money questions
 

I have a few hundred $ worth of Brazilian currency to start our trip with..but wondered if
we should bring US $ or CDN $ (we are Canadian) for exchange or rely more
on ATM's. Our trip is pretty much prepaid, but will still want spending money
and want to avoid using credit cards. We will be in Iguassu Falls/Rio/Brasilia, then
on the Iberostar Amazon.

Thanks for all opinions.

ATMs are the way to go, using your debit card. If you have several debit cards check to see which one has the smallest fees for foreign currency, there's a lot of variability. ATMs are everywhere in the cities and airports.

Thanks. I will take your advice.

I had trouble finding ATMs that worked in Rio and Sao Paulo. It takes several tries and often only one ATM in the bank accepted foreign cards. Even one that worked one day, would not work the next, so when you withdraw money keep that in mind.

One thing to remember is that most ATMs ask you to swipe your card twice, once to start the transaction and a second time to confirm the transaction.

I just got back from Argentina/Brazil Sep 5.

I would bring US dollars. If you use dollars you avoid the ATM charges from the ATM's bank as well as your bank PLUS the foreign transaction fee.

The only thing I used my credit card for was the dinner bill at the Sheraton Iguazu. (Don't eat there! See my trip report.)

If you are staying at the Sheraton in Iguazu Falls there is only one ATM. It is at the park entrance. The park entrance is quite a hike from the hotel.

Most everyone we delt with in Argentina & Brazil wanted US dollars anyway.

We used local currency for small purchases & taxis. We used USD for everything else.

Each time you exchange currency you get hit by a transaction fee, regardless of whether you do it using an ATM or a currency counter that deals in cash. Generally your bank gives you a better exchange rate, even with fees, than does a currency counter whose fees are taken from a lower conversion rate. If you have several debit cards use the one with lowest fees. Ask before you go. In three weeks in Brazil we never encountered a situation where US dollars were the preferred currency. If a shop accepts foreign currency it usually gives you a bad exchange rate. If you tip in dollars the recipient has to pay a fee to convert them to local currency. You also don't want to carry large amounts of cash with you. Have a great trip.

"NEVER" pay in Brazil or Argentina with USDollars! Convert to the local currency and pay with that. The people asking for Dollars will rip you off on the exchange rate.

Don't worry about credit cards. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at almost any place, because all brazilian banks have them as their standard for debit and credit cards. I agree with Rioboud, you MUST use only brazilian Reais (R$). Actually US$1,00=R$1,80, and you can change your dollars in any regular exchange agency. For ATMs, use Banco do Brasil agencies.

I agree with Riobound!! DON'T pay with US Dollars. I went to Rio, Sau Paulo and Brasilia last year and it was always awkward paying with dollars. Do it if you don't have any other choice (ATMs not working, too far etc etc), but it would be wise to just do a few big withdrawals rather than using ATMs when you need it. Like K_brklyn said, sometimes, ATMs will not be working or you won't find one that will accept your card (also, you have to worry about the foreign transaction fees). So to stay safe, take out enough money (you also don't want to take too much because there is a always the possibility of you getting mugged) that would last you for a while, like a couple of weeks. Plan ahead.
__________________________________
http://www.carnation-inc.com/ - currency counter

This web page has the info you are looking for-

http://www.rio-de-janeiro-travel-inf...-vacation.html