How do you split your currency

[Elaine Guidi]

Do people take lots of travellers cheques and a few dollars, or do people use Visa etc a lot and just some dollars for smaller expenses. I am trying to keep to a budget and therefore would like to take all our money in the form of travellers cheques in order to make it easier to keep control. But I keep thinking Visa would be safer. There are advantages and disadvantages for all alternatives. What experiences can anyone recommend. TY

 

[Tony Bush]

We take ours in travellers cheques (dollars of course!). Just a couple of hundred dollars of small notes and a credit card for emergencies but everyone is different, some take very little cash or cheques and live off the credit card - horses for courses really. I think travellers cheques if you are on a budget - we were last time and only took so much out with us each day.

Tony

 

[Claire L]

I take the majoriy of dollars as travellers cheques with a little bit of cash for arrival - tips etc. Then its credit card for big expenses. To be honest sometimes the exchange rate can go up whilst you are out there or decline its just chance as to which way it will go. Also with credit card each transaction attracts its own commission charge so taking money in one go such as travellers cheques cuts down on this. I must say taking the money does help to keep me on budget until the credit card escapes from my wallet!!!!
Claire

 

[janeossie]

I think it is very easy to get carried away with a credit card and end up coming home to a not very welcome present.

Last year we used a combination, but kept a track perhaps make a note every evening or if staying on Disney property and charging to your room get a regular printout.

I feel a little strange paying for say a just a burger and drink with a credit card. Perhaps this is a Brit thing?

 

[Olaf]

Originally posted by janeossie

I feel a little strange paying for say a just a burger and drink with a credit card. Perhaps this is a Brit thing?

That's the American way!

I do it all the time. My credit card gives me frequent flyer miles on American, so I use it for every thing (one mile for one dollar). Of course, I get a really nasty bill every month, but I pay it off entirely. Those interest rates will kill you.

 

[Scottish_Maleficent]

We always take most of our $'s in travellers cheques, with about $100 cash. We also have the credit card of course, but only use it occassionally, or for something big. I like having 'money' that i can see.....so I know how much I can spend, and usually budget to take out a certain amount of money each day.

 

[pegasusEH]

We set ourselves a "budget" and take a mixture of cash and travellers cheques but always take a credit card for any "must haves".

It would be very easy to overspend but you have to remember there is a limit to the amount you can carry and there is also a customs limit, which is pretty low, so you are limited on what you can spend anyway.

 

[Dimplenose]

We stayed at All Star Sport and used our credit card to enable us to charge on our room key. We had some travellers cheques to get cash (and because I don't like having all our money in one form). I think you can set a limit on your room key - but it's very easy to check at the desk what you've spent if you're worried about your spending.

We do nearly all our spending by credit card at home (we're fairly good at not overspending and pay it off every month) so it was no different on holiday.


Libby

 

[sam_b]

Don't forget that you can always withdraw cash (dollars) in any ATM using your Switch or Delta card.
I have found this to be as good, easy, efficient as using a credit card, the exchange rate is good and it makes me think about the money I'm spending a bit more as it comes from my current account at home.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

We take a small amount in cash, to pay for things like road tolls, snacks from the food carts dotted around the parks and other small items. For the rest we use a credit card. I think this gives us the best exchange rates (always seems to be better than buying cash or travellers cheques) and it is easy to carry around. Travellers Cheques are too inconvenient (eg carrying passport or other ID just in case you are asked) for my liking, and are more expensive than credit card or cash.

Of course, you have to be careful so as not to go overboard with a credit card, but for us this isn't a problem. We don't spend any more just because it is on plastic compared to 'real' money. You also have the advantage of paying for the bulk of your holiday after you return, rather than in advance as you would have to if buying dollars or Travellers Cheques.

Regards

Rob

 

[Elaine Guidi]

Don't forget that you can always withdraw cash (dollars) in any ATM using your Switch or Delta card.

Can you do this just as normal - ie you go to the machine - where are they located, all over the place or infrequently? You put in the card, PIN and get cash(dollars)? Is there a charge for this or not?

Also can anyone tell me how ofter do you need your passport to cash travellers cheques. We are staying off-site and would rather not take passports out with us. Can we just use travellers cheques like cash in the parks and around the WDW area or not?

 

[Disney owl]

We took & used a combination of all 3. A small amount of cash , majority of money in travellers cheques & of course we used our credit card.

Trav. chqs were so easy to use, both in Disney & outside,. We were only asked for our passport once at a sports discount shop.

I tried to remember to take our passports with us when we went shopping but didn't take them into the parks.


Sue

 

[Scottish_Maleficent]

We have never been asked for a passport when cashing travellers cheques...........and to be honest tend not to carry them around.

 

[kipper]

JUST A WARNING ABOUT USING THE CREDIT CARD
ON THE VERY LAST DAY OF OUR RECENT STAY WE USED THE CREDIT CARD TO PAY FOR SOME CIGARETTES AT THE AIRPORT(WE HAD USED ALL THE MONEY UP) THE COST CAME TO $37 BUT THE CASHIER ENTERED $370 BUT SOON REALISED HER MISTAKE AND THEN CREDITED BACK $370 AND THEN CHARGED US THE CORRECT AMOUNT. WELL ALL IS FINE UNTILL I GET MY CREDIT CARD BILL AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE OF £12 ODD NOT IN MY FAVOUR. ON CONTACTING THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY (EGG) THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE EXCHAGE RATE FOR DEBIT IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF CREDIT. SO MY CIGARETTES(AND I DONT EVEN SMOKE THERE XMAS PRSENTS) INSTEAD OF BEING £23 WERE £35.
SO BEWARE OF USING YOURE CREDIT CARD.

 

[BevS97]

we prefer to take travellers cheques, and the first year I split them up into daily envelopes, each day we would just take an envelope out of the safe, and we knew that we could spend what we had without worrying about running out of cash as we had tomorrows money stashed away in the safe, it worked really well.
Last year we weren't so organised and we used the credit card and ended up spending a lot more, so it will be back to the envelopes next year.

Bev

 

[JohnW]

Can you do this just as normal - ie you go to the machine - where are they located, all over the place or infrequently? You put in the card, PIN and get cash(dollars)? Is there a charge for this or not?

Yes, you do this just as you do in the UK, as long as your card has the Cirrus symbol on it. There are ATMs all over the place, in the supermarkets, at the parks etc. Yes there is a charge, usually a couple of dollars.

 

[Janice]

I'm an envelope person too! LOL

I take a mix of Cash/Travellers Cheques/Credit Card.

I usually have a small amount of change/dollar bills for immediate expenses like tips, trolley, tolls and probably $100 for immediate shopping requirements.

The rest is usually T/C's which I divide equally between the number of days and put a days worth in an envelope and like Bev, just take one envelope out each day. Usually, there is money left over at the end of the day, so this is just carried forward to the next day. We found every three or four days we were able to treat ourselves to a slap up meal or something - and even once had a 'free' day because we had not spent as much as we thought.

I like T/C's because you can bring them home and pay them back into your account (I get mine through the bank).

Credit cards I use for all gifts and other shopping - especially American Express which attacts discounts in certain places.