i'm off to ozz...where to get best exchange rate in uk?

Jan wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Jan wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Jan wrote:
scott ARMSTRONG wrote:
info wanted is for travellers cheques please.

scott

Don't bother with TCs Scott, we've met people travelling with them
and its a lot of hassle for no gain.
There are ATMs everywhere.use a debit card to withdraw cash and a
credit card to make purchases. We've been to Australia 3 times and
have found this to be the most economical way to handle money. If
you really want to take some cash with you from the UK, then the
Post Office generally seem to offer the best rates.

Well, there any many ATMs, but they are not "everywhere",
especially not in outback areas, small(er) towns, etc.. So always
*also* have a credit card (*and* a spare one) *and* sufficient cash
to get you through the next few days to a week. We have been
without an ATM from Alice Springs to Copley (near Gammon Ranges)
c.q. Wilpena (Flinders Ranges). The way our planned route went,
that was a week without an ATM, to arrive at an ATM which was
closed (in a bar which did not open till 11:00AM).

Ok Frank point taken, ATMs are not "everywhere", however many towns
will have at least have a bank, so you can draw money over the
counter even if there's no ATM. All the hostels we stayed in
accepted CCs. If you always carry a couple of hundred $$ just in
case, I wouldn't of thought there'd be too many problems.

Well, sorry, but unless you have an account or/and have the right
type of card, you (i.e. a foreign tourist) can *not* draw money over
the counter. Been there, (not) done that, (not) got the T-shirt. Our
European debit cards ("Europas" or "Wereldpas" ("Worldpas") can not be
used to draw money over the counter (while they *can* be used to draw
money from an ATM). Also in shops our credit and debit cards can not
be used to get money. Our credit cards can be used to *purchase*
(goods and services), but not to get *money*. It wasn't until out
third trip to Oz before we became a 'victim' of this scenario, but it
can happen, hence my recommendation of ATM *and* credit card *and*
spare *and* cash.

Frank "Going there where there are hopefully no ATMs and hopefully our
mobile phone doesn't work!" :-) Slootweg

I don't know your type of cards. Ours are UK issued cards backed by VISA.

If they are "backed by VISA", then I assume they are credit cards
(ours are MasterCard cards). In our experience, Oz banks do not accept
credit cards, at least not foreign ones, to draw money over the counter.
OTOH, the same bank will normally accept the same credit card in their
ATM, *if* they have one (which brings me back to my original point).

In any case, be aware that Australia is a big place and there are
areas where there just aren't any ATMs or banks for (many) hundreds of
kms, which can mean many days (as I mentioned, in our case a week, and
probably some 1500km).

Frank Slootweg wrote:
Jan wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Jan wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Jan wrote:
scott ARMSTRONG wrote:
info wanted is for travellers cheques please.

scott

Don't bother with TCs Scott, we've met people travelling with
them and its a lot of hassle for no gain.
There are ATMs everywhere.use a debit card to withdraw cash and a
credit card to make purchases. We've been to Australia 3 times
and have found this to be the most economical way to handle
money. If you really want to take some cash with you from the
UK, then the Post Office generally seem to offer the best rates.

Well, there any many ATMs, but they are not "everywhere",
especially not in outback areas, small(er) towns, etc.. So always
*also* have a credit card (*and* a spare one) *and* sufficient
cash to get you through the next few days to a week. We have been
without an ATM from Alice Springs to Copley (near Gammon Ranges)
c.q. Wilpena (Flinders Ranges). The way our planned route went,
that was a week without an ATM, to arrive at an ATM which was
closed (in a bar which did not open till 11:00AM).

Ok Frank point taken, ATMs are not "everywhere", however many towns
will have at least have a bank, so you can draw money over the
counter even if there's no ATM. All the hostels we stayed in
accepted CCs. If you always carry a couple of hundred $$ just in
case, I wouldn't of thought there'd be too many problems.

Well, sorry, but unless you have an account or/and have the right
type of card, you (i.e. a foreign tourist) can *not* draw money over
the counter. Been there, (not) done that, (not) got the T-shirt. Our
European debit cards ("Europas" or "Wereldpas" ("Worldpas") can not
be used to draw money over the counter (while they *can* be used to
draw money from an ATM). Also in shops our credit and debit cards
can not be used to get money. Our credit cards can be used to
*purchase* (goods and services), but not to get *money*. It wasn't
until out third trip to Oz before we became a 'victim' of this
scenario, but it can happen, hence my recommendation of ATM *and*
credit card *and* spare *and* cash.

Frank "Going there where there are hopefully no ATMs and hopefully
our mobile phone doesn't work!" :-) Slootweg

I don't know your type of cards. Ours are UK issued cards backed by
VISA.

If they are "backed by VISA", then I assume they are credit cards
(ours are MasterCard cards). In our experience, Oz banks do not accept
credit cards, at least not foreign ones, to draw money over the
counter. OTOH, the same bank will normally accept the same credit
card in their ATM, *if* they have one (which brings me back to my
original point).

In any case, be aware that Australia is a big place and there are
areas where there just aren't any ATMs or banks for (many) hundreds of
kms, which can mean many days (as I mentioned, in our case a week, and
probably some 1500km).

Mine's a debit card backed by Visa. And I have drawn money over the counter
on my credit card too (Glenelg and I think the other place was Laura).
Perhaps the banking rules have changed since then this was in 1999. On our
last visit in 2002 we just drew cash from ATMs . Freemantle, Kalgoorlie,
Esperance, Albany, Bunbury to name a few.
Really it would be hekpful if the OP toldl us where in Australia he is
travelling to.
If he is going to the back of beyond, he will have problems if he takes TCs
Jan



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Interesting thread!!

IMHO the best exchange rate is obtained through an ATM in Australia. TC's
should be purchased for emergency use only! True there are ATM's almost
everywhere, but NOT in remote outback towns, BUT you can't exchange TC's
there either; so carry a few hundred dollars in cash for such places. In ALL
reasonably sized towns there is at least one ATM. Lastly, ALL Australian
Banks will make a cash advance against ANY Visa or Mastercard; ie. credit
card, where-ever issued, provided it is not a debit card - they're a
different animal altogether!

It's not brain surgery, really very simple and very user friendly - ignore
the highly technical (and very word specific) arguments of a few posters.
You'll enjoy Australia, and find it too easy to get money. :-))


Paul


"scott ARMSTRONG" wrote in message
...
i'm off to australia on sunday. where is the best place in the uk to get
money changed from pounds to dollars?

On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:19:53 +0000, Frank Slootweg wrote:

If they are "backed by VISA", then I assume they are credit cards
(ours are MasterCard cards). In our experience, Oz banks do not accept
credit cards, at least not foreign ones, to draw money over the counter.

Didn't you only try it in one bank though? I think the bank clerk just got
it wrong. I've done cash advances on credit cards many times in several
countries, probably including Oz.

In the UK, Visa Debit cards are pretty common too. What I've never tried
is getting a cash advance with one via EFTPOS in a store. Anyone know if
this works?

Jason

--
See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for trip reports including
the Costa Blanca, Gibraltar, Gran Canaria and the UK

Cheapest way for a UK national is to get a Nationwide debit card (no foreign
exchange commission paid) & use ATMs (obviously needs ATMs to be available
where you're travelling though).

I did this a few weeks ago & was getting between A$2.42 - A$2.46 exchange
rate to the pound then.

Also get a Nationwide Credit Card & no commisision is paid as well.



"Dave Noble" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 11:03:01 +0000, Jason
wrote:

On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:19:53 +0000, Frank Slootweg wrote:

If they are "backed by VISA", then I assume they are credit cards
(ours are MasterCard cards). In our experience, Oz banks do not accept
credit cards, at least not foreign ones, to draw money over the
counter.

Didn't you only try it in one bank though? I think the bank clerk just
got
it wrong. I've done cash advances on credit cards many times in several
countries, probably including Oz.

In the UK, Visa Debit cards are pretty common too. What I've never tried
is getting a cash advance with one via EFTPOS in a store. Anyone know if
this works?


It doesn't ( or didn't not that long ago ) . EFTPOS only works for
Australian cards I believe

Dave

Aus pos atms all take any card with cirrus, and take visa debit cards, and
mastercard debit cards, and some have arrangements with OS banks, but that
depends on the bank supplying the retailer with the service so dont depend on
it. as well as credit cards

AlmostBob is an Australian living in Canada at the moment (18th country in 39
years) cash transfer is the least of the problems

"Jason" wrote in message
news | On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:19:53 +0000, Frank Slootweg wrote:
|
| If they are "backed by VISA", then I assume they are credit cards
| (ours are MasterCard cards). In our experience, Oz banks do not accept
| credit cards, at least not foreign ones, to draw money over the counter.
|
| Didn't you only try it in one bank though? I think the bank clerk just got
| it wrong. I've done cash advances on credit cards many times in several
| countries, probably including Oz.
|
| In the UK, Visa Debit cards are pretty common too. What I've never tried
| is getting a cash advance with one via EFTPOS in a store. Anyone know if
| this works?
|
| Jason
|
| --
| See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for trip reports including
| the Costa Blanca, Gibraltar, Gran Canaria and the UK
|

Jason schreef:
What I've never tried is getting a cash advance with one via EFTPOS in a
store.
Anyone know if this works?

Yes, it works. I cashed some money in a supermarket in a remote village
somewhere. (Dutch bank card/Postbank)

gwen schreef:
Jason schreef:
What I've never tried is getting a cash advance with one via EFTPOS
in a store. Anyone know if this works?

Yes, it works. I cashed some money in a supermarket in a remote
village somewhere. (Dutch bank card/Postbank)

Clicked send too fast.
I usually paid via EFTPOS in supermarkets and in quite a few shops. This was
in 2002.

Gwen

i'm off to brisbane to meet up with a friend who's just emmigrated there.
dont know where we'll be travelling yet though.

scott.

"scott ARMSTRONG" wrote in message
...
i'm off to brisbane to meet up with a friend who's just emmigrated there.
dont know where we'll be travelling yet though.

scott.

Have the best time Scott.
You probably have already left, but if not, we want pics!!

Suzanne