Can't decide what to bring for cash..debit card, euro pre-loaded, visa pre-loaded

[DVC Annie]

OK, don't laugh at me TOO hard here, but I am almost 50 and have never used an ATM machine! :eek: I know, it's shocking isn't it?! I never even bothered to learn my PIN because I figured that way I wouldn't accidently use it as a debit (and incur some crazy fee for doing so).

 

 

DVC Annie: Don't stress about ATM cards. You'll do fine. I am also from the burbs of DC. This past summer I (55 years old) took my first trip to Europe with my 19/yo college niece. I did all the reservations myself w/o the help of a TA and it was fine. I have many years of ATM/debit card use behind me though. Go use an ATM card and get used to it and you'll be fine. I also have Wachovia but didn't use any of their cards b/c they are one of the worst for foreign conversion fees. My credit union cards were much much cheaper.

 

I left Dulles AP with, I kid you not, $25 (US dollars) and that's it. We spent that on breakfast since we had to be there so early for our international flight. We flew from Dulles to London, spent the night at a Heathrow hotel and next day flew the other leg over to Barcelona. I used airport ATMs in both London and Barcelona only to get enough money for tranportation to our hotels. Once at our destination, I wandered till I found ATMs away from AP with cheaper rates to get more money out. I never used the ship ATM. I charged all our meals pre/post cruise which is really no different than here in the states.

 

I won't laugh at you for not using ATM cards if you don't laugh at me for being so horribly technologically challenged. You see, I made all the travel arrangements but told my niece her job was to figure out how to cheaply communicate with home since we were gone a total of just under a month. She took her tiny netbook and IPod and in all pre/post cruise hotels we had free wifi. So, she sends emails, checks/posts on Facebook and made a TON of calls back home Skyping from the computer. A 19 y/o makes a ton of calls - and her total bill when we got home was $2.30. All phone calls Skyping were either free (computer to computer) or in most countries we visited were no more than two cents a minute. SO, not laughing here cuz I'd have not known or done that.

 

Re: your Paris hotel, don't call, send an email. We stayed in London, Barcelona and Venice pre and post cruise and all my booking was done online but I sent an email to all hotels to ask for two bed configurations and someone always answered my request quickly and in english. Most of our trip was in more urban places and I never found language to be a major problem anywhere we went.

 

Good luck and have a great trip!!

 

Thanks! Awesome to hear about the skyping thing...I will tell DH & DS (they're our resident techies). We're kicking around the idea of getting DS an Ipad for his birthday in May so that would be handy to bring...

 

I HAVE tried to email our first hotel but have always gotten an error!! I have yet to get an email to go thru (to Disney of all places).:( The hotel we're using once we move into the city does respond promptly to emails tho. I am less worried about them to be honest! LOL... It's our 1st day, 1st night & 2nd day at DLP that I am worried about. I am trying to get some answers from the Paris forum on the DISboards...hoping they can answer some of my questions! Hoping there will be a safe box of some sort that I can use while we don't have access to a room.

 

I am also concerned about using ATM's because don't some of them have daily limits? I mean, I'm sure our limoinrome drivers will probably know where to find ATM's...they need to be paid so I'm sure they would know. But don't some machines put a cap on the daily amount that you can withdraw?? We will need close to 800 euro just in Rome and probably another 650 in Naples so we can pay for these tours, guides, drivers & tips.

[financialgrl]

 

Thanks! Awesome to hear about the skyping thing...I will tell DH & DS (they're our resident techies). We're kicking around the idea of getting DS an Ipad for his birthday in May so that would be handy to bring...

 

I HAVE tried to email our first hotel but have always gotten an error!! I have yet to get an email to go thru (to Disney of all places).:( The hotel we're using once we move into the city does respond promptly to emails tho. I am less worried about them to be honest! LOL... It's our 1st day, 1st night & 2nd day at DLP that I am worried about. I am trying to get some answers from the Paris forum on the DISboards...hoping they can answer some of my questions! Hoping there will be a safe box of some sort that I can use while we don't have access to a room.

 

I am also concerned about using ATM's because don't some of them have daily limits? I mean, I'm sure our limoinrome drivers will probably know where to find ATM's...they need to be paid so I'm sure they would know. But don't some machines put a cap on the daily amount that you can withdraw?? We will need close to 800 euro just in Rome and probably another 650 in Naples so we can pay for these tours, guides, drivers & tips.

 

 

The daily limits for an ATM are usually put on by the banks you use. You may be able to get that limit raised but I'd guess not all the way to 800 euros. You may have to take that out over a few days. BTW, I bought and used a PacSafe purse which sounds like what you had and it worked fine.

 

I also bought two bra stashes and niece used that the whole trip. She refused to deal with a purse. It is the size of a credit card and she put her ATM card and one CC and folded euros in it. I bought two at a place called TravelWares online two years ago (they were only like $6.50 a piece). It is meant to snap around your bra straps but she was able to hook the straps down the middle of her bra and it hung low enough to tuck into her pants. I just made sure she went into the restroom to pull out money so no one would see where her money was located. That may be an option for you. I'd not put money in luggage that's gonna be stored, I'd just not trust that. You may be able to take two different cards from different banks. I did that and I could take out the daily limit on both on the same day and in your case that may work doing the same two days in a row before your actual tours.

 

Regarding the tech stuff, just remember if you are cruising, it's big bucks to purchase wifi minutes on the ship because you are using their satellite. I told family we'd not be available the 12 days on ship because I was not willing to pay the outrageous satellite wifi minutes. I bought 100 minutes to keep track of the volcanic ash situation to determine if we could get home from London and it was $55 for 100 minutes - for 100 v e r y s l o w minutes! It took forever for pages to load and forever to go from page to page. We used those 100 minutes in no time and after that I refused to buy any more minutes and we stuck to free wifi in all our hotels.

[realent]

I just saw this thread and we have been discussing this subject to death over on our Caarnival Magic thread.

 

I agree with the above posters about using your ATM card everywhere you can and not carrying to much cash. There is no need.

 

I use a Capitol One Debit card that is tied to a checking account called a *direct banking* account. You can open it on the Capitol One Website. You transfer funds to the checking account electronically and then use it for purchases or cash withdrawl. The vest part about it is...., wait for it...... NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEES OR ATM CASH WITHDRAWL FEES!!! And if you are going to be in different countries with different currencies you really don't want to take out more cash than you will be using before you leave that country.

 

It works great. It pays a small amount of interest and I think it even racks up some miles.

[sanjim]

Capital one is the way to go, There is an ATM just past security at the airport, easy to find. Other ATMs are located everywhere, just like here. You can bet there will be an ATM in every cruise port terminal . Every one I have used can be read in English. When we flew to BCN we had no Euro, and a 200 in American money, and a loaded debit card with Capital One, Upon arriving in BCN took 300 in Euro from ATM, my back up plan was to use the money exchange in the airport, always have a back up . The ATM worked fine no problems, Capital One saved me a lot of money.

[elsplace2]

I just saw this thread and we have been discussing this subject to death over on our Caarnival Magic thread.

 

I agree with the above posters about using your ATM card everywhere you can and not carrying to much cash. There is no need.

 

I use a Capitol One Debit card that is tied to a checking account called a *direct banking* account. You can open it on the Capitol One Website. You transfer funds to the checking account electronically and then use it for purchases or cash withdrawl. The vest part about it is...., wait for it...... NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEES OR ATM CASH WITHDRAWL FEES!!! And if you are going to be in different countries with different currencies you really don't want to take out more cash than you will be using before you leave that country.

 

 

It works great. It pays a small amount of interest and I think it even racks up some miles.

 

Capital one is the way to go, There is an ATM just past security at the airport, easy to find. Other ATMs are located everywhere, just like here. You can bet there will be an ATM in every cruise port terminal . Every one I have used can be read in English. When we flew to BCN we had no Euro, and a 200 in American money, and a loaded debit card with Capital One, Upon arriving in BCN took 300 in Euro from ATM, my back up plan was to use the money exchange in the airport, always have a back up . The ATM worked fine no problems, Capital One saved me a lot of money.

 

When you took out the cash from the ATM, what kind of denominations were they in?

[floridafolks]

I just saw this thread and we have been discussing this subject to death over on our Caarnival Magic thread.

 

I agree with the above posters about using your ATM card everywhere you can and not carrying to much cash. There is no need.

 

I use a Capitol One Debit card that is tied to a checking account called a *direct banking* account. You can open it on the Capitol One Website. You transfer funds to the checking account electronically and then use it for purchases or cash withdrawl. The vest part about it is...., wait for it...... NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEES OR ATM CASH WITHDRAWL FEES!!! And if you are going to be in different countries with different currencies you really don't want to take out more cash than you will be using before you leave that country.

 

It works great. It pays a small amount of interest and I think it even racks up some miles.

 

We use the Capital One direct banking card too. This month's statement had a insert saying that they were sending out new Capital One Bank ATM cards to all between March 1 and May 14th. They are changing from Plus network to Cirrus. Wouldn't you know- we are leaving on April 27 and returning May 24. I called and sure enough our new card was scheduled to be mailed end of April and the old one was only going to be valid until May4th b/c of changeover--Yikes-- we would not have access ATM after May 4th!!! I am so glad I read the insert(usually I just toss them) so I called and they are sending my card now, instead of waiting until my scheduled date, so I will have it in time for the trip. Others with Capital One Direct Banking with a trip sceduled in that time frame might want to check to make sure they will have a working ATM card for their trip.

[Desert Cruizers]

A word of caution I learned from a lady on our LOS Roll Call for the end of Oct, if in a Hotel for a few days prior to your cruise and using your room safe, wipe the numbers down before you key in your numbers as they will apply powder or something to them and can then pick up your combination and steal from the safe.

In talking with our bank here in So Calif we will have some euros before we leave, the lady at the counter said around 100 euros then can get more at our Bank in Barcelona, BBVA which is a block from our hotel. I don't use an ATM and advised DH not to use it with our Credit Card.

[financialgrl]

When you took out the cash from the ATM, what kind of denominations were they in?

 

Three days precruise in Barcelona. I would take out euros from the ATM (Caisco, Carico or something like that) nearby Jazz Hotel. I'd take out max money, return and put in room safe to take on ship.

 

It seemed to dispense mostly $50 and $100 euro bills but one thing I noticed was that presenting such never created any problem for anyone anywhere. Not once did anyone blink when they were presented. I would break the $50s at breakfast at Starbucks and would break $100s for dinner in restaurants and then save those smaller bills to use out on day tours. Anything costing too much was just charged.

[financialgrl]

A word of caution I learned from a lady on our LOS Roll Call for the end of Oct, if in a Hotel for a few days prior to your cruise and using your room safe, wipe the numbers down before you key in your numbers as they will apply powder or something to them and can then pick up your combination and steal from the safe.

In talking with our bank here in So Calif we will have some euros before we leave, the lady at the counter said around 100 euros then can get more at our Bank in Barcelona, BBVA which is a block from our hotel. I don't use an ATM and advised DH not to use it with our Credit Card.

 

Never heard of the safe thing but it still wouldn't keep me from using one. The thing I have seen posted elsewhere over the years is DO NOT use your address for your safe combo in any room, here or abroad. Your luggage is usually sitting right there and your tags display that info. It would be the first number one would try since it's visible. Don't use your BD or any number that may have been provided during reservation of room either. Pick some obscure thing that only means something to you.

[Hlitner]

I recently saw a good article on this topic somewhere on MSNBC but did not save the link. But, we will give you the basic rules (and rules can be broken). As a rule the best exchange rate for foreign transactions (for those living the USA) would be from CapitalOne Master Cards (I think they may also issue a Visa) which charge no fees (yes, that is zero) for foreign transactions. Most other credit cards charge from 2 - 4% on each transaction ...usually figured into the exchange rate). ATM cards (and related Debit Cards) will usually get you the best rates for cash, but it does depend somewhat on your issuing bank (check with your bank)). For example, my Debit Card isssuer (a major Credit Union) charges zero fees, but Visa International who handles the transaction does impose a 1% foreign exchange fee). This is a terrific deal and much better then exchanging cash. The pre-loaded cards are generally a rip-off since they give you a lousy exchange rate when you purchase, often have a fee, and then if you have any money left on the card they will again give you a lousy exchange rate to convert back to dollars. The manager of one of our local AAA offices (where they sell these things) told me there was no way she would throw her own money away on these instruments.

 

To be honest, we simply get all our cash out of ATMs when traveling in Europe and Asia (and we do a lot of traveling). We do not bother getting Euros at home (the rates are awful) and its just very easy to grab Euros from ATMs once we arrive in Europe. In order to provide some back-up DW and I have different accounts (at different banks) both of which have ATM cards. Keep in mind that all ATM cards have some kind of daily limit ($500 is pretty normal) so this might mean planning ahead if you are going to need a lot of cash (such as to pay for a private excursion).

 

Hank

[Desert Cruizers]

financialgrl, we hadn't heard of this either, but this couple has done a lot of traveling and she brought this to the attention of our Roll Call. Her advise was to wipe the numbers down well before entering your numbers. I agree, one should enter numbers that are only known to you and not your address etc. What have most of you done regarding your luggage in your room and securing, do you have locks.

[vpcats]

Quick question and I hope this is a appropriate thread to ask.

 

I will be traveling to Madrid, Barcelona and then onto a 5 day Med cruise to Cannes, Livorno and Civitavecchia. First time tourist to all these cities so I don't want to worry about more than I have to.

 

I have the money belt to wear inside my clothes. I have a fanny pack but just a regular one. Nothing special about it. I plan to wrap two cameras onto its belt, and my sunglasses, a tiny wallet with a credit card and some cash and maybe some "wet ones". :)

 

I am taking a front wearing backpack (frontpack?) :D Do you all think it is REALLY, REALLY necessary to buy one of those Pacsafe packs instead?

 

I'm a older female, not very big, and not very strong so if anyone wants to take something....be my guest. :D

[Desert Cruizers]

From what I have read, I would not wear a Fanny pack in Barcelona, nor would I wrap a camera around its strap, but either hold tightly unto your camera or keep it in a Pac Safe bag. They do have fanny packs from Safe pack. We will be in Barcelona the end of Oct and I will carry as little as possible, no purse, a credit card, small amount of cash at a time with me in a money belt. If you wish to look at a map or something, either have someone with you to watch or sit down.

[vpcats]

From what I have read, I would not wear a Fanny pack in Barcelona, nor would I wrap a camera around its strap, but either hold tightly unto your camera or keep it in a Pac Safe bag. They do have fanny packs from Safe pack. We will be in Barcelona the end of Oct and I will carry as little as possible, no purse, a credit card, small amount of cash at a time with me in a money belt. If you wish to look at a map or something, either have someone with you to watch or sit down.

 

OMG is it THAT bad? I was in Moscow & St. Petersburg last July and had everything in my fanny pack and didn't feel that threatened. It's a good thing because I do not know how to yell in Russian. :D

 

Spain I can get by and use all the curse words. :p I'll try to figure out a way to keep my stuff safe. I may just have to splurge on a Pacsafe. I have a really nice Nikon and a small Panasonic. Was hoping to be able to take some great pictures of all that Barcelona architecture.

[LittleMissS]

vpcats, I'm in the same boat as you. I have a really nice camera that I would like to use in Barcelona, but am concerned about its safety. I'm still trying to determine exactly what sort of safety precautions I'm going to use.

 

The hotel safe thing is crazy. I never thought about wiping down the numbers on the safe keypad before. I have a PacSafe portable safe that I am considering using instead...still not 100% sure.

 

Hank...I completely understand what you're saying about the preloaded AAA visa cards and conversion charges. But at the same time, can CapitolOne give me the anonymity I desire? I don't want a card with my name on it...don't want the card linked to a bank account with a large sum of money (that thieves can get if stolen). If so, then maybe it's worth me looking into this type of card for my travels abroad. If not, I'll stick with the lousy exchange rates for piece of mind.

 

Little Miss S

[Desert Cruizers]

I am only going by what I have read on the Spain Ports of Call, they can unclip a regular FP by distraction. I have purchased the Pac Safe items, one for my Camera and a money belt.http://pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&product_status=New

My camera will probably remain in my hand with a strap that goes around your wrist. The main thing is to be alert. Watch out for a couple on scooters coming toward you, the one on the back will try and grab a purse and anything you are loosly carrying. This thread has been very helpful with tips on traveling safely in Barcelona plus those on our roll Call who have been there.

[LittleMissS]

Thanks for the info Desert Cruizers. I actually have a bunch of PacSafe products and have been reading a lot about Spain in anticipation of my cruise. I think I want to carry as little as possible when touring Barca...

[sanjim]

I think a lot of people take all this stuff out of context. Here is just a thought, I would not walk around most of our larger cities at night, without the same cautions that I would use in any European city. On the other hand I would not go overboard either.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Good pointers but you should never put your own address on your luggage anyways. What a perfect way for organized criminals to contact others in your home town to let them know you are away. I always put a work address or FIL's retirement village and notify them ahead of time in case luggage is lost and sent there.

There was a good show on TV about this a few years ago.

 

Never heard of the safe thing but it still wouldn't keep me from using one. The thing I have seen posted elsewhere over the years is DO NOT use your address for your safe combo in any room, here or abroad. Your luggage is usually sitting right there and your tags display that info. It would be the first number one would try since it's visible. Don't use your BD or any number that may have been provided during reservation of room either. Pick some obscure thing that only means something to you.

[financialgrl]

I think a lot of people take all this stuff out of context. Here is just a thought, I would not walk around most of our larger cities at night, without the same cautions that I would use in any European city. On the other hand I would not go overboard either.

 

I also bought a PacSafe purse specifically for Barcelona. The safety features in it are only half the picture; the other half is ensuring you are very aware of your surroundings.

 

Rambla causes more than normal chances for pickpocketing due to all the distractions - all the live statues and "card" games happening there. But don't get so hung up on Barcelona to the point that you let down your guard other places. Acropolis is another requires paying extra attention while walking up all the uneven, sometimes slippery broken marble steps and people are so concentrated on that and at the same time you are crushed up against each other for the climb. Just use common sense.

[vpcats]

I also bought a PacSafe purse specifically for Barcelona. The safety features in it are only half the picture; the other half is ensuring you are very aware of your surroundings.

 

Rambla causes more than normal chances for pickpocketing due to all the distractions - all the live statues and "card" games happening there. But don't get so hung up on Barcelona to the point that you let down your guard other places. Acropolis is another requires paying extra attention while walking up all the uneven, sometimes slippery broken marble steps and people are so concentrated on that and at the same time you are crushed up against each other for the climb. Just use common sense.

 

May I ask which bag you bought? I've been looking at the Metrosafe 200. I think it looks big enough to put one of my cameras in there, plus sunglasses, water bottle, small umbrella, light jacket. I have a money belt and will just carry a small amount of cash in my jeans pockets probably. Will probably revise strategies once there and depending on time of day and activities???

[Hlitner]

Our experience in Barcelona (we have been there many times) and the rest of Europe is that although special bags might be helpful, this is not normally the issue. We have actually witnessed purse snatchings on the Ramblas (several times) and in every case the woman was just careless. In fact, on our last visit we saw a man snatch a purse that a woman had simply put under her chair at an outdoor cafe. On another trip we saw a man snatch a wallet out of an open purse that a woman had on her shoulder. DW has been traveling in Europe (extensively) with me for thirty years and takes simply precautions which work! She always wears her purse cross-shoulder and uses a large diaper pin to pin the zippers together. Pickpockets have plenty of potential targets and will almost always gravitate towards those that offer "easy pickens." As to men, I learned some habits from a retired Secret Service Agent we met on a River Cruise. He said to simply put a couple of large rubber bands around my wallet and carry it in a front pocket. Its simple but very effective because its very difficult for anyone (including me) to slip that wallet out of my pocket. We still see many men carrying a wallet in their back pocket (sometimes sticking out) and just shake our heads. Our other warning is that nobody should ever focus on Barcelona because the gypsy problem exists just about anywhere in Europe. In fact, I have personally foiled three attempts on me and none of them were in Barcelona. My problems were in Bologna, Arles, and Istanbul. In each case we easily foiled the attempts by simply being alert. The incident in Bologna was the most outrageous with a gypsy woman continuing to try and get my money even after I started hitting her with my Tote umbrella. This happened at a very busy intersection in the middle of the day and some bystanders actually starting laughing. In Arles we were approched by two gypsy boys (about 12 years old) back in the days when I would wear a fanny pack (bum pack for you Brits). The boy pushed a newspaper into my waist (trying to sell papers) while his friend reached under the paper (which hid my fanny pack) to get my money. Unfortunately all he got was my hand which probably left a nice bruise on his wrist.

 

Hank

[financialgrl]

Think I only have the PacSafe 100. It measures about 7 x 9. I only used that while out on the day tours off the ship or sightseeing on our own in all our pre/post cruise destinations.

 

Each morning I'd load it with a small coinpurse with money/CC rather than a wallet; take a few sealable sandwich size baggies and wrap a few spins of TP around your hand and take with you (public bathrooms may/may not have it), a handful of foil wrapped Wet Ones, tiny bottle of Purell, and a digital camera.

 

I never put water bottles/umbrella in it because it was rarely necessary. During tours we'd have the ability to leave our jacket, water bottle or umbrella in the car/van/bus which is what we did unless it looked like rain or if it was unusually hot. The vehicles had a driver as well as our guide and driver always stayed with the vehicle and all those non-valuables were always there when we returned. I just don't like to get bogged down with a lot as we'd go off during the day.

 

PacSafe does have some great safety features but STILL requires one being vigilant of their surrounding. All the safety features in the world won't help someone putting it at their feet on the floor. Someone coming by can reach down and swipe it and be gone so common sense will always prevail.

[vpcats]

I found that Sears has these Pac Safe bags on line. I'm going to visit the store to see if they have any physically there and test them out.

Normally, I am super careful with my things. I ALWAYS wear my purse across my chest and pull towards the front of my body. If I'm going out someplace new, different, at night, or outside my comfort zone, I take my driver's license and a very small wallet with one debit card.

 

I AM used to my fanny pack when travelling though. I'd hate to not be able to use that but I guess it could be unhooked fairly easily and quickly. The other thing is my bigger camera. I want to have good pictures and if I keep it hidden, it'll be a major problem taking it out in the middle of the crowds. I have to think about this. I could put it around my neck but I guess that could get pulled or cut or whatever. Don't know.:confused:

 

I'm not becoming paranoid but I've travelled to most of the Caribbean islands many times, South America, the US, and some Europe and I've never thought about this stuff as much. I'm not careless but I feel like I should have a bodyguard for Barcelona. :D

[cole]

VPCats and others who have the SLR digital cameras, I found a safety strap with a padded neck on the corporatetravelsafety.com website for 19.95 plus shipping. I had previously ordered one of the safety purses and didn't even think to look for a camera strap. This might relieve your concern about cutting and stealing your camera.

B. Cole