ATMs in Egypt?
Nov 5th, 2003, 03:50 PM
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ATMs in Egypt?
We're leaving for Cairo and a Nile trip on Nov. 29. The tour operator says that there is only one ATM in Cairo and none elsewhere in Egypt. If you been there, what has your experience been? Are there ATMs in airports or major hotels?
Nov 6th, 2003, 02:17 AM
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I would not want to contradict tour operator - they are much more likely to have current info than me. But we used several ATMs in Cairo (just to see if they worked!). Also, if you go to Google and type in ATMs in Egypt there are several useful sites with ATM info.
That said, perhaps your tour operator knows something useful - you might want to take travelers checks. We used credit cards in many places in Egypt and it was just as easy as in US
That said, perhaps your tour operator knows something useful - you might want to take travelers checks. We used credit cards in many places in Egypt and it was just as easy as in US
Nov 6th, 2003, 03:56 AM
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Joe -
As I mentioned in previous posts, the exchange rate in Egypt is set by the government, so whether you convert USD at hotel, shop, ATM (if you find one), the rate is the same, so the advantage of using ATMs (as it is in many other countries doesn't apply here).
Upon arrival at airport we converted about $100 into Egyptian funds, and another time at one of our hotels = same rate.
When making purchases of souvenirs we used local currency and/or USD depending on what we had; for large purchases or dinner at hotel or restaurant used Credit Cards. For tipping at hotels and on Nile Cruise we used USD as these recipients had easy access to convert to local currency.
So while many of us have become accustomed to using ATMs it isn't necessary in Egypt. As to Travelers Checks, while I might take some with me, it is only for "in case of an emergency", and thankfully never had to use and simply redeposit in bank upon arrival home. - Enjoy your trip!
As I mentioned in previous posts, the exchange rate in Egypt is set by the government, so whether you convert USD at hotel, shop, ATM (if you find one), the rate is the same, so the advantage of using ATMs (as it is in many other countries doesn't apply here).
Upon arrival at airport we converted about $100 into Egyptian funds, and another time at one of our hotels = same rate.
When making purchases of souvenirs we used local currency and/or USD depending on what we had; for large purchases or dinner at hotel or restaurant used Credit Cards. For tipping at hotels and on Nile Cruise we used USD as these recipients had easy access to convert to local currency.
So while many of us have become accustomed to using ATMs it isn't necessary in Egypt. As to Travelers Checks, while I might take some with me, it is only for "in case of an emergency", and thankfully never had to use and simply redeposit in bank upon arrival home. - Enjoy your trip!
Nov 6th, 2003, 12:43 PM
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Hi Joe:
I checked with the ATM Locator option on the VISA web site and it lists 117 ATMs in Cairo alone (7 at the airport).
While I've never been to Egypt, in the past year or so I've been to several countries (travel.masterpiece-cs.com). I've always looked up the locations of the ATMs near my hotel or along the travel route on the VISA ATM locator has always been very accurate (even for small towns in Kenya).
What your tour operator may have meant was that there may only be 1 ATM in all of Egypt that accepts/provides US cash (as those generally rare), but virtually all would allow you to get local currency from your US account.
Additionally, if you happen to be a BoA customer in the US look out for Barclay branches/ATMs in Egypt as they would provide your most favourable exchange rates/transaction fees(http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/conten..._LIDen,00.html).
Enjoy the trip.
Later,
Z
I checked with the ATM Locator option on the VISA web site and it lists 117 ATMs in Cairo alone (7 at the airport).
While I've never been to Egypt, in the past year or so I've been to several countries (travel.masterpiece-cs.com). I've always looked up the locations of the ATMs near my hotel or along the travel route on the VISA ATM locator has always been very accurate (even for small towns in Kenya).
What your tour operator may have meant was that there may only be 1 ATM in all of Egypt that accepts/provides US cash (as those generally rare), but virtually all would allow you to get local currency from your US account.
Additionally, if you happen to be a BoA customer in the US look out for Barclay branches/ATMs in Egypt as they would provide your most favourable exchange rates/transaction fees(http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/conten..._LIDen,00.html).
Enjoy the trip.
Later,
Z
Nov 6th, 2003, 02:56 PM
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I was in Cairo in October, and Sharm in May. I easily found ATMs at the hotels and tourist areas.
Tip: If you need USD in the middle of the night, try using your credit card to get cash at the casinos.
Tip: If you need USD in the middle of the night, try using your credit card to get cash at the casinos.
Nov 9th, 2003, 03:31 PM
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Thanks to you all. It looks like we don't need to go to the bother of buying traveler's checks. We've gotten out of the habit over the last decade, and it nice not to have to go back to an old technology.
