annarb

Hi
I know the Baltic Countries have their own currency, but do they accept Euro's. I think Estonia might? I would also like to preload a Visa Travel Debit card (not connected to my bank account) with money. How easy is it to find machines that will take these cards to issue local currency?
(we are going to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Russia..we plan on using mostly credit card, but we know that we have the need for some cash. We won't be in each country for very long and don't want to change a lot of cash)
Thanks,
LL

kayd

Really probably better just to use an ATM card connected to your bank account to obtain local currency as needed. If you want to protect your primary bank account from possible shenanigans, open a second one for travel uses.

Michel_Paris

The general feeling about these cards, from what I have read here, is that they are a ripoff.

I would think ATM is the way to go, but will leave it to those who have been to those specific countries to identify any issues.

Marija

No problem with ATMs in Lithuania. Cash stations everywhere.

StCirq

Prepid VISA (or any other) cards are a waste of time and money, no matter what country you're visiting.All you need is an ATM debit card, and your credit card for large purchases.

annarb

thank you for your replies, but I have found that the Visa travel card, which I bought for a one time fee of $5. was accepted in more places than my bank atm card? I have actually been stranded with no cash..and I use a well known bank! So perhaps I will take both...

chepar

In Estonia, Finland and Russia I had no problem using an ATM card issued by my small local credit union. It is on the Plus network/system. Actually, I've never had a problem using it in any place I've traveled to.

What network/system does your bank's ATM card use?

thomasmueller

I have had various problems usign my debit and credit cards in Russia and in Finland in 2008, and this is why I decided to get a prepaid currency (travel) card. today I save a lot of money on every trip thanks to my Caxton FX Global traveller card, which also gets accepted everywhere without problems (and fees and commissions are ZERO). I think you should get one because it doesn t cost anything, its convenient, it saves you money, and it gets acceppted wherever you see the master card logo! have a good trip !!!!

kayd

Thomasmueller, where do you live? The item you describe does not look like anything available in the US financial system, where any currency conversion, physical or electronic, will cost something. We can get close to zero with our credit cards and ATM/debit cards from a very few banks/issuers, but every "prepaid card" I've seen comes with costs, usually higher than those associated with most credit cards (assuming one does not carry a balance that incurs interest).

I went to the website of Caxton (it is a UK company) and saw that the terms of the prepaid card include this
"The exchange rate applied is fixed at 2.5% from the prevailing interbank rate."
So the cost of using your card is similar to that of the average US-issued credit card used for overseas transactions -- between 1 and 3%.

Michel_Paris

There have been several threads here about the REAL cost (at least for North Americans) of the VISA prepaid. When you read the threads, the word RIPOFF will come to mind. Perhaps other countries are different.

"fees and commissions are zero". Means nothing. If zero, where do they make their money? With any currecny transaction...what is the exchange rate? I will exchange any amount of your home currency you want free (I'm so nice), but let me set the exchange rate (I'm going to be so rich)

jordan_wyvill

I've found if managed well the prepaid cards are better than using debit/credit cards. At least if you do your banking in Australia

Michael

<i>I've found if managed well the prepaid cards are better than using debit/credit cards.</i>

How so?

thursdaysd

And why top a four year old thread to say so? Are you selling them?

jordan_wyvill

The international transaction fee and conversion fee charged by my bank outweighed the cost of using a prepaid card to pay for all my accommodation costs. I did however make sure that everywhere I was staying would accept the card for a credit transaction before hand. I paid no attention to the age of the thread before hand. The fees associated with these cards are told to you in the PDS people don't read it, use the cards poorly and then complain.

thursdaysd

Sounds like you need a different bank account for travel. Mine charges NO conversion fee or ATM fees.

Bamaman

We're going to Eastern Europe next week, and two of our countries visited are not Euro countries. We're carrying a Wells Fargo ATM card, but $5 and 3% discount per transaction is a little expensive. I'm loading a credit union ATM card with money to use for spending money.
We'll use a Capital One credit card for rooms, restaurants and trains when accepted. It's one of the few credit card company that gives 100% of the currency's value on the day of the charge. Travelers have some legal rights on credit cards that they may not have when using ATM cards.

jordan_wyvill

Ah, thursdaysd that's fair enough. With the commonwealth bank there's a 3% international transaction fee both for credit and debit cards. It's 1.25 aud just to check your balance on a foreign atm $2 to withdraw cash plus whatever the atm charges itself. Hey too each there own! I personally like the prepaid card but everyone should spend their money the way the see best.

Pegontheroad

I don't worry too much about the cost of using my debit card, which is a Wells Fargo card. WF charges $5.00 for every withdrawal, so I make large withdrawals--usually $500 worth at a time. Since Latvia and Estonia both use the euro, I'll just withdraw enough for those two countries.

I'll incur the same $5 fee for Lithuania, but what the hey! I can afford to take a trip to the Baltics, so I can probably afford a few extras. I'm thinking of taking a side trip to St.Petersburg, which means another $5 charge. Ditto if I go to Warsaw.

I have a mileage plus explorer card, which doesn't charge anything for foreign purchases, so that's what I'll use.

cjdonohue

I love using my AAA VISA Travel Money Card (only available at some AAA branches or call 605-782-5309 for more info)
We purchased it for about $5 initially. Last trip on the Danube River cruise, we loaded it up with $2500) We also took local currency with us. But We are going on a similar Scandanavia tour (Cruise) with many dif currencies in each of the countries.
We have used it on our last 3 trips a few times--no transaction fees/only ATM fees( eg. needed only a few Swiss Franc, ATM charges us $4.29 for 40 SF.) Just as in our USA ATM, there are listed amts available for withdrawasl.
What I love is you get the local currency that you want and if you don't use the balance of the card by the time you get back, you "feel" as if you have free money to spend at home -ha or you can leave it on the card. We take one CC with us and theis VISA Money card. You can use it as a credit card also> Don't forget to alert your CC companies of the traveled countries you will be going to and dates or you could have your CC blocked. This is my feedback-- ENJOY

cjdonohue

PS to the above blurb-- there are ATM machines all over-- just ask your guide or hotel desk