Post: #1

Is this advisable?

I live minimally here in US and avoid using credits. I have a debit card.

I'm planning to go Colombia/Peru. Will this bite me in the ass? What if I lose my debit card-- how will I access my account?

Prob is I have to wait for a credit card to get processed and mailed and I have opportunity to travel now. Should I wait?

Post: #2

no its not advisable. you could get amex travellers checks i guess though.

amex is the best because if you lose your card they will wire you money as long as you give them a call and provide some security info. they wire you like 400 dollars to get your ass to safety.

amex isnt taken as many places as visa but visa sucks, and good luck trying to dispute a charge on visa.

amex will approve u in a week and literally overnight you a new card. good luck getting visa to do that.

from a consumer standpoint theres no better card than amex, from a biz owner standpoint, amex is the worst card. lol.

if u have to leave today get amex travellers checks.

Post: #3

I have travelled internationally many times without a credit card. Most of the times I have travelled with a credit card, I have not used it. I try to avoid using credit cards at all costs, but I like to carry a card in case of emergency. It would, of course, be best to get a credit card before travelling. As HiFlo said, although American Express is not preferred by merchants, it is preferable in some other ways. If you can't get a credit card before you go, travellers checks would be a good idea. What I typically do is before I leave, withdraw half of the amount of cash which I plan to spend and bring an ATM card. If something happens to the card, I will still have the cash which I brought. I may just have to spend a little less. I keep the cash in a safe deposit box. Most international hotel rooms I stay in have a safe deposit box. Often when the room doesn't have one, the hotel lobby does.

Post: #4

I have travelled all over south america without a credit card. I brought two debit cards with me just in case I lost one. The only time I needed a credit card was to book an online flight back home. For that I just used my brother's cc information. Otherwise the atms were fine. I was charged maybe $5 per transaction so I would take out a lot of money at one time to avoid using the atm frequently. Cash is common in s.america.

I thought it would be risky also to not have a cc but really it's not a big deal. Possibly if you wanted to book with airbnb it might be an issue. With hostels i did not usually need to reserve in advance and if i did, usually an email was sufficient to confirm.

Post: #5

(12-05-2012 03:58 PM)intense Wrote:  I have travelled all over south america without a credit card. I brought two debit cards with me just in case I lost one. The only time I needed a credit card was to book an online flight back home. For that I just used my brother's cc information. Otherwise the atms were fine. I was charged maybe $5 per transaction so I would take out a lot of money at one time to avoid using the atm frequently. Cash is common in s.america.

I thought it would be risky also to not have a cc but really it's not a big deal. Possibly if you wanted to book with airbnb it might be an issue. With hostels i did not usually need to reserve in advance and if i did, usually an email was sufficient to confirm.

What about carrying that amount of cash with you -- was that ever an issue?

Post: #6

get a visa card just so you can make deposits at hotel. Thats all i use it for. I use a money-belt that you put under your clothes to carry my cash and stay in 4/5 star hotels w/safes. cheers!

Post: #7

Prepaid Visa maybe? You don't have to be approved, doesn't affect your credit but works just like a normal CC

Post: #8

Get a prepaid card. Acts exactly like a credit card but you load it with cash beforehand. You can even get 2 or 3. It's actually perfect for travel; you load however much you want via their online payment site, and then you have that amount on your card to spend. If you need more, load more from your account. Means you dont need to ever use your debit card abroad

Dunno the situ in america, but in the UK you can get good prepaid travel cards that have decent rates and no ATM fees (although sometimes the country charges you a "foreign card" rate like Thailand, which takes a whopping $5 per transaction)

Another ATM tip: if it offers to "withdraw in your home currency", the rate is almost certainly gonna be worse than what you get on your travel CC or prepaid-CC.

Post: #9

I've never seen a prepaid visa that works internationally. Better double check that.

Post: #10

(12-06-2012 02:02 AM)maccc Wrote:  I've never seen a prepaid visa that works internationally. Better double check that.

I've got two prepaid mastercards aimed at travellers - http://www.fairfx.com, although they might be UK only. I'd just search "prepaid travel card", there's surely something for the US market.

Post: #11

(12-05-2012 04:28 PM)manilaguy Wrote:  

(12-05-2012 03:58 PM)intense Wrote:  I have travelled all over south america without a credit card. I brought two debit cards with me just in case I lost one. The only time I needed a credit card was to book an online flight back home. For that I just used my brother's cc information. Otherwise the atms were fine. I was charged maybe $5 per transaction so I would take out a lot of money at one time to avoid using the atm frequently. Cash is common in s.america.

I thought it would be risky also to not have a cc but really it's not a big deal. Possibly if you wanted to book with airbnb it might be an issue. With hostels i did not usually need to reserve in advance and if i did, usually an email was sufficient to confirm.

What about carrying that amount of cash with you -- was that ever an issue?

It's not really an issue. Usually I left most of the money where i was staying in a hostel locker or apt. So I wasn't walking around with this money. Most people people walking around in the streets would have more cash on them then me. It's a cash society.

Post: #12

With my bank i have a "Travelers Credit Card" it's a perfect hybrid.
It behaves like a credit card when using it for online purchases and such but you dont have a preset "limit" you load funds on it through online banking. And because its with my bank i dont have to go through a 3rd party to load it. It takes about 2 minutes to transfer funds on my phone.

Post: #13

I have traveled around the world for 2.8 years and through 42 countries and only used the credit card to book flights. The rest is all debet card. There are ATM's everywhere, even in poor shithole countries.

There are Western Union offices everywhere in case you lose your card. Leave some emergency money with your family.

Traveler checks are rip offs. Avoid them. Bring cash if you want to be sure.

Have 20 dollars in 5 dollar notes in your bag/suitcase in case you loose everything (but your bag). You can also hide it on your body somewhere. It's enough to eat for a day (survival mode, so cheap fast food or cookies and a bottle of water) and make some phone calls and/or take a bus somewhere (preferably a Western Union bank to get your emergency cash)

Post: #14

Can someone explain why a credit card would be so important? From that way I see it, a debit card is just a card that can't go into negative numbers. If you lose your card, you're fucked either way. And if you're so low on money that you might need to go into negative numbers to save yourself and whatnot, perhaps you need to rethink your plans.

Post: #15

Debit card = if you lose it, someone has a card with direct access to your personal bank account. Or if it gets cloned, same thing. Or if you make a purchase on a dodgy online site abroad, etc.

Credit cards have much more fraud protection in place. You can nearly always get back money that's come out fraudulently. Even your bank will recommend you use a credit card instead of a debit card. The best option is a prepaid travel card, 100%.

Post: #16

Heres what I had in my wallet- 100-200 dollars (THB equivalent) cash. put 1kbaht behidn my iphone case (emergency cab/bribe money). Passport copy in wallet.

Passport/Credit Cards/ main stash of money- 4/5 star hotel safe. A buddy used a giant luggage w/a lock. Unlikely that theyll take the whole luggage.

Post: #17

I haven't used credit cards in about 7 years, though I plan on getting one when I go back to the states just to build my credit up. I'll only use it when I can pay it off right away. On all of my international trips I've never used a card. My advice is to try and bring cash out whenever possible. The only time I take my debit card out is when I'm going to the ATM to take money out. After that I usually walk directly home and put the card back and take as much money as I need out. At least this is how I do it while traveling in South America. I was robbed a couple weeks ago, and thank god I didn't have my card on my otherwise I wouldn't have any way to get money out of my account.

Post: #18

I have a credit card but hardly every use it, debit cards all the way.

Post: #19

If you are traveling and using airbnb, what are your standard places to hide cash? I don't really want to walk with my money strapped to me.

In a nice hotel, I trust the safe but seeking ideas for places without a safe. Thanks.

Post: #20

(07-29-2015 01:36 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  If you are traveling and using airbnb, what are your standard places to hide cash? I don't really want to walk with my money strapped to me.

In a nice hotel, I trust the safe but seeking ideas for places without a safe. Thanks.

Probably not the answer you're looking for, but if I didn't have a credit card, but I did have my no-fee ATM card, and I was worried about cash theft, I'd simply keep only the necessary cash on me, and make frequent ATM withdrawals.

Post: #21

I would definitely suggest you take a credit card if you can can and carry that around leave your debit card at the hotel in the safe unless your going to the ATM. You'd be better off losing the cc than a debit card, or having your debit card compromised.....

Post: #22

Credit cards are good to avoid having a "deposit" being charged at a hotel. With a CC the hold is gone instantly while with a debit it might take 2-3 days or up to a week.

Post: #23

I'm using straight cash everywhere I go. CC for my big purchases but most of the time those are done ahead of time.

Post: #24

I'm bringing credit cards but cash is more convenient. Looking for ideas on how you stash your cash, etc.

Post: #25

No wads of cash, 2 no-fee ATM cards. One on you, the other hidden in the room. Credit cards for expensive things, cash for cheap stuff.

I wouldn't worry too much about an AirBnb rental, most often these rentals are a business and your stuff won't be at risk.