I always have some cash with me, when I leave home or travel. It is rare, but card networks can fail, or the power can go out. Some merchants have a minimum transaction amount for cards, and paying cash can prevent needing to buy an unwanted candy bar to meet the minimum. An unwanted candy bar, as sad as an unwanted puppy.
When I travel internationally I like to arrive with a little local currency. For the Euro zone, England, and a couple of others I always hang onto left over cash when I return home, and it serves me well on the next trip. ATM or cash machines in most airports and other points of arrival will also supply cash, though sometimes they charge a higher fee than machines at a bank in town. My rule of thumb is I would like enough cash to take a taxi to the hotel, and have lunch when I step on shore.
It is useful to have local currency when arriving somewhere, as we have done with major currencies but not smaller currencies if we are somewhere for a short time. How to avoid usurious ATM fees and payment fees when travelling is a huge subject.
ReplyDeleteThe Euro has made this easier. Then we tried to buy a bottle of water in Switzerland.
DeleteGood advice. I found some independent retailers in smaller centres in Japan took cash only. Also in Japan, you never just hand the money directly to the cashier. You have to put it on a little plate or dish and then the retailer takes it and puts your change back on the plate. Cultural differences!
ReplyDeleteAsia appears to still be the home of small independent shops.
DeleteI travel with both cash and card because you just never know who takes what and how these days!
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I ran into someplace that didn't take cash.
DeleteI started using foreign ATMs back in the mid 90's. I was stupefied at how easy it was to use my U of Kentucky Federal Credit Union card in Rome, and now that's my usual practice. Having an account that reimburses ATM fees is a huge boon; I don't have to worry about using a machine with a high fee. The thing that didn't work was when the US finally went to chip cards. They were supposed to work in European check-outs, but didn't, creating huge hassles of having to recheck-out. A dear cousin of mine who was in the card technology business later said that the first US chip cards were buggy and most of then had to be replaced.
ReplyDeleteThe Mid-90's, I remember those trips, I was home alone, you were in Rome.
DeleteRemember Travelers Checks? Many years ago, I was working at JC Penney and a British customer handed a travelers check to me as payment. That transaction took a little bit of time as exchange rates weren't readily available at the tip of our fingers. After a call to the money person upstairs, I found out the exchange rate, made the calculation, and sent a happy customer off to his next destination.
ReplyDeleteParis, in 1991 was the last time I used travelers checks. The Bellman at the hotel probably made more on money exchanges than his salary.
DeleteMore good advice. Last time I went I got cash ahead of time and I ended using less of it than I thought. Like you said, most places prefer a card. I did notice that some taxi drivers prefer cash so I'm glad I had it.
ReplyDeleteHere in the states taxis often prefer cash, it is easier to avoid taxes that way.
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