Istanbul - Turkish Lira

On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:35:03 +0000 (UTC),
(KirÂly) wrote:

Ken Blake wrote:
Whether there is a charge for using a foreign ATM machine depends on
what bank you use. With my Capitol One account, I pay no fee.

Maybe where you live there are such banks. Banks that charge zero fees
for foreign ATM use do not exist where I live.


I live in Arizona, and there are no such banks here either. But
Capitol One is, I believe, in Houston, Texas. You can set up an
account by phone or internet.


It's cheaper and more convenient to take cash.


I don't agree at all. It's more expensive, and carries with it the
greater risk of theft.

--
Ken Blake

Ken Blake wrote:
I live in Arizona, and there are no such banks here either. But
Capitol One is, I believe, in Houston, Texas. You can set up an
account by phone or internet.

Not from Canada, I can't. I've tried.

I don't agree at all. It's more expensive

Not in my experience. Exchanging cash has always, for me, been more cost
effective than using interbank rates combined with foreign usage ATM
fees.

and carries with it the greater risk of theft.

The risk of theft is no greater, as a thief doesn't know how much cash
you have until it's in his hand. But I agree, that the losses will be
greater should a theft occur. But the risks can be mitigated by carrying
the cash smartly, where pickpockets cannot reach it..

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

Ken Blake wrote:

On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:35:03 +0000 (UTC),
(Kir?ly) wrote:

Ken Blake wrote:
Whether there is a charge for using a foreign ATM machine depends on
what bank you use. With my Capitol One account, I pay no fee.

Maybe where you live there are such banks. Banks that charge zero fees
for foreign ATM use do not exist where I live.


I live in Arizona, and there are no such banks here either. But
Capitol One is, I believe, in Houston, Texas. You can set up an
account by phone or internet.

Not everyone reading this can get a US bank account. And not all
countries have such banks.

--
(*) 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)

Dan Stephenson wrote:

When I first cashed in travellers' checks for TL back in 2002, the
exchange rate was 1,600,000 TL per dollar. And the largest bill was
20,000,000. Cashing in a few hundred dollars into TL at the Istanbul
otogar (the big bus station - a huge ring of ticket offices with buses
in the back) resulted in a big wad of paper.

50 dollar bills are rare compare to 20 dollar bills in the US at least-
and I've never had an ATM give them, even when requesting several
hundred dollars. The 20,000,000 bill doesn't seem unreasonable as a
standard large bill. OTOH The euro has larger bills and euro ATMs
frequently yeild 50 euro notes.

--
(*) 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)

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" wrote in message
...
Dan Stephenson wrote:

When I first cashed in travellers' checks for TL back in 2002, the
exchange rate was 1,600,000 TL per dollar. And the largest bill was
20,000,000. Cashing in a few hundred dollars into TL at the Istanbul
otogar (the big bus station - a huge ring of ticket offices with buses
in the back) resulted in a big wad of paper.

50 dollar bills are rare compare to 20 dollar bills in the US at least-
and I've never had an ATM give them, even when requesting several
hundred dollars. The 20,000,000 bill doesn't seem unreasonable as a
standard large bill. OTOH The euro has larger bills and euro ATMs
frequently yeild 50 euro notes.


I wanted to withdraw US $150 at an ATM in the USA earlier this year using a
UK Debit card. Request was refused. I tried several times with the same
result. Eventually it was explained to me that BOA ATMs dispense only $20
Bills and I should have asked for $140 or $160
--
JohnT

On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:37:09 +0000 (UTC),
(KirÂly) wrote:

Ken Blake wrote:
I live in Arizona, and there are no such banks here either. But
Capitol One is, I believe, in Houston, Texas. You can set up an
account by phone or internet.

Not from Canada, I can't. I've tried.


OK, I'll believe you. I know next to nothing about banking in Canada.
My point was only about the USA.


I don't agree at all. It's more expensive

Not in my experience. Exchanging cash has always, for me, been more cost
effective than using interbank rates combined with foreign usage ATM
fees.


Perhaps, but my comment referred to using a ATM *without* the foreign
usage fee.


and carries with it the greater risk of theft.

The risk of theft is no greater, as a thief doesn't know how much cash
you have until it's in his hand. But I agree, that the losses will be
greater should a theft occur.


Yes, that of course is what I meant. You said it better than I did.


But the risks can be mitigated by carrying
the cash smartly, where pickpockets cannot reach it..


Pocket picking is only one kind of theft. Women get handbags snatched
and either sex can be mugged and their possessions stolen.

Certainly the risk can be mitigated. But there's no way to eliminate
the risk entirely. The risk is always is there, and personally, if I
am carrying a lot of cash, whether in a foreign country or at home,
that risk makes me feel very nervous. Beside not wanting to have the
risk, I don't want to have that nervous feeling.

--
Ken Blake

On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:11:13 +0100, "JohnT"
wrote:


"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" wrote in message
...
Dan Stephenson wrote:

When I first cashed in travellers' checks for TL back in 2002, the
exchange rate was 1,600,000 TL per dollar. And the largest bill was
20,000,000. Cashing in a few hundred dollars into TL at the Istanbul
otogar (the big bus station - a huge ring of ticket offices with buses
in the back) resulted in a big wad of paper.

50 dollar bills are rare compare to 20 dollar bills in the US at least-
and I've never had an ATM give them, even when requesting several
hundred dollars. The 20,000,000 bill doesn't seem unreasonable as a
standard large bill. OTOH The euro has larger bills and euro ATMs
frequently yeild 50 euro notes.


I wanted to withdraw US $150 at an ATM in the USA earlier this year using a
UK Debit card. Request was refused. I tried several times with the same
result. Eventually it was explained to me that BOA ATMs dispense only $20
Bills and I should have asked for $140 or $160


It may not only be BoA ATMs. It might be all ATMs in the USA. That's
been my experience, anyway.

But if that's the case, the ATM should certainly tell the user that
the requested amount must be in multiples of $20.

--
Ken Blake

On 14/10/11 23:47, Ken Blake wrote:
On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:11:13 +0100,
wrote:


"David Horne, _the_ chancellor wrote in message
...
Dan wrote:

When I first cashed in travellers' checks for TL back in 2002, the
exchange rate was 1,600,000 TL per dollar. And the largest bill was
20,000,000. Cashing in a few hundred dollars into TL at the Istanbul
otogar (the big bus station - a huge ring of ticket offices with buses
in the back) resulted in a big wad of paper.

50 dollar bills are rare compare to 20 dollar bills in the US at least-
and I've never had an ATM give them, even when requesting several
hundred dollars. The 20,000,000 bill doesn't seem unreasonable as a
standard large bill. OTOH The euro has larger bills and euro ATMs
frequently yeild 50 euro notes.


I wanted to withdraw US $150 at an ATM in the USA earlier this year using a
UK Debit card. Request was refused. I tried several times with the same
result. Eventually it was explained to me that BOA ATMs dispense only $20
Bills and I should have asked for $140 or $160


It may not only be BoA ATMs. It might be all ATMs in the USA. That's
been my experience, anyway.

But if that's the case, the ATM should certainly tell the user that
the requested amount must be in multiples of $20.

British ones don't, they just don't issue £5 notes...


--
William Black

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

Ken Blake writes:

On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:11:13 +0100, "JohnT"
wrote:


"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" wrote in message
...
Dan Stephenson wrote:

When I first cashed in travellers' checks for TL back in 2002, the
exchange rate was 1,600,000 TL per dollar. And the largest bill was
20,000,000. Cashing in a few hundred dollars into TL at the Istanbul
otogar (the big bus station - a huge ring of ticket offices with buses
in the back) resulted in a big wad of paper.

50 dollar bills are rare compare to 20 dollar bills in the US at least-
and I've never had an ATM give them, even when requesting several
hundred dollars. The 20,000,000 bill doesn't seem unreasonable as a
standard large bill. OTOH The euro has larger bills and euro ATMs
frequently yeild 50 euro notes.


I wanted to withdraw US $150 at an ATM in the USA earlier this year using a
UK Debit card. Request was refused. I tried several times with the same
result. Eventually it was explained to me that BOA ATMs dispense only $20
Bills and I should have asked for $140 or $160


It may not only be BoA ATMs. It might be all ATMs in the USA. That's
been my experience, anyway.

But if that's the case, the ATM should certainly tell the user that
the requested amount must be in multiples of $20.

Mostly they do.

Not all ATMs only issue $20s. For example, at my bank they issue $20s
and $5s (not $10s).

15.10.2011 1:29, Ken Blake kirjoitti:

Not in my experience. Exchanging cash has always, for me, been more cost
effective than using interbank rates combined with foreign usage ATM
fees.


Perhaps, but my comment referred to using a ATM *without* the foreign
usage fee.

Even when such fees are imposed on ATM transactions most people find
that they get more money so than encashing foreign money at home. I am
sure Canadian money changers have a massive stock of US money and sell
it out at reasonable rate. Money in use in Nepal and Burkina Faso is
supposedly much more expensive.