Currency conversion aud and nzd

13 day cruise, 6 days New Zealand and 3 days Australia. How much American currency should I convert to aud and nzd before trip. Do plan to have ATM ability and credit card with no exchange fees.

13 day cruise, 6 days New Zealand and 3 days Australia. How much American currency should I convert to aud and nzd before trip. Do plan to have ATM ability and credit card with no exchange fees.

I only ever bring an amount equal to cover incidentals on arrival if I'm too tired to find an ATM (or it's just not nearby) or a credit card isn't accepted. Cards are accepted in SO many places but still, there have been occasions it was helpful to have local currency. Maybe US$ 50-100 per person would be more than enough. I had currency left over when I departed NZ and Australia but I did use it while I was there - smaller businesses, markets etc.

Which island are you going to in NZ? I was in South Island and I was with friends - if you go further afield than cities, again, cards are accepted and these are incredibly modern, advanced places but out adventuring who knows, again - having some cash for a bottle of water or snack could be handy.

Have a great visit :)

Just a heads up... An American Express card is pretty much useless in Australia and New Zealand. Also, they will not accept USD.

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Just a heads up... An American Express card is pretty much useless in Australia and New Zealand.

 

That's not true. While it's not as widely accepted as MC/Visa, it's still accepted at many tourist frequenting establishments, e.g. hotels, taxis, restaurants and souvenir shops, plus many other places.

Though if you want to maximise your acceptance a Visa/MC is better, I wouldn't discourage anyone who wants to bring/use an American Express as there's still a good chance of it being accepted in typical places tourists visit.

Thanks,

Spending overnight in auckland and Sydney and doing 5 excursions: tauanga, Napier, wellington, akaora, port chalmers, Hobart, melbourne. most debit cards have 3% fee at least. Got stuck with local money and euros going to French Polynesia. Wanted to know if local vendors on excursion took cc for souvenirs?

The fees on Visa and MasterCard are typically about half of those on Amex in Oz; at this stage it is legal for the fees to be charged. Most of us use electronic banking very extensively to avoid the fees. However Amex can be used in many large retail stores, especially supermarkets, without fees. I always pay cash for small transactions (i.e. under $10) as a courtesy (i.e. knowing that the business pays fees from the card use) and some small businesses have a minimum like that for cards.

most debit cards have 3% fee at least.

The fees on Visa and MasterCard are typically about half of those on Amex in Oz; at this stage it is legal for the fees to be charged. Most of us use electronic banking very extensively to avoid the fees.

In Australia, it's become very common for the merchant to add a surcharge for using a credit card. So if you buy something that costs AUD 100, the merchant may be willing to take AUD 100 in cash or charge you AUD 105 (or whatever) if you want to pay by credit card. So this is a surcharge you can avoid by not using a credit card.

However, if your card is not Australian and you use it in Australia, you may also find that your card company (or bank) will charge a fee for using the card overseas. Typically, this is to pay for their currency exchange service. IME, these fees are typically in the 2.5% to 3% range. This would be added to the converted local currency amount of the total original AUD cost. Because this is a currency exchange fee, debit cards often incur this in exactly the same way as credit cards.

Just a heads up... An American Express card is pretty much useless in Australia and New Zealand.

 

That is not remotely factual. I have had an AMEX for many years and it is far from useless. Its a perfectly normal and acceptable card used here and all around the world.

There are occasional places (a lot less these days than in the past) where there will be a sign (required by law) stating there is a % surcharge for AMEX. In those instances I simply use a different card.

It may vary from place to place in Australia but here in Sydney everyone from my local petrol station to shops in the mall to most restaurants we go to will not take Amex. I too have had one for many years and I use it as much as possible unless the surcharge is too high. But it gets less and less use these days.

It may vary from place to place in Australia but here in Sydney everyone from my local petrol station to shops in the mall to most restaurants we go to will not take Amex. I too have had one for many years and I use it as much as possible unless the surcharge is too high. But it gets less and less use these days.

I find that surprising as I'm also in Sydney, but can use it at the local petrol station, many shopping centre shops and most restaurants we go to. Must be different parts of Sydney, or just different places.

As said earlier, it's less accepted than Visa/MC, but in the past few years with the promotions American Express run, it's been more accepted.

I find that surprising as I'm also in Sydney, but can use it at the local petrol station, many shopping centre shops and most restaurants we go to. Must be different parts of Sydney, or just different places.

 

As said earlier, it's less accepted than Visa/MC, but in the past few years with the promotions American Express run, it's been more accepted.

The same sort of issue is raised on the British Isles forum. Some people claim that it's difficult to use an Amex in London, but it's not true.