Disney and $$$$$ what do you do or take

[youngb]

Just curious how you get an american cc. Do I need to open an american account. I have a trip to disney and mexico this year so it would be realy good to just have an american cc, since my cc charges change fees plus exchange.

 

[joandegennaro]

Just curious how you get an american cc. Do I need to open an american account. I have a trip to disney and mexico this year so it would be realy good to just have an american cc, since my cc charges change fees plus exchange.

Not an American credit card. A US$ credit card from a Canadian bank. This way you are not subject to the additional fees they charge in converting as well as the exchange. We have a US $ account and we buy when the exchange rate is good. This way we are able to pay off the credit card which you pay in $US.

 

[Tecbot]

i have carried cash, credit cards and traveller cheques with me. My parents bought a place in florida near frost proof and locals would get tired of me using traveller cheques all the time as it would empty there tills so i stopped bringing them but everywhere in the parks and tourist areas takes them no problem though so if thats the only area your are in they are useful. I dont spend enough time there to warrant having a bank account near the place in florida just to store money/set up a atm card or get credit card or at my bank as they charge fees for everything so only thing left for me is cash and credit cards even though sometimes i spend a month to 3 months in florida a year. I normally just toss a grand or two on my credit card through online banking and bring a wad of cash and im good for a month or two in florida, good to have alternatives though as ive had my credit card locked while in florida for suspisious spending i guess in a different country and didnt bring enough cash one year..not thats its a big deal got card unlocked after a 5 minute phone call but some people do over react to small bumps while travelling.

I tried the pre-paid cc they work some places and some they dont problem with them is they arnt registered to a address or anything on most of them so its ymmv on where they will work, if you want to use them online they wont work 95%+ of the time either because of the registration issue it doesnt match up with shipping address so it will deny order. They have a issue that i dont like just like travellers cheques and both have fees to buy....

I used to use travellers cheques first, cash second then resort to cc for big purchases as i didnt walk around with lots of money everyday I would bring a set limit of what i wanted to spend daily and always was under it unless a emergency happened and thats what backup cc was for.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We charge pretty much every thing to our Amex...it gives us Airmiles so it's worth it to us to do it that way. Aside from the Ames we pay cash and yes we often will have $500 + in cash but we do divide it up between the two of us and our kids. The kids are older so no issue with them carrying a little money.

 

[DTFVolunteer]

By pre-paid credit cards, I assume people are talking about the ones you can buy in stores that are very similar to gift cards - ie have pre-set amounts and fees associated.

BMO does offer a pre-paid MasterCard that works exactly like a regular MasterCard, and I believe it also has the same protection that a regular MasterCard does (zero liability). The card is offered for a one time fee of $9.95, which gets a three year pre-paid card. The limit is whatever you pre-pay onto it (the sky's the limit). The card does have the same charges as a regular Canadian credit card (they do mark up their exchange rate, which is where a USD MasterCard comes in handy) and to take cash out at ATM's it is treated like a cash withdrawl (I think it's a $3 fee each withdrawl). The cards are embossed with your name and are registered to your address etc.

The last few times I went to Montana, we have not been able to use our debit cards at any stores, most don't even have pin pads. Getting gas is also oh, so much fun since the pay at the pump machines ask for a zip code, not a pin number. I have to guesstimate how much gas I need and pre-pay inside before filling. If I overestimate, I have to go back into the store to get a refund on the difference.

Word of advice: if you do get a new credit card -USD or otherwise- make sure you set up your PIN before you go - I forgot to set up my PIN on my USD card and couldn't use it when I was on vacation :

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