I've used many different ATM and credit cards, in many different countries,
and never had a problem with any. That said, I've always been with the
bigger national banks (Chase, Bank of America), so I don't know about
smaller banks.
I recommend using primarily cash when out of the United States, particularly
in third world countries.
Credit cards have several problems:
- Credit card companies tend to be quick to put a freeze on your card when
international transactions start flowing in. This means you need to call the
company and convince them you really are cruising in [Guatemala].
- In some countries, such as [Mexico], credit card fraud is rampant. I have
had my number stolen in Supermarkets, luxury hotels, and corner restaurants.
In most second, or third world, countries, there are no safe places to use
your credit card.
- When your number is stolen, your card will be stopped, and getting a new
card to you, on a rush basis, in [Costa Rica] is nearly impossible.
ATM cards are a great way to get cash. You receive the international
exchange rate, which is much better than what you might receive from a local
merchant. I usually travel with enough cash (US dollars) to handle
emergencies, but then work hard to get a daily allotment from ATM machines,
to handle normal needs. Your bank can set your daily ATM limit. Some banks
will limit you to $300 USD per day, but I've managed to talk my bank into
allowing me $2,000 per day. This has been high enough that, even when I need
fuel, I can usually collect enough local cash to meet demand. That said,
when the boat is particularly thirsty, I've even used wire transfer to pay
the fuel bill. I'll do about anything to avoid using my credit card in many
countries.
While I'm on the Finance topic....
Handling finances at home, while cruising, can be another challenge. We're
on the boat, cruising internationally, typically five or six months a year.
I use Paytrust (www.paytrust.com) to pay all my bills. Paytrust has a wide
variety of options for paying each vendor. I can set, on a vendor-by-vendor
basis, whether payment is automatic (a recurring amount), or automatic up to
a particular threshold, or, I can look at each invoice, and decide what to
do. All invoices are scanned by Paytrust and I can look at them online. I've
been with them for many years, and don't know how I could cruise without
them. (Note -- I think they are owned by Intuit, the Quicken company).
Ken Williams
www.kensblog.com
Nordhavn 68, Sans Souci
I've used many different ATM and credit cards, in many different countries,
and never had a problem with any. That said, I've always been with the
bigger national banks (Chase, Bank of America), so I don't know about
smaller banks.
I recommend using primarily cash when out of the United States, particularly
in third world countries.
Credit cards have several problems:
1) Credit card companies tend to be quick to put a freeze on your card when
international transactions start flowing in. This means you need to call the
company and convince them you really are cruising in [Guatemala].
2) In some countries, such as [Mexico], credit card fraud is rampant. I have
had my number stolen in Supermarkets, luxury hotels, and corner restaurants.
In most second, or third world, countries, there are no safe places to use
your credit card.
3) When your number is stolen, your card will be stopped, and getting a new
card to you, on a rush basis, in [Costa Rica] is nearly impossible.
ATM cards are a great way to get cash. You receive the international
exchange rate, which is much better than what you might receive from a local
merchant. I usually travel with enough cash (US dollars) to handle
emergencies, but then work hard to get a daily allotment from ATM machines,
to handle normal needs. Your bank can set your daily ATM limit. Some banks
will limit you to $300 USD per day, but I've managed to talk my bank into
allowing me $2,000 per day. This has been high enough that, even when I need
fuel, I can usually collect enough local cash to meet demand. That said,
when the boat is particularly thirsty, I've even used wire transfer to pay
the fuel bill. I'll do about anything to avoid using my credit card in many
countries.
While I'm on the Finance topic....
Handling finances at home, while cruising, can be another challenge. We're
on the boat, cruising internationally, typically five or six months a year.
I use Paytrust (www.paytrust.com) to pay all my bills. Paytrust has a wide
variety of options for paying each vendor. I can set, on a vendor-by-vendor
basis, whether payment is automatic (a recurring amount), or automatic up to
a particular threshold, or, I can look at each invoice, and decide what to
do. All invoices are scanned by Paytrust and I can look at them online. I've
been with them for many years, and don't know how I could cruise without
them. (Note -- I think they are owned by Intuit, the Quicken company).
Ken Williams
www.kensblog.com
Nordhavn 68, Sans Souci
