Istanbul - Turkish Lira

On 08/10/11 12:19, David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) wrote:

Not necessarily. Cheques are not legal tender, but people accept them
readily.

But they don't have to, and some shops increasingly don't accept cheques
now.

As you know that's a completely different issue.

As the scheme to get rid of cheques fell to bits a month or so ago
(mainly because there are a number of institutions that are required in
law to pay bills with a cheque signed by more than one person) they'll
possibly go back to accepting them, especially if there's a huge rise in
card fraud.


--
William Black

Free men have open minds
If you want loyalty, buy a dog...

On 10/8/2011 7:16 AM, William Black wrote:
On 08/10/11 12:09, Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:

The situation was somewhat similar in Italy with San Marino and
Vatican. The three states had nominally separate currencies, but all
were called "Lire", their values were on par, the coins and notes were
strikingly similar, and in daily life all three currencies circulated
freely in all three countries as if they were as one. AFAIK they would
never be rejected just for being used in the "wrong" country. Why can't
the Sterling based territories act the same?

In real terms they are.

It isn't a problem I've ever encountered.

I have a suspicion that David has a pub with an peculiar publican (not
an unknown phenomenon) who makes an issue of this because he doesn't
like Scotsmen for reasons unknown.

A few years ago, I was at a cafe in Kew Gardens, and tried to pay with
Scottish notes. The girl refused, and I had to insist on speaking to the
manager, who eventually agreed to accept my money.
I've had a few other experiences like that, but I now try to have at
least a few English notes with me if I expect to be on the other side of
the border.

8.10.2011 13:23, William Black kirjoitti:
On 08/10/11 06:56, Markku Grönroos wrote:

By the way, can you name these three major world currencies. I am sure I
am not the only one who can not do so. Enlighten us.

In my experience Dollars, Euros and Sterling are taken just about
everywhere.

Nonsense. For instance in Finland it is euros and in Sweden it is
kronas. Naturally, if you offered 100 pounds for a can of soda you might
have a deal. A very dull one though. Nowadays, plastic will do and you
don't need to carry lumber in your pockets that much. Typically I pay
for a cup of coffee by plastic in Finland because I have run out coins
and notes.

To accept three different currencies would require three different
registers for each cashier. Truly nonsensical. I am sure many souvenir
shops along Pohjoisesplanadi in Helsinki will receive some foreign
currencies too when thousands of cruising passengers fill their
establishments but they are an exception.

Even US Americans don't ask as frequently as they used to whether US
money is good here and there.

8.10.2011 14:11, Surreyman kirjoitti:
On Oct 7, 5:23 pm, (Király) wrote:
Ken wrote:
Let me add to that that in general, there is no need to take any
foreign currency to any country. You will get a better exchange rate
if you get the currency at an ATM when you arrive.

That may be true often, but not always. There is a local currency
exchange here in Vancouver that offers better rates for major
currencies than any bank. I always stock up from there before heading
overseas. No $5 charge for using a foreign ATM either.

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

Yep. I always check prior to each trip abroad - fings change in the
currency world.
I invariably find there's a cheaper exchange (including ATM costs
etc.) through whichever prevailing company within the UK before
departing.
So - with the accompanying security risk, of course - we always leave
with a bundle of cash, using ATMs only if that still becomes
necessary.

I have seen only those money changers whose rates are much inflated to
the interbank rates (atm convertions most often closely follow them). It
is possible that one pound bought 20 Mexican pesos when you left home
and 100 pesos while checking in a hotel in Mazatlan. Well, peso has been
pretty stable in recent years. In my opinion you follow most ill-advised
policy indeed.

In theory, money changers had bought foreign money when it was cheap and
will offer a decent rate while being able to provide a good profit for
the company. I wouldn't count on this though.

Surreyman wrote:

On Oct 7, 5:23 pm, (Király) wrote:
Ken Blake wrote:
Let me add to that that in general, there is no need to take any
foreign currency to any country. You will get a better exchange rate
if you get the currency at an ATM when you arrive.

That may be true often, but not always. There is a local currency
exchange here in Vancouver that offers better rates for major
currencies than any bank. I always stock up from there before heading
overseas. No $5 charge for using a foreign ATM either.

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

Yep. I always check prior to each trip abroad - fings change in the
currency world.
I invariably find there's a cheaper exchange (including ATM costs
etc.) through whichever prevailing company within the UK before
departing.
So - with the accompanying security risk, of course - we always leave
with a bundle of cash, using ATMs only if that still becomes
necessary.

If you buy a relatively large amount of cash (and avoid the postage fee)
companies like fairfx.com give excellent rates on exchange, usually
within 1% of market rate.

If you don't want to carry that much cash (like me) then the same
companies offer cards. I have a fairfx euro card, and will likely get a
dollar one too.

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)

On 08/10/11 17:31, Markku Grönroos wrote:
8.10.2011 13:23, William Black kirjoitti:
On 08/10/11 06:56, Markku Grönroos wrote:

By the way, can you name these three major world currencies. I am sure I
am not the only one who can not do so. Enlighten us.

In my experience Dollars, Euros and Sterling are taken just about
everywhere.

Nonsense. For instance in Finland it is euros and in Sweden it is
kronas. Naturally, if you offered 100 pounds for a can of soda you might
have a deal. A very dull one though

So we've established that, despite your protestations, they do take
dollars as well as Euros.

To accept three different currencies would require three different
registers for each cashier.

It doesn't happen very often but it does happen.

They just phone up the bank and ask what the exchange rate is and any
fees and calculate a profit on that as well.

I didn't say it was cheap, I said it was done...


--
William Black

Free men have open minds
If you want loyalty, buy a dog...

"William Black" wrote in message
...
On 08/10/11 05:20, Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:

What are the three major world currencies anyway?


Dollars, Sterling and Euros
--
William Black

While in Copenhagen, this past May, the cab driver to the airport took all
three currencies. Since I had a mixture of all three that I wanted to use up
before we returned to the States, I paid him using all three...He had a
converter in the cab and there was no problem doing this at all. I always
use the ATM for currency in the country that we are visiting and often make
the mistake of taking out more than we'll need or use.

--Jean

8.10.2011 20:08, William Black kirjoitti:
On 08/10/11 17:31, Markku Grönroos wrote:
8.10.2011 13:23, William Black kirjoitti:
On 08/10/11 06:56, Markku Grönroos wrote:

By the way, can you name these three major world currencies. I am
sure I
am not the only one who can not do so. Enlighten us.

In my experience Dollars, Euros and Sterling are taken just about
everywhere.

Nonsense. For instance in Finland it is euros and in Sweden it is
kronas. Naturally, if you offered 100 pounds for a can of soda you might
have a deal. A very dull one though

So we've established that, despite your protestations, they do take
dollars as well as Euros.

If you just are an idiot enough to over compensate the bill many fold
then why not. Cashiers just cannot put foreign money to the register.
The simplest way to do things right is to balance the bill by placing
local money appropriately to the register and put the foreign money to
the wallet. I am sure any vendor is just most happy to do business with
you. By far in most shops cashiers are paid employees and they don't
decide what sort of money goes to the register. In most shops the policy
is quite simple: no foreign money. So it is in Finland, so it is in the
United Kingdom, so it is in rest of the world.

William Black writes:

On 08/10/11 17:31, Markku Grönroos wrote:
8.10.2011 13:23, William Black kirjoitti:
On 08/10/11 06:56, Markku Grönroos wrote:

By the way, can you name these three major world currencies. I am sure I
am not the only one who can not do so. Enlighten us.

In my experience Dollars, Euros and Sterling are taken just about
everywhere.

Nonsense. For instance in Finland it is euros and in Sweden it is
kronas. Naturally, if you offered 100 pounds for a can of soda you might
have a deal. A very dull one though

So we've established that, despite your protestations, they do take
dollars as well as Euros.

To accept three different currencies would require three different
registers for each cashier.

It doesn't happen very often but it does happen.

They just phone up the bank and ask what the exchange rate is and any
fees and calculate a profit on that as well.

I didn't say it was cheap, I said it was done...

What you said is that "just about everywhere you have been in the
world, outside of the USA of course, almost all shopkeepers will take
the three major world currencies."

If you meant that you could _find_ shopkeepers who would strike a deal
that involved you grossly overpaying so that you could use foreign
currency, I wonder why you excepted the US.

I'm sure it is easy to find a shopkeeper in the US who will sell me an
apple for 100 Euros. Maybe even a pack of cigarettes for 100 pounds.


What it comes down to is: despite your bizarre claim, when traveling
as a tourist to most countries that have a stable local currency, you
are better off planning to use the local currency (or credit) than
using some other currency (even a well known one like the dollar or
euro). To maintain otherwise on your part is just sticking
pig-headedly to an erroneous assertion you made.

My experience in the UK is that everyone, when asked will take just
about anything as long as the banks are open and they can get a price.
That is such utter ********. There are pubs near where I work that don't
even accept scottish bank notes- and if you tried to pay at Tesco with
euro you'd be thrown out by security. Why don't you try it...
There hasn't actually been an issue with Scottish banknotes for decades.
Anyone who is refusing them fairly obviously has problems with something
other than the notes.

Try buying a metro ticket to the airport from a machine in Newcastle
after getting off the train from Edinburgh with only Scottish money.

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