What's In Your (travel) Wallet?
Nov 26th, 2005, 06:52 AM
#1
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What's In Your (travel) Wallet?
When travelling internationally, how much cash and trav. checks (both USD and foreign currency) are you carrying in this day of e-banking and plastic money?
Myself...$100.
Myself...$100.
Nov 26th, 2005, 07:56 AM
#2
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When I travel I use this strategy:
1. Enough American money to get me to my house when I get home.
2. A few hundred $$ in traveler's checks as a doomsday reserve. (In 8 trips I have used 2 of them, one when I did not really need to. A couple of times they served as "comfort money." But that is another story.)
3. Two credit cards. Only once has a card been rejected while the other one was accepted. I was glad I had the second card because it was a potentially dicey situation.
4. Two ATM cards on separate accounts.
I rely on the ATM card for spending money after I land. Using the credit cards so far has allowed me to carry limited amounts of cash on the streets.
The fly in the ointment there is that some credit cards issuers have adopted an annoying habit of adding on 2% for the so-called conversion fee.
Some people argue the amount is trivial, but I disagree with the principle of the idea. As a result, I acquired a Capital One card for use overseas.
The only times so far I have carried a limited amount of local currency from home was on my first trip and on subsequent trips to Paris. The first time, I thought I needed to because the ATM situation was new, and the second time I did not want to run the risk of the ATM being dysfunctional or the line being 30 people long.
There is also a problem of disposing of the cash you have left when you leave.
Coins are not easily exchangeable as a general rule. In Switzerland, with 2 and 5-franc coins common, it is fairly easy to have $15 to $20 in coins floating around in various pockets and purses. The same is true in Britain.
Sometimes, one an be too ingenious. I had an amusing incident last summer when flying from Geneva to London-Gatwick on EasyJet. Nothing on EJ is free; you pay even for tea and coffee. I had "prudently" spent all of my Swiss francs and euros but had not yet acquired British pounds. All I had was US money. Surprise. EJ not only didn't want it, the flight attendant wouldn't take it.
A Barclay's ATM relieved my artificially inpecunious state a few minutes after arrival.
That is one other feature of international travel that is good to know. Some of the major US banks have overseas correspondent banks. For example, Bank of America and Barclays Bank have an agreement. Use of my BOA ATM card at Barclays was processed as an "on net" transaction, hence no fee.
In Canada, Scotia Bank is a correspondent with BOA. I get similar deals at those banks as well.
Not every bank has such arrangements, and sometimes I have found that learning who has which connections is difficult because the rank and file telephone answerers have no clue as to what you are talking about.
But my suggestions are don't load up on traveler's checks because they are not as easy to use in Europe as they are here. ATM's are plentiful. I have not had much trouble finding one even in small towns. Europe is more cash oriented than we are in the US, but credit cards of the Visa and MC type are widely accepted.
1. Enough American money to get me to my house when I get home.
2. A few hundred $$ in traveler's checks as a doomsday reserve. (In 8 trips I have used 2 of them, one when I did not really need to. A couple of times they served as "comfort money." But that is another story.)
3. Two credit cards. Only once has a card been rejected while the other one was accepted. I was glad I had the second card because it was a potentially dicey situation.
4. Two ATM cards on separate accounts.
I rely on the ATM card for spending money after I land. Using the credit cards so far has allowed me to carry limited amounts of cash on the streets.
The fly in the ointment there is that some credit cards issuers have adopted an annoying habit of adding on 2% for the so-called conversion fee.
Some people argue the amount is trivial, but I disagree with the principle of the idea. As a result, I acquired a Capital One card for use overseas.
The only times so far I have carried a limited amount of local currency from home was on my first trip and on subsequent trips to Paris. The first time, I thought I needed to because the ATM situation was new, and the second time I did not want to run the risk of the ATM being dysfunctional or the line being 30 people long.
There is also a problem of disposing of the cash you have left when you leave.
Coins are not easily exchangeable as a general rule. In Switzerland, with 2 and 5-franc coins common, it is fairly easy to have $15 to $20 in coins floating around in various pockets and purses. The same is true in Britain.
Sometimes, one an be too ingenious. I had an amusing incident last summer when flying from Geneva to London-Gatwick on EasyJet. Nothing on EJ is free; you pay even for tea and coffee. I had "prudently" spent all of my Swiss francs and euros but had not yet acquired British pounds. All I had was US money. Surprise. EJ not only didn't want it, the flight attendant wouldn't take it.
A Barclay's ATM relieved my artificially inpecunious state a few minutes after arrival.
That is one other feature of international travel that is good to know. Some of the major US banks have overseas correspondent banks. For example, Bank of America and Barclays Bank have an agreement. Use of my BOA ATM card at Barclays was processed as an "on net" transaction, hence no fee.
In Canada, Scotia Bank is a correspondent with BOA. I get similar deals at those banks as well.
Not every bank has such arrangements, and sometimes I have found that learning who has which connections is difficult because the rank and file telephone answerers have no clue as to what you are talking about.
But my suggestions are don't load up on traveler's checks because they are not as easy to use in Europe as they are here. ATM's are plentiful. I have not had much trouble finding one even in small towns. Europe is more cash oriented than we are in the US, but credit cards of the Visa and MC type are widely accepted.
Nov 26th, 2005, 08:53 AM
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Hi Platzman,
No travelers check.
My travel wallet consists of:
*passport
*one credit card (visa)
*one ATM that is attached to our checking acct. (four digit numerical password)
*driver's license (although we are not usually driving but we choose to give that form of ID at museums if we want to rent the audio tours rather than our passports.)
*a few Euros to begin the trip, about 100. (we are just one of those couples that feels better traveling with a few Euros in our pocket, just enough to get us to our destination in case of emergency. Some do, some don't, it is just a personal preference.)
Happy travels, Tiff
No travelers check.
My travel wallet consists of:
*passport
*one credit card (visa)
*one ATM that is attached to our checking acct. (four digit numerical password)
*driver's license (although we are not usually driving but we choose to give that form of ID at museums if we want to rent the audio tours rather than our passports.)
*a few Euros to begin the trip, about 100. (we are just one of those couples that feels better traveling with a few Euros in our pocket, just enough to get us to our destination in case of emergency. Some do, some don't, it is just a personal preference.)
Happy travels, Tiff
Nov 26th, 2005, 10:15 AM
#4
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1- Cash (both US and the currency of the country I'm traveling to)
2- MBNA & AmEx cards
3- ATM card
4- My ID
5- a tiny vial of my favorite perfume
Alas, my wallet's not big enough to carry my passport, but it's hidden quiet well!
2- MBNA & AmEx cards
3- ATM card
4- My ID
5- a tiny vial of my favorite perfume
Alas, my wallet's not big enough to carry my passport, but it's hidden quiet well!
Nov 26th, 2005, 12:07 PM
#5
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I carry about $50-$100 in cash, a copy of my driver's license, and my subway tickets. That is ALL that goes in my wallet.
Everything else -- passport, credit cards, anything that would be a hassle to lose -- goes in my money belt. If I need to get into it, I duck into a restroom or private corner to get at it.
Traveler's checks are so old school, I can't think of a reason why I'd need them unless there was a satellite meltdown and I couldn't use my cards. In that case, it would be the least of my problems.
Happy travels,
Jules
Everything else -- passport, credit cards, anything that would be a hassle to lose -- goes in my money belt. If I need to get into it, I duck into a restroom or private corner to get at it.
Traveler's checks are so old school, I can't think of a reason why I'd need them unless there was a satellite meltdown and I couldn't use my cards. In that case, it would be the least of my problems.
Happy travels,
Jules
Nov 26th, 2005, 12:43 PM
#6
depending on where I'm traveling -
in wallet:
£50 - £100 or €50 - €100
1 credit card - usually Visa
driver's license if I'm driving - otherwise I leave it home
no TC's
perhaps a photocopy of my passport
in money belt:
any excess cash I might be carrying
2nd credit card
ATM card (<b>unless</b> I know I'm going to get cash that day - then it's in my wallet)
Passport
(maybe) $100 or $200 in TC's - but I don't fret if I didn't get a chance to pick up any TCs
US$ cash (if I have any)
in wallet:
£50 - £100 or €50 - €100
1 credit card - usually Visa
driver's license if I'm driving - otherwise I leave it home
no TC's
perhaps a photocopy of my passport
in money belt:
any excess cash I might be carrying
2nd credit card
ATM card (<b>unless</b> I know I'm going to get cash that day - then it's in my wallet)
Passport
(maybe) $100 or $200 in TC's - but I don't fret if I didn't get a chance to pick up any TCs
US$ cash (if I have any)
Nov 26th, 2005, 04:11 PM
#7
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Since I usually travel with my teenage son, I am responsible for making sure we always have money. I can't rely on another companion to bail me out if my ATM or Credit Card does not work. In my every day wallet I carry:
The days cash in local currency, usually a few hundred dollars, euros or etc.
One ATM card.
One credit card.
Drivers license for identification purposes with emergency contact info attached to the back.
Copy of passport.
Travel itineary.
In my travel wallet I have another ATM connected to a different account.
Another Credit Card.
Both of our passports.
Copy of letter authorizing me to take my son overseas with his fathers permission.
Train and plane tickets.
My son carries his drivers license, his ATM, travel itineary, $100 or so in local currency for emergency purposes only, cell phone, copy of his passport and emergency phone numbers in case something happens to mom. Have to give him the tools to deal with a problem if mom can't.
I try to pull the maximum out of the ATM each visit so we don't have to go very often. I have one $20.00 travelers check in my wallet left over from a trip to Morocco 7 years ago.
Hey you never know when it might come in handy.
The days cash in local currency, usually a few hundred dollars, euros or etc.
One ATM card.
One credit card.
Drivers license for identification purposes with emergency contact info attached to the back.
Copy of passport.
Travel itineary.
In my travel wallet I have another ATM connected to a different account.
Another Credit Card.
Both of our passports.
Copy of letter authorizing me to take my son overseas with his fathers permission.
Train and plane tickets.
My son carries his drivers license, his ATM, travel itineary, $100 or so in local currency for emergency purposes only, cell phone, copy of his passport and emergency phone numbers in case something happens to mom. Have to give him the tools to deal with a problem if mom can't.
I try to pull the maximum out of the ATM each visit so we don't have to go very often. I have one $20.00 travelers check in my wallet left over from a trip to Morocco 7 years ago.
Hey you never know when it might come in handy.
Nov 26th, 2005, 10:08 PM
#8
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If the question pertained to hip pocket wallet, then the answer is just about nothing. Not even my driver's license.
I take out as much as I can before leaving. I figure some of the stuff I carry here is useless over there.
I take out as much as I can before leaving. I figure some of the stuff I carry here is useless over there.
Nov 27th, 2005, 04:36 PM
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I always have about $100 equivalent in local currency. Yes I know I am paying a premium but I really love arriving and not worrying about an ATM ect while I am tired and jet lagged. I actually do a lot of travelling on business so I always have my own wallet with US$ as well as 2 other wallets with euros and British pounds. I throw the appropriate in my purse if I am travelling to the appropriate destination.
Nov 28th, 2005, 03:44 PM
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ATM from regular Bank Account:
Enough local currency from the destination to live on for 2 days (Usually around $500 worth).
A credit union savings account bank card for spending on the trip (this is my "vacation savings"
And a two credit cards for emergencies. We have had to use these, once a rental card charged us nearly $4,000 in error as a security deposit effectively wiping out our trip spending money.. they were going to reverse the charges but took a week to process... so we had to subsist on credit cards.. not fun.. but thank heaven we had 'em!
Enough local currency from the destination to live on for 2 days (Usually around $500 worth).
A credit union savings account bank card for spending on the trip (this is my "vacation savings"
And a two credit cards for emergencies. We have had to use these, once a rental card charged us nearly $4,000 in error as a security deposit effectively wiping out our trip spending money.. they were going to reverse the charges but took a week to process... so we had to subsist on credit cards.. not fun.. but thank heaven we had 'em!
