Currancy Exchange

Peter wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
says...
Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards. As this is a travel
group and many people, including the OP, are not from Oz, please do not
give advice which happens to work for you, but does not work for
foreigners.

Let's make this deal: Until there is a reliable report from a
'foreigner' (with exact details about the type and brand of card (s)he
used) that it *is* possible, the Aussies in this group will refrain from
saying that it is possible to take cash out with a purchase at EFTPOS.

Ummm. Foreigners CAN take cash out with EFTPOS. Nobody checks passports.
You just need an Australian bank account and card. I thought that was a
given from reading the discussion.

No offense, but exactly which part of "*foreign* (debit/credit) cards"
didn't you understand? I.e. all the time I have been talking about
foreigners (i.e. non-residents) with foreign cards. *Those* people,
i.e. the majority of the audience of this group who ask about these
things, will have problems with *those* cards if they try to withdraw
money at an EFTPOS establishment. *If* you talk about exceptions (i.e.
residents or foreigners with an Australian bank account and card), then
*say* so. Nobody did until you did in the above quoted response.

Eftpos
Electronic Funds Transfer at Point Of Sale (EFTPOS) is an extremely
common way for Australians to pay for goods. ATM cards (from Australian
banks only) swiped at the register double as debit cards, withdrawing
money directly from your bank account. What's more, most establishments
offer EFTPOS with a cash-back option, cutting down on the number of
transactions you must perform and thereby saving you time and per-
transaction bank fees. EFTPOS is useful for travelers because it means
they can carry less cash and not have to worry about credit card bills,
so if you'll be in Australia for a while, it might make sense to open an
Australian bank account. A permanent Australian address and two or three
forms of identification are required to open an account---your home
driver's license and your passport are the most sure-fire bets---and you
can expect a routine check on your credit history. Bringing along bank
statements from home for the last three months can expedite the process
enormously; accounts can be ready in as little as an hour. Banks accept
cash or traveler's checks as initial deposits.
http://www.letsgo.com/AUS/02-Essentials-67

Thanks for posting this. This confirms what I have experienced and
have been saying all along in this and earlier, i.e. foreign cards do
not work for withdrawing money (from EFTPOS).

In article , Frank Slootweg
says...
Peter wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
says...
Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards. As this is a travel
group and many people, including the OP, are not from Oz, please do not
give advice which happens to work for you, but does not work for
foreigners.

Let's make this deal: Until there is a reliable report from a
'foreigner' (with exact details about the type and brand of card (s)he
used) that it *is* possible, the Aussies in this group will refrain from
saying that it is possible to take cash out with a purchase at EFTPOS.

Ummm. Foreigners CAN take cash out with EFTPOS. Nobody checks passports.
You just need an Australian bank account and card. I thought that was a
given from reading the discussion.

No offense, but exactly which part of "*foreign* (debit/credit) cards"
didn't you understand?

I can't quite see how you can criticise a statement I made at 0711 on 20
Dec by saying I didn't understand a phrase you first used 41 minutes
*later*.

On 19 Dec 2004 20:52:53 GMT, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards.

Of course it does. If the petrol/drinks/food purchase comes to $50 and
you want $50 cash, they just make the EFTPOS charge for $100. Happens
all the time.

Dave

=====

NSW Rural Fire Service - become a volunteer today.

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/

I was simply concerned that "rural" might be interpreted by some as anything
outside of the capital cities.

--
The Commissioner

www.the-commissioner.com

In article , Geoff Lillico says...
I was simply concerned that "rural" might be interpreted by some as anything
outside of the capital cities.

As opposed to regional and remote.

[Summary: Probably a communications breakdown. Happens all the time on
Usenet. Read on if you are interested in my view of the events.]

Peter wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
says...
Peter wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
says...
Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards. As this is a travel
group and many people, including the OP, are not from Oz, please do not
give advice which happens to work for you, but does not work for
foreigners.

Let's make this deal: Until there is a reliable report from a
'foreigner' (with exact details about the type and brand of card (s)he
used) that it *is* possible, the Aussies in this group will refrain from
saying that it is possible to take cash out with a purchase at EFTPOS.

Ummm. Foreigners CAN take cash out with EFTPOS. Nobody checks passports.
You just need an Australian bank account and card. I thought that was a
given from reading the discussion.

No offense, but exactly which part of "*foreign* (debit/credit) cards"
didn't you understand?

I can't quite see how you can criticise a statement I made at 0711 on 20
Dec by saying I didn't understand a phrase you first used 41 minutes
*later*.

I was not referring to your 0711 posting, but to your posting:

Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 13:45:38 +1100
Message-ID:

i.e. the one of over 6 hours *later*, in which you said:

Ummm. Foreigners CAN take cash out with EFTPOS. Nobody checks passports.
You just need an Australian bank account and card. I thought that was a
given from reading the discussion.

But in that posting *you* *quoted* me saying:

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards. As this is a travel
group and many people, including the OP, are not from Oz, please do not
give advice which happens to work for you, but does not work for
foreigners.

So I called you on, apparently, not reading the "*foreign*
(debit/credit) cards" bit in the part which you quoted. And by the way,
that was not the first time I mentioned foreign cards (in this thread).
I have been doing that all along (as soon as the withdrawing money from
EFTPOS came up), the first time on "Date: 14 Dec 2004 14:08:42 GMT",
i.e. six days earlier, in .

If you *did* read and realize the "*foreign* (debit/credit) cards"
bit, then I think you should have more clear in your response,
especially considering the fact that I had been specifically talking
about foreign cards for (nearly) six days. I.e. acknowledging that you
now realized that I was talking about foreign cards (while you were
not), or/and emphasizing the "Australian" part in your "You just need an
Australian bank account and card.". I.e. you did emphasize "CAN", but
did not emphasize "Australian", while I *had* emphasized "foreign".

I hope this clears up the confusion.

Anyway, all this is rather moot because, as I said, your quote from
the website confirms what I have experienced and have been saying all
along, namely that foreign cards do not work for withdrawing money (from
EFTPOS).

Dave Proctor wrote:
On 19 Dec 2004 20:52:53 GMT, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards.

Of course it does. If the petrol/drinks/food purchase comes to $50 and
you want $50 cash, they just make the EFTPOS charge for $100. Happens
all the time.

Sigh! Can you please pay attention when someone *asks* "Guys, can you
*please* pay attention?" and repeats and emphasizes the important bits?

I.e., please *read* my posting, including the parts which you snipped.
I am talking about (foreigners with) *foreign* cards. What you, and
Peter, are talking about are *Australian* cards, i.e. the ones which
your run-of-the-mill foreigner does *not* have.

But you don't have to believe me, just look at the website quote in
Peter's posting of
"Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 13:45:38 +1100".

Dave Proctor wrote:
On 19 Dec 2004 20:52:53 GMT, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

Peter wrote:
In article , Geoff Lillico says...
Depends upon your interpretation of the word "outback", but anywhere an
Australian would call "rural" would have an ATM and most larger outback
towns too. Do not be put off by Frank's generalisation.

Even if there isn't an ATM as such, the local service station,
supermarket, pub (sometimes they are all three in one building) will
have EFTPOS and will generally allow you to take cash out with a
purchase. Minimum amounts apply - you'd probably have to buy $10 or $20
worth of goods to use EFTPOS.

Guys, can you *please* pay attention? As I have mentioned umpteen
times in *this* thread, "taking cash out with a purchase" at EFTPOS does
*not* work with *foreign* (debit/credit) cards.

Of course it does. If the petrol/drinks/food purchase comes to $50 and
you want $50 cash, they just make the EFTPOS charge for $100. Happens
all the time.

Sigh! Can you please pay attention when someone *asks* "Guys, can you
*please* pay attention?" and repeats and emphasizes the important bits?

I.e., please *read* my posting, including the parts which you snipped.
I am talking about (foreigners with) *foreign* cards. What you, and
Peter, are talking about are *Australian* cards, i.e. the ones which
your run-of-the-mill foreigner does *not* have.

But you don't have to believe me, just look at the website quote in
Peter's posting of
"Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 13:45:38 +1100".

Geoff Lillico wrote:
I was simply concerned that "rural" might be interpreted by some as anything
outside of the capital cities.

Fair enough! For my education, can you (try to) give a description of
what is meant by "rural", so that I can check if my interpretation/
usage of the term is (more or less) correct? Thanks.

Geoff Lillico wrote:
I was simply concerned that "rural" might be interpreted by some as anything
outside of the capital cities.

Fair enough! For my education, can you (try to) give a description of
what is meant by "rural", so that I can check if my interpretation/
usage of the term is (more or less) correct? Thanks.