: @Mrs D: thanks! I would prefer to just use my CC and there are no fees using it which is a plus!
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@Mamaof2: Make sure you know your pin...Europe is big on chip readers...my corp CC has a pin I never set up thank god I checked before I went!
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@Mrs D: who do I check with? My CC company? Never heard of a pin with a CC
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I agree with @Pancakes: - don't exchange money here, use an ATM once you get there. The rates are so much better. Depending on where you're going, you may need cash for cabs, restaurant/cafe tips, small things like that.
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@Mamaof2: if your CC has a chip (you know the little metallic square on the face) - I'd call them and inquire...just to be sure!
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@Mrs D: gotcha - thanks!
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@Mamaof2: To add to Mrs D's comment, chip cards are so the norm that you will run into cashiers who don't have pens on them for signing credit card slips. And then there's a holdup while they look for a pen. So carry one with you if you have a non-chip card.
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@mamaof2 My husband and I used to live in Scotland and for our time there and traveling throughout Europe, we found that you don't have to have a pin with your CC , you just have to sign for everything. Depending on where you are you might get a confused salesperson, as it is not very common. They also will likely check your signature against the signature on the back of your card. This happened pretty much every time in the UK, less so on the continent. Every once in awhile you will run into a kiosk that requires a pin (very infrequently) and we would just use our bank card.
In terms of credit card vs. cash, usually it depends on where we are going. For much of urban Europe, we almost exclusively use a credit card, we only get petty cash for tips and street food, but further out of the city cash is more useful. We just got back from Israel/Palestine. In Israel we used our CC, but in Palestine we used only cash.
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We typically do a conversion at the bank in the airport when we fly to my husband's home country. The currency conversion rate is better there than at the ATMs but I am not sure that this is necessarily the case every where. My husband likes to pay with cash, I don't know why, to be honest.
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I would check with your bank to see if they have a sister bank where you can withdraw cash without a fee. Otherwise, I would just use credit cards with a pin. If you don't have a pin, you can sign. We live in Europe and my last cc didn't have a pin so I had to sign all the time and they would nearly always check my signature. I'm glad my new card has a pin because it's always such a hassle. Also, depending on where you are going, some places only take cash. It's pretty common (and highly annoying) where I live for places like sandwich and coffee shops. Even some nicer restaurants only take cash.
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I guess it depends. If it's more urban traveling with lots of sightseeing, etc I'd be inclined to exchange a little more in cash in case not every place takes cc. But if it's more a stay at one place beach vacation kinda thing, I'd bring very little cash (just for tips maybe) and use cc since we have a card that doesn't charge foreign fees.
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@Mamaof2: We use a CC almost exclusively. We have one (Barclaycard Arrival +) that has no foreign transaction fees. We'll take out maybe $50 in cash for odds and ends. Research where you are going though! Some places, CC is not as widely accepted.
I second knowing your pin! I'm not sure all CC have them. When we were in Europe there were a few times signing wasn't an option and we needed a pin. I think it was mostly at gas stations. -
None. Exchange rates are better if you use an ATM there. So we take a small amount of cash out of the ATM and then use credit cards as we can. This strategy doesn't work in every country since some are very cash based like Japan.
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We exchange about a hundred dollars and the rest is one mastercard.
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As long as we're in a country with reliable ATMs, we usually take out the equivalent of ~$80 at an airport ATM. We use credit cards wherever possible but sometimes smaller restaurants or vendors won't accept them.
If you travel frequently you may want to look into a Charles Schwab checking account/debit card just for travel. We opened one a few years ago and they refund all ATM fees, pretty much anywhere in the world. No fees for the account even though we take the money out in between trips and just add money before we leave.
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I use an ATM for cash since the fees are usually lower than exchange. I only get a minimal amount of cash, though, since there are no fees on my credit card plus I get points.
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