I am a bit out of touch re currency etc

[pigby]

Last year and the year before we had free dining so it was great to take less 'spends' than normal. We just took cash and last year one or two travellers cheques left over from the year before.

This year we are off to LA and for 3 weeks so will need much more spending money.

What is your preferred method of taking money over there? Do you just take a bit of cash, say £500 worth and the rest travellers cheques or is there a better method - I know you are only insured for a relatively small amount of cash on your travel insurance policy.

We haven't used credit cards that much before -just for the odd meal here and there - do you get 'stung' if you use them a lot over there and will that also mean that I need to carry my passport with me all the time for ID? I have just been talked into getting another 0% card from my Bank which does 'points' as well (not that I needed another)

Your experiences and views would be great.

 

[Elise79]

Personally, we use a no fee credit card for the bulk of our spending with a small amount of cash ~$200 for incidentals like tolls.

With a no fee credit card you get the bank rate on the day. In July we got between $1.52 and $1.54 where if I bought anything before I went we would have got $1.50 at best.

We use the Post Office card but there are others such as the Halifax clarity. We also pay off in full when the bill arrives.

 

[tinkerpea]

Last year and the year before we had free dining so it was great to take less 'spends' than normal. We just took cash and last year one or two travellers cheques left over from the year before.

This year we are off to LA and for 3 weeks so will need much more spending money.

What is your preferred method of taking money over there? Do you just take a bit of cash, say £500 worth and the rest travellers cheques or is there a better method - I know you are only insured for a relatively small amount of cash on your travel insurance policy.

We haven't used credit cards that much before -just for the odd meal here and there - do you get 'stung' if you use them a lot over there and will that also mean that I need to carry my passport with me all the time for ID? I have just been talked into getting another 0% card from my Bank which does 'points' as well (not that I needed another)

Your experiences and views would be great.

Everybody I know takes a small amount if cash and then uses pre-paid cards or credit cards, we are different and in the minority.
We like to use cash and actually take around $2000 in dollar notes lol! We keep the cash on us while travelling then put it in the safe when we get to the hotel, so far we have been lucky and nothing has ever happened to it,
This year we have our only credit card, and it's paid up in full so we can use it when over there but we will still take at least $1500 in cash we just like having the money lmao!

 

[wayneg]

Been here over 2 weeks and only spent about $20 in cash for tolls (and 1 ice cream today)
Everything goes on a fee free credit card, either Post Office or Halifax Clarity, both get full interbank rate which today is over $1.56, if I had bought $'s before we came away we would have got a rate of around $1.46.
Saying that if the rate falls while away you could loose out, personally I don't care, whatever the rate is I prefer to use cards, my insurance only covers around £300 in cash.
Post Office pays £26.50 cashback via Quidco http://www.quidco.com/post-office-credit-cards/?ac
Other credit cards have fees upto 3%

 

[pigby]

Thanks that's really helpful - I joined Quidco a while back and didn't think of signing up for the P.O. card via them. Just done it now - whether the card will come in time to pay the balance of my hotel and park tickets is another matter - due by this coming Friday, but looks like I will be able to use the card in the US now (4 weeks today!) with no charges.

Hoping that by applying for another card now when I have only just been issued with another one from my own Bank doesn't leave a dirty great footprint on my credit score - oh well, saving money is the main thing.

 

[Elise79]

Everybody I know takes a small amount if cash and then uses pre-paid cards or credit cards, we are different and in the minority.
We like to use cash and actually take around $2000 in dollar notes lol! We keep the cash on us while travelling then put it in the safe when we get to the hotel, so far we have been lucky and nothing has ever happened to it,
This year we have our only credit card, and it's paid up in full so we can use it when over there but we will still take at least $1500 in cash we just like having the money lmao!

I would never advise anyone to take that much actual cash.

Most insurances won't cover it and even if you are covered it will be a headache to prove how much you have left.

Our cash is limited as you just don't need it - cards are accepted almost everywhere. Tolls are the only place I know that require cash as even the ice cream carts in Disney will take cards!

 

[Laurafoster]

We use very little cash nowdays. This year for 3 weeks we will be taking about $300. We have used a fee free credit card for a number of years now.

When in Disney i charge everything to our room. I keep receipts and check the room bill every few days so i can keep an eye on how much we are spending. This is then paid of by credit card.

Walmart or any other off site shopping or dining will be charged to credit card too.

 

[tinkerpea]

I would never advise anyone to take that much actual cash.

Most insurances won't cover it and even if you are covered it will be a headache to prove how much you have left.

Our cash is limited as you just don't need it - cards are accepted almost everywhere. Tolls are the only place I know that require cash as even the ice cream carts in Disney will take cards!

I wasn't advising anybody to take that much cash! I did state that it wasn't the done thing but its something we like doing, I know a few others who still take cash.
In fact we just went to the post office and changed £2000 into dollars!
You may not need to have cash on you but we like using it.
Even over in the UK we still draw out the money before we use it.

 

[meldobe]

We take cash, 3 people £700 spending each so whatever that is in dollars when we change it just prefer to use cash although i know it isnt covered on insurance. Same back home i use cash for most things.

 

[tinkerpea]

We take cash, 3 people £700 spending each so whatever that is in dollars when we change it just prefer to use cash although i know it isnt covered on insurance. Same back home i use cash for most things.

See......I knew we wasn't the only ones lol there is just something more magical to me having my money in my daily envelopes,
Then what ever is not spent each day goes into a kitty we call our blow fund! " it means we blow it on everything we ha seen" we really like doing it this way haha

 

[meldobe]

See......I knew we wasn't the only ones lol there is just something more magical to me having my money in my daily envelopes,
Then what ever is not spent each day goes into a kitty we call our blow fund! " it means we blow it on everything we ha seen" we really like doing it this way haha

we budget so much per day take that out with us and then spend it all knowing we have the same amount for each day works out great for us and its so nice treating ourselves - easier for me to know what i have with cash rather then using a card. But then i don't use credit cards at all back home whereas for some people they are much easier.

 

[tinkerpea]

we budget so much per day take that out with us and then spend it all knowing we have the same amount for each day works out great for us and its so nice treating ourselves - easier for me to know what i have with cash rather then using a card. But then i don't use credit cards at all back home whereas for some people they are much easier.

We don't either,
I have 1 credit card that I took out to buy our flights last year, and have never used it since.

 

[zippy99]

Whilst we don't take a mass of cash we load up our FairFx card and withdraw in large batches. Whilst it costs is $2 per withdrawal - we too prefer spending cash rather then bunging it all on a card, I get worried about mistakes and overspending - this way I am in control and now where I am

 

[tinkerpea]

Whilst we don't take a mass of cash we load up our FairFx card and withdraw in large batches. Whilst it costs is $2 per withdrawal - we too prefer spending cash rather then bunging it all on a card, I get worried about mistakes and overspending - this way I am in control and now where I am

That's a great idea for people like us who like to have the cash rather then it being on cards!
Maybe I could go with this next trip in may

 

[Azza1987]

I love the fair FX card. We took about £400 in $'s and loaded the rest onto our fair FX cards.

It was so easy & the app made it really easy to check our balance every morning and evening so we knew where we were at!

 

[LeaversOnTour]

We are Cash only people. We take about $2000 in cash with us for a 3 week trip.

I always use cards at home, but like to have actual cash on holiday so that its easier to keep track off.

I work for a Travel Insurance company so know only to well the pit falls, but I also know how to get around the limits

We use the safe religiously, dont keep everything together and one person doesnt carry all of the cash. At home my husband never carries money or cards I keep them all.

I hate the pre paid cards having used them before, and we only use ccrds for internet purchases to protect ourselves, not for every day spending even tho what we do spend is paid off IN FULL every month.

 

[2Tiggies]

We are Cash only people. We take about $2000 in cash with us for a 3 week trip.

I always use cards at home, but like to have actual cash on holiday so that its easier to keep track off.

You're so much braver than me!!

I've never lost money traveling abroad before, but my little cross the body purse got hooked off my shoulder at MK during one of the parades with all my cards in and about $300 cash a couple of years ago. A CM found it and kept it for me until I retraced my steps (yes and I did plant a huge kiss on his cheek!) but in that moment of panic when I realized it was gone, one of the things I said to DD was "Thank goodness I didn't have all our money in cash!"

 

[tinkerpea]

You're so much braver than me!!

I've never lost money traveling abroad before, but my little cross the body purse got hooked off my shoulder at MK during one of the parades with all my cards in and about $300 cash a couple of years ago. A CM found it and kept it for me until I retraced my steps (yes and I did plant a huge kiss on his cheek!) but in that moment of panic when I realized it was gone, one of the things I said to DD was "Thank goodness I didn't have all our money in cash!"

I know it's an awful thought that you would lose all your money!!
But we just can't help ourselves lol,
However we do put all ours in the safe and we also charge to our room key and pay that off if its a purchase over $100 as we only carry with us $100 at any 1 time,
All our cards are placed in the safe we do not carry them with us at all.
So far we have never lost any money, we have misplaced it though,

Last trip at 4 in the morning on our 1st day I was too excited so I wanted to put our money into $100 envelopes anyways we sorted the money then counted the envelopes while sat on the bed, and I was $700 short. I was panicking thinking we had left the money at home on the side anyways I got up to go to the bathroom ( think I was going to wet myself with fear) and I had been sat on them lmao!!!! Have no idea how it happened..
Dh won't ever let me live that down!