St Cirq, they stole your breakfast right off of your plate? Now that is something to make one pause. Should we be guarding our food now when we dine al fresco, makes for an amusing image.

This thread was so interesting! I think it just goes to show how differently we generally feel about carrying cash.
I'm a cash kind of girl and use credit cards only for internet and major purchases. Most days I walk around with more cash on me than you guys talk about taking on vacation. I never realized I was so abnormal!

We've had to bring over 1200E ("cash payment on arrival, please") for an apt. once. It made DW a little nervous, so we each carried half.

This is an interesting question. I am known for never carrying any cash at home. I have always used my card. I like the convienence of having it pulled right out of my checking account.

I do take some cash while traveling though. I use the local currency for "small purchases" like my daily meals and tips. If I purchase something more expensive I put it on my card.

I think that while I was in the UK I only had about 300 pounds with me. And that was for almost two weeks.

I do use a neck pouch for my passport and one chrge card and the bulk of my cash. If I am wearing a looser fitting shirt I wear it across my chest, like you see some women wearing a pocket book, but under my shirt. It hits under my left arm. It is fine in the winter between my t shirt and over shirt. If it is summer time I wear it in the small of my back or tacked into my skirt or pants. I really do not understand why people think that they are so obvious. It is made of silk and I don't find it uncomfortable.

Usually if I go somewhere that takes credit, I just put it on my card. I use the cash when credit is not available. I hardly ever go over my budget, and I think that keeping track of what comes out of my account helps me do that. If I do decide to purchase or go over my budget and charge something, that is the card that is kept in my neck pouch. That requires me to take a time out and get it. If I have to take the time to do that I usually come to my senses and don't spend it.

I think that the time that pick pokects would try for a neck pouch is if you are reaching into it in full view of the public and they then know that it is there.

I keep the few dollars that I want for purchases in my back pack in the inside zippered pocket. which is also safety pinned.

Marci- Hello from another cash carrier! While I use ATM's often and credit cards only for major expenses my reasoning is you will never be stuck if you have local currency. It's a sure bet.

If I am wearing jeans, I put bigger bills, folded or rolled into my front pocket. If someone has their hand in there, they had better know me rather well! Smaller bills and ones go into a small purse inside my handbag, which always gets carried bandolier-style across my body and in the front.

I carry as much cash as I can bear to part with if it's stolen...this makes me feel much more relaxed! For me in Europe that meant carrying about 250 euros at a time until it was spent.

I can;t believe you guys carry so much cash. We do the same as at home: pay for everything possible with credit cards and never carry more than about $200 in cash each. When it gets down to about $50 we go and get more from the ATM. Meaning we go maybe twice per week.

(Caveat: I also always have about $100 US mad money - but in the hotel - not with me.)

And we don't use any money pouches, secret pockets etc - just regular wallets (mine in my purse - his in his jacket pocket - or front pants pocket. And in more than 60 trips - we've never had any trouble.

We usually withdraw 200 euros at a time and carry it split between the 2 of us. I don't use a money belt or neck pouch, just carry a regular purse. The passports and sometimes extra credit cards stay in the hotel safe. I prefer to carry only what I need when I'm out during the day. Over a 15 year span, I've had 2 unsuccessful pickpocket attempts, one in Paris, another in Italy.

suze,
If you contact the credit card company, they should be able to replace the stolen card while you're traveling, although I agree that you shouldn't rely on any one source of funds. I don't usually carry all of my cards with me, so it'll be only 1 or 2 cards at most that's stolen. You don't have to pay any of the fraudulent charges so I'm not sure what you mean by waiting for reimbursement. Usually a temporary credit gets posted to my account which gets changed to a permanent credit when their investigation is finished. I've never been out any money and have always continued to use my card as usual.

Patty, I understand, but contacting my credit card company from Europe is about the last thing I want to be dealing with on vacation.

The equivalent of $200 is my comfort level when it comes to carrying cash, whether at home or abroad. Any more than that, I start appearing really nervous and shifty-eyed, constantly patting the place on my body where my wallet happens to be. Either the pickpockets will sense this and go for the kill, or the police will arrest me for suspicious behavior.
So, I continue to dwell with the $200- or-less crowd.

"Too obvious" or not, has anyone ever heard of someone having money/valuables stolen out of a neck pouch while it was around someone's neck?

The breakfast off the plate doesn't surprise me..obviously the food must have looked pretty good or the thieves were really hungry...the starving will eat anything.

This is a really interesting read. So far we have only travelled in Asia but are planning our 1st European trip. We only ever use our credit cards in an emergency as we have been warned about credit card scams. I don't want to arrive home and find a whole lot of purchases and charges I didn't make. I have only read one other post about this, isn't it a problem in Europe?

It can occure in europe - as anyplace else - but it's really quite rare. No reason not to use your credit cards.

And if you're worried about fraudulent use there's no need to wait til you get home to check your account. If you don;t want to take your laptop with you just go to the nearest internet cafe and check your account on-line when you look at your email.

The answer, of course, is to use your credit cards for every purchase, no matter how small, where credit cards are accepted.

Several years ago, there was a strike by the drivers who brought currency to banks. Some people still mistakenly believe this strike only affected ATM's; actually there was a shortage of currency throughout the country. What happened is many businesses dropped their asinine regulations regarding minimum purchases with a credit card and life went on.

The metro takes credit cards for fares as low as a single ride (€1,20) and most moderate restaurants take credit cards. What places do you need cash? Small bistros for a coffee, tabacs for phone cards?

Luckily for me, my bank does not charge for ATM withdrawals so I walk around with no more than €30 at a time and use my credit cards everywhere for everything....

May not, I admit, be practical for you because of the high ATM fees but to me, this is still the best way to handle money while travelling.

$ 500. No pickpocket can get the better of me.

My observation from many money discussion threads is most people tend to do what they do at home. Cash people travel with cash. ATMers continue their every few day withdrawls. Credit card users stick with that. Not right or wrong, I just sense we are mostly creatures of habit.

Having just returned from Tokyo, I carried lots more cash there than in Europe. Taxis were very expensive (typically about $8- $20 per trip) and had to be paid in cash. Most train (or metro) ticket machines preferred cash to my debit card, another cash drain. In Europe we mostly walked everywhere, with a taxi home at the end of a long day. Different places, different cash strategies.

But I must say I didn't mind carrying $400- $500 in cash in Japan. Pickpocketing does not seem to be a problem in that very civilized city.

kwsl,
Regarding your experiences in Japan, I feel the same. I routinely cashed travelers checks for about $500 equivalent in yen, then carried the cash around until used up. There are some places in Tokyo and Yokohama where I would be cautious about pickpockets and thieves, but on the whole, I felt much safer on my travels in most of Japan. Of course, the Japanese habit of carrying relatively large cash wads around while traveling has made the Japanese traveler a target elsewhere, which is unfortunate.
How I miss cities like Kobe and Nagasaki, where you have to really actively do something stupid to be in danger!

VanCity Credit Union out here in BC also charges $3.00 for foreign ATM w/d. I assume that is standard for credit unions.
But look at it this way, what is another $3 when it comes to your comfort level? Or if you are going to get taken. $3...$5... peanuts