using eftpos for 3 weeks?

going to melbourne in may for 3 weeks and unsure the best way to take money
and to manage our finances for such a small period of time?

should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

craig

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 20:19:04 -0000, "craighannay"
wrote:

going to melbourne in may for 3 weeks and unsure the best way to take money
and to manage our finances for such a small period of time?

should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

craig


ATM's are everywhere. Very few traders will have seen a traveller's
cheque, let alone cashed one.
Just check with your bank to make sure yours will work out here (most
do). When I travelled over there I used a bank debit card in the ATMs,
that way I didn't incur an interest penalty on my credit card.

Cheers, Alan

ATM!!

Virtually all machines are Cirrus and Plus affiliated. If you stick to bank
or Credit Union owned machines (which is all of them except for those in 7 -
11's, and some machines in malls) the only fee you pay will be whatever your
card provider charges!!



"craighannay" wrote in message
...
going to melbourne in may for 3 weeks and unsure the best way to take
money
and to manage our finances for such a small period of time?

should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

craig

should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

Stuff TCs. Use your credit card. If you put a credit balance on it before
you leave, you can use an ATM and not bear the preposterous interest rates.
You will also usually get a better exchange rate than you will get
purchasing foreign dollar travelers' cheques (or redeeming GBP ones) or at
cambios.

We took a couple of hundred £ in travellers cheques. You can never tell when
the banks computer system will go down. I learned this on a Sunday morning
in Rome. If you don't use them you can bring them home. No harm in taking
some.
WM



"Raffi Balmanoukian" a
wrote in message
news:BC75318C.21D50%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca...


should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with
the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along
and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

Stuff TCs. Use your credit card. If you put a credit balance on it
before
you leave, you can use an ATM and not bear the preposterous interest
rates.
You will also usually get a better exchange rate than you will get
purchasing foreign dollar travelers' cheques (or redeeming GBP ones) or at
cambios.

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 08:25:49 -0000, "demon news"
wrote:

We took a couple of hundred £ in travellers cheques. You can never tell when
the banks computer system will go down. I learned this on a Sunday morning
in Rome. If you don't use them you can bring them home. No harm in taking
some.
WM

If you want to carry a float, a couple of hundred in local cash is
better. Traveller's cheques out here are as current as dinosaurs.

We travelled 20 countries (US, EU +Czech+Swiss+UK) last year, using
debit cards from the National Australia Bank for cash , and using Visa
and MC for purchases. The only minor problem was the occasional ATM that
charged a small fee for the service. Ignore the balance on any
statements, the exchange rate turns them into gibberish.

Good luck finding someone in a major Oz city that would take pounds
sterling (or even local) traveller's cheques. Your chances in Bourke or
Oodnadatta would be remote; they might offer 1:1 on the exchange rate if
you're desperate.

0ne little point we noticed on returning home. Banks will only accept
foreign currency notes. As far as they are concerned, the coins are
worthless, even if thay add up to a substantial sum. So if you can't
exchange your cash before heading for home, at least turn the coins into
notes.

Cheers, Alan

Alan wrote:

0ne little point we noticed on returning home. Banks will only accept
foreign currency notes. As far as they are concerned, the coins are
worthless, even if thay add up to a substantial sum. So if you can't
exchange your cash before heading for home, at least turn the coins into
notes.

Or put them in the charity donation box at the airport before you leave.
I always thought that was a nice little way of saying "thanks" to the
country I just visited.

Tom

"Raffi Balmanoukian"
Stuff TCs. Use your credit card. If you put a credit balance on it
before
you leave, you can use an ATM and not bear the preposterous interest
rates.
You will also usually get a better exchange rate than you will get
purchasing foreign dollar travelers' cheques (or redeeming GBP ones) or at
cambios.


The only place I've travelled and needed TC's was in India

Here in Australia I've noticed signs in banks in popular tourist areas like
Byron Bay warning customers that there is a service charge for cashing TC's.
Banks here in Australia want you to do the minor deposit, withdraw and
exchange transactions with them via ATM machines and internet banking. Bank
staff and tellers cost money. Banks prefer you talk to their computers
rather than a real human being.

There is one bank (maybe more) here that offers its customers a savings
account with no bank fees. The only drawback-- you can't go to a teller to
ask questions, deposit or withdraw money. All transactions need to be done
on the internet, ATM.s, over the phone or at an affiliates kiosk.

I scratch my head and wonder when I see a line of backpackers in line at the
bank waiting to cash their TC's when there is a ATM out front begging to be
used. Get with it folks, it's a digital work we live in.

Kerry

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 12:49:03 -0600, tom
wrote:

Alan wrote:

0ne little point we noticed on returning home. Banks will only accept
foreign currency notes. As far as they are concerned, the coins are
worthless, even if thay add up to a substantial sum. So if you can't
exchange your cash before heading for home, at least turn the coins into
notes.

Or put them in the charity donation box at the airport before you leave.
I always thought that was a nice little way of saying "thanks" to the
country I just visited.

Tom

I remember seeing one as I left Mascot outbound. Must admit it never
occurred to me coming back. At that time I was just concentrating on
getting out of the country in the middle of the BA strike last year (23
July) and I never noticed any charity bins. It was hard enough getting
through the queues and the crowds.

It can add up. When we totalled the coins, it came to well over AU$150
between us, in US Dollars, Czech crowns, Swiss Francs, Euros, Pounds and
Singapore dollars. Not difficult when each Pound at that time was $2.50,
so a two-quid coin was $5 and a couple of Euros was $2.50.

Also, try not to bring too much foreign currency home in notes either -
your bank will charge a lot more to deposit it, in fees and poor
exchange, than it cost to get it from the ATM.

Cheers Alan

craighannay wrote:
going to melbourne in may for 3 weeks and unsure the best way to take money
and to manage our finances for such a small period of time?

should i get a travellers cheque and open a tempory bank account with the
option of eftpos with limited transactions,or take my visa card along and
use the hole in the wall ATM machines?

any advise please??

Standard advice: Credit-card *and* another CC (in case there is a
problem with the first) *and* some cash (drawn from an ATM) to get you
through the next few days (in case there is no ATM, or it is not open,
or it is broken, etc.; mainly a concern in remote areas, small towns,
etc.).