Cash Currency Questions

[2calgarycruisers]

We are sailing on the Silhouette Israel and Med Cruise this month - we are Canadians so want to avoid as much money exchange fees as possible i.e.: don't want to change CDN to US or Euros then need to change again once in the country. Any suggestions on what specific countries we should be purchasing local currency? We are on organized tours on all but Athens and Mykonos, some include lunch some don't. Thanks to all for the help.

[Azulann]

I always use Euros when in the Med. I have never been to israel.

I even used Euros in Turkey when on a cruise.

On the ship, I used USD for tips to my favorite waiters and cabin attendants.

[theriac]

I'm a similar cruise on the Constellation beginning next month and am just planning on getting Euros from an ATM wjen I arrive in Rome and as needed. In Israel I'm planning on using my card and maybe taking out like $50-$100 to have in cash for the tour guides and small souvenirs.

 

In Turkey I'm planning on using euros or my card.

 

I don't know why you would need any USD at all. If you feel like tipping extra I'd just use euro.

 

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[zoncom]

Euros keep. Was surprised to find 300 of them in storage recently.

[vickykay]

If you have a no foreign transaction fee credit card, use it at the ATM rather than a debit card. Then no fees at all. Enjoy.

[LondonTowner]

Many years ago when I worked in Israel everywhere wanted USD, but a long time since I have been there. For your other ports I would get a couple of hundred Euros in cash and pay everything else with a CC that has no foreign transaction fees.

[sportsmum]

I have Euros for Greece, Turkey, Italy. USD for Israel. The Israel tour guide charged our card in USD and quoted expected expenses in USD i.e.: approx $20 USD p/p for lunch and USD for extra options (Dead Sea, cable car,). We are taking USD for shopping and tips in Israel too. If the guide quoted in that currency they must prefer it or at least accept it willingly. :)

 

We are taking extra USD for the ship. Room service, extra tip for steward. If we have extra left from that we will put it on our room account since it is charged in USD.

 

Because of exchange % on our card we are keeping it as little as possible. Big purchases will be on the card but don't expect too many.

[2theship]

If it's available to you in Canada, Capital One has a credit card with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. We each have an account in case a problem would crop up with one of them.

 

If you're on pre-planned tours you should have some idea of what your expenses will be each day. Prior to each cruise, DH does a port-by-port spreadsheet and what expenses we will encounter. When we arrive, he'll hit an ATM. We always come home with a few extra Euros but they're saved for the next trip. The tricky part is when you're in a port that does not use Euros and you have to decide if it's worth the bother to get local currency.

[Rustybuttons123]

Do not use a credit card to withdraw cash from an ATM, that's a cash advance and you'll get whacked with more fees which will cost more than any savings from no FOREX fees. Use a debit card only to withdraw cash, even if ATM fees apply.

[roxievegas]

this past spring we did a 34 night B2B2B, going to 12 different countries. I use bank of america so I ordered appx $50 for each country - we used the currency for the hop-on-hop-off buses, souvenirs and drink. Any monies left over we used as tip at the end of the cruise - as the staff was going to be in those countries all summer. It did make is easy when we got off the ship and had to buy tickets for the bus and we had cash and everyone else were trying to use credit card

[Lsimon]

If you have a no foreign transaction fee credit card, use it at the ATM rather than a debit card. Then no fees at all. Enjoy.

 

My no foreign exchange fee credit card DOES have a cash advance fee for using an ATM which is about the same as the foreign transaction fee on my regular bank ATM card! Plus it starts charging interest on cash advances immediately from the date of the advance. When I first got the card back in 2007 they didn't have any cash advance fees either but they added those to it many years ago.

 

Personally, I've just brought enough Euros for my trip with me and only used ATM's to supplement if we run low and also use my no exchange fee credit card (Capital One) for many purchases.

 

I've never been to Israel so I have no knowledge of the currency used there.

[Rustybuttons123]

My no foreign exchange fee credit card DOES have a cash advance fee for using an ATM which is about the same as the foreign transaction fee on my regula

r bank ATM card! Plus it starts charging interest on cash advances immediately from the date of the advance. When I first got the card back in 2007 they didn't have any cash advance fees either but they added those to it many years ago.

 

Personally, I've just brought enough Euros for my trip with me and only used ATM's to supplement if we run low and also use my no exchange fee credit card (Capital One) for many purchases.

 

I've never been to Israel so I have no knowledge of the currency used there.

 

You are absolutely correct! And as far as I can remember cash advances have always had interest applied from day of transaction, it's not something you can avoid by paying your statement balance. Maybe Vickykay is not carefully looking at her interest charges on her statement.

 

Always use debit card for cash withdrawals and credit cards only for purchases.

 

Buying Euros here is not as good of an exchange rate as from an ATM there, even with the ATM fee added, and it's much easier.

[besberry]

In Jerusalem a couple of years back many places took Shekels, Euros or US dollars

[2theship]

Do not use a credit card to withdraw cash from an ATM, that's a cash advance and you'll get whacked with more fees which will cost more than any savings from no FOREX fees. Use a debit card only to withdraw cash, even if ATM fees apply.

 

You are absolutely correct. As with our credit cards, DH and I travel with also debit cards from different accounts in case a problem should arise. His has no transaction fees so he withdraws the big bucks to cover major expenses. Some hotels give you a discount for cash payment and hefty ATM transaction fees would wipe that out. Mine does not have that advantage but at least we have an alternative source of cash if something should happen to his.

[ghstudio]

The only US card I've found that works perfectly outside the US is the Schwab Bank VISA card. They convert currency at the official rate and they refund any ATM fees you are charged worldwide. It acts as a debit card so when drawing from ATM's you have no cash advance fee...you are just withdrawing your own funds from your checking account.

 

I don't work for Schwab (full disclosure: I don't work any more at all)....but it's something to consider. Don't confuse this card with the Schwab brokerage account card which does charge a fee. Inquire about the Schwab BANK VISA card. Same company...Schwab...but different arms.

[Rustybuttons123]

The only US card I've found that works perfectly outside the US is the Schwab Bank VISA card. They convert currency at the official rate and they refund any ATM fees you are charged worldwide. It acts as a debit card so when drawing from ATM's you have no cash advance fee...you are just withdrawing your own funds from your checking account.

 

I don't work for Schwab (full disclosure: I don't work any more at all)....but it's something to consider. Don't confuse this card with the Schwab brokerage account card which does charge a fee. Inquire about the Schwab BANK VISA card. Same company...Schwab...but different arms.

 

That's a Visa debit card, that can be used anywhere that takes Visa but its a debit card, not a credit card. I have one too through Navy Federal Credit Union. Never have had any problems using it worldwide, have even withdrawn cash from ATMs in places like Ghana, Ethiopia. The only troubles encountered using it at places that take Visa like a credit card is it isn't chip and PIN, which many places around the world require now. Although I'm supposed to get a new one in the mail soon, maybe it will be chip and PIN. But I use my Barclay credit card for everything other than cash withdraws, and it is chip and PIN. Its a travel rewards credit card with no FOREX fees, exchange rates are at the bank commercial rates....so its one of the better travel credit cards. Can't use the old magnetic strip swipe credit cards many places around the world now, and chip and signature will only work if a human is doing the transaction, not an automated kiosk for example, those will require chip and PIN.

[Rustybuttons123]

You are absolutely correct. As with our credit cards, DH and I travel with also debit cards from different accounts in case a problem should arise. His has no transaction fees so he withdraws the big bucks to cover major expenses. Some hotels give you a discount for cash payment and hefty ATM transaction fees would wipe that out. Mine does not have that advantage but at least we have an alternative source of cash if something should happen to his.

 

That's a good idea to have more than one debit card account, I have two as well, one I use primarily for travel and put smaller amounts of money in it, in case its ever compromised. I can move money into it on the fly if it runs low, which I can do anywhere I have internet access. Then I have my primary checking account with debit card as a back up. These are no FOREX fee as well.