Getting money
 

My daughter is arrivng in S.America next week. We are getting different information re getting cash. If she uses an ATM can she get US dollars out of machine? If she takes US dollar travellers cheques can she get US dollars for them?
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Linda

Lyndy: You indicated that your daughter is traveling to South America, but you didn't indicate where. The only country wher she is likely to get US dollars out of an ATM is Panama, because the US dollar is the local currency there. Other countries will dispense their own local currencies. I strongly recommend against taking US traveller's checks to most Latin American countries A) because they are not widely accepted and B) when they are accepted the exchange rate is terrible. Your daughter would be better off using an ATM to withdraw local currency and paying for items in local cash, or in more developed countries, paying for meals and lodging with her credit card, which will usually give the best exchange rate.

I'm wondering if there is a specific reason she needs to have U.S. dollars in South America (maybe paying for a tour or something)? Otherwise, why wouldn't you want to just be getting the currency of the country?

Using her bank's online ATM locator may help.
Some ATMs offer USD and local currency.
I agree with suze's question.
Make certain she takes a small calculator. Can't tell you how many times I was asked to loan mine to the person standing next to me someplace foreign.

We were able to get both U.S. dollars & sles out of ATMs in Peru. Sometimes we paid in dollars but I cannot imagine why you would not use the local currency.

WE just returned from peru where we had a great deal of difficulty getting money from ATMs. We were in Cusco and needed cash to pay the balance of our Inca Trail trek. We tried several ATM machines and none would work. We were using a bank card on the Plus network and the machines all said they would work with Plus, but they didn't. Two days later we were able to get money from a BCP bank ATM machine. The machine gives you a choice of US dollars or soles, but in reality, it would only give us soles. We were able to get dollars in Lima. Make sure you have a Visa or Mastercard ATM - they should work.

Thanks everyone who replied.
She is starting off in Brazil (Rio), and going on 6 week tour ending in Peru.(lima)
She needs to give 650 US dollars in cash to guide before leaving on tour. As you can imagine I am not happy with her carrying so much cash when I hear that pocket picking is very common. Thus my questions about US dollars!!

Linda

Same as anyplace in the world, if a person "telegraphs" the location of the money - a proficient thief will notice. Maybe she takes a money belt and wears it inside her clothing? I never put all my cash in one pocket. Maybe she knows to leave her jewelry and her "costume jewelry" in her travel bag (if not at home) until she is out of the streets and the airport, especially.

Is there a reason they will not accept a credit card - that will offer some protection in case of a problem? Just thinking out loud here...

I have seen a similar question posted before. The situation is someone from the UK, needing to pay U.S. cash, lump sum at the beginning of a tour (I believe the last post was for Yucatan peninsula in Mexico). And -no- they wouldn't accept charge cards, travelers checks, or payment in peso.

Therefore this need to have a chunk of U.S. cash first off.

I'm guessing the best solution is either take the money in cash wearing a money belt under her clothing. Or contact a major bank where you could be certain of availability of U.S. bills to exchange travelers checks.

The ATM thing sounds "iffy" and you couldn't get that much in 1 transaction anyway. Usual daily limits set by your own home bank are often only ~$300USD worth.

Be aware that any US dollars she may bring need to be new bills, with no tears.
- Sharon

Last May, we also had trouble with ATMs in Lima and Cusco. In Cusco, one of the main roads off the square is lined with banks. We walked several blocks, trying each one until we finally found one that worked.

Then bring dollars instead and exchange them downthere. There are lots lots of exchange places to go to in Lim and in Cuzco. You can even pay in dollars in some places.