Will be in SW Australia for 3 weeks. With what can we get the best exchange for Australian dollars? We're not ATMers.

Hi, Brian! Just to make things even more complicated for you, I have noticed when doing things in reverse to your needs (we needed US dollars or travellers' cheques) that WHERE you exchange is equally as important as WHAT you bring to exchange. Banks don't all offer the same rate, Thomas Cook and American Express offer less-favourable rates than most of the banks, and some of the smaller bureaux de change have an astronomical profit margin. So, whatever you bring, be prepared to do some comparison shopping. On the whole, I think that US dollars would win hands down over the alternatives, but maybe others will contradict this with first-hand experiences.

just use your credit card...they are accepted practically everywhere and they give the best exchange rate. Take some cash or traveler checks for incidentals such as bus fare, etc The exchange rate is so good I wouldn't worry about a few pennies here or there.<BR>Have a great time!

Suzy,<BR><BR>Just learned our VISA bank will hit us with a 3% conversion surcharge for any transaction outside the U.S.<BR>

I just phoned VISA, and they told me they charge a conversion fee of 1.8%!! I asked to have it eliminated and they said no. So it doesn't seem to be beneficial to use our Visa card outside our country(Canada).

didn't know about that...my citibank mastercard DOES NOT charge for foreign charges to my card.

ALL credit cards charge a fee when you use them in foreign countries - some up to 3%. This sounds a huge amount but their basic exchange rate is a lot lower than if you do a travelers check conversion. We always use ATM and credit card (not for cash advance) and it works very well and we do not lose on the conversion. Sometimes you may gain depending on the volatility of the exchange rate. Brian you may want to consider becoming an ATMer for the duration of this trip. Do remember that most foreign ATM machines do not give you the choice of what account to withdraw funds from - so see that you have funds in a primary checking account. Suzie my citibank card does charge, but you never see that charge as it is built in to the conversion.

OK, I guess you're correct...however if it's built in I never noticed because I still got better than what I would have if I was exchanging money while there. Plus, using a credit card is so much easier. And you get airmiles, too

At the risk of repeating myself, I think if Suzie got a better exchange rate on her Citibank card, it was because she was comparing with one of the most expensive bureaux de change, which are to be avoided. When I went to the US I used all three: dollars, travellers cheques, and (occasionally, for convenience) a Mastercard. The conversion rate at the Commonwealth Bank was around 0.53. The Mastercard statement quoted it at around 0.49, which cost me a lot. I agree with the above correspondents that a credit card is wonderfully convenient, but I think there is no doubt that you will pay dearly for that convenience... it stands to reason; if it were as cheap as the alternatives, why would anyone do it any other way? But, basically, Suzie was spot-on with her first advice: if you're coming to Australia from the US, you will find that everything is half-price anyway, thanks to our lousy dollar, so you will probably be too busy congratulating yourself on buying a thousand-acre cattle ranch with what you had in your pocket to worry too much about the difference between exchange rates!

We were in Australia last June, and found the best rate was in Honolulu. The exchangers and Banks here all have great rates as they want to get rid of their Aus Dollars! <BR>I noted the rates at several banks and exchangers in Aus and later compared that with the rates I got on my Visa card bill. We definitely saved by using the credit card. Many places in Aus have a steep exchange 'fee' in addition to the exchange rate, and I wasn't even taking that into account when I compared the rates. <BR>US Dollars seemed to get a better exchange rate than US travellers checks.