converters and money
 

I am going to australia in may and have two question. I have an ATM card through my local bank. Can I use that ATM card to get money out in australia. Is there a limit to how much money I can take out in one day. I have a four digit pin. This is not a debit card it is only to withdraw money from my checking acct. Also will I need any thing special to plug my hair dryer into to the outlet such as either a converter or adapter. Last question. We will be staying at the Peninsula hotel in port douglas. Is anyone familiar with that hotel. Hope to get answers to all of these questions. Thanks for you help.

Most ATM networks (Cirrus, Accel, Plus, Exchange) extend to Australia. You should be able to take out the same amount of money that you were able to in the States. I thought that a debit card WAS a card for withdrawing money from your checking account.<BR><BR>Check to see if your hair dryer has a switch to convert it to 220 volts. If so, you only need a simple plug adapter that you can get in many travel or electronics stores. If not, you would have to buy a voltage converter. You would need to buy a heavy-duty one to handle the wattage of a hair dryer. If that is the sole reason to buy a voltage converter, it might be more sensible and cost-effective just to buy a 220-volt hair dryer when you get there.<BR><BR>I have not stayed in the Peninsula Hotel, but it sure looks nice. Great views, nice beach nearby, and a beautiful pool.

We travel all over the world - and have never had an issue with an ATM card - including Fiji and New Zealand a few months ago. For a hairdryer, if you're going to be there for awhile - I'd just buy one there...it's just easier....

Every hotel/motel that we stayed at had hair dryers. I was told that our hair dryers would NOT work with converters. <BR><BR>Your aTM card is really a debit card but it probably is not a credit card. You can probably withdraw from your checking account approx $300. at a time depending on your bank's policy. Using an ATM machine in Australia was as similar as stateside as possible. There's also ATM's everywhere!<BR><BR>Have a great time!! Wish I were going back...

I,too, have traveled all over the world, but I have occasionally had problems with ATMs. Most of the time they work beautifully, but sometimes machines inexplicably eat cards. Sometimes they are out of order or run out of money, particularly on holiday weekends. You could also lose your ATM card or have it stolen (hopefully not!)<BR><BR>For these reasons, I suggest you have an alternate source of funds available such as a credit card and a small amount of cash or traveler's checks in case of emergency. Have a wonderful time in Australia!