Make sure you have debit/credit cards from more than one bank when travelling

[bobnick]

They are the most secure way to pay, unless someone knows my passcode or has my face, they can’t use it.

That maybe the case, but i wont be using one.

 

[Brains]

I do not have any of these problems with cash - try it.

Increasing number of places will not take it.

They don't want all the trouble and expense of dealing with it.
Cash can go 'missing' (wrong change given, slippery figures etc)
All cash needs to be counted and bagged.

Many reasonable size towns in the UK no longer have a bank, so a shop has no easy way of cashing it in.

Banks will also now only take a limited amount of cash over the counter in a single transaction, and only then if it's all bagged and counted. They will not take unbagged amounts.

I was given the job a couple of years ago of paying in about £3,000 taken in by a charity drive, in a mixture of paper and coins.
We had 3 people spend an entire evening counting and bagging it.
My two local banks would not take it at all.

I had to drive to a district bank about 5 miles away. Three times!
They would only take £1,000 per day.
It had to all be sealed into a single bag and it was then sent off to a central counting office, where it was all checked and then paid into the account a couple of days later.

The charity has now made a policy of no more cash.

 

[Brains]

Cash:
There are now 31 parliamentary constituencies without a single bank
(That is well over 2.2m voters, which is over 5% of the population)
The banks are closing at least a branch every day.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We’re in the Business lounge at Schipol at the moment on our way to Panama for a month. We’ll be travelling around including a week in Mexico. To carry enough cash for that would be a bit of a joke and rather irresponsible in my opinion.

I wondered why you posted earlier in the thread at 3:45 am! Obviously an early flight to Schipol.
Have a great time.

 

[The Wino]

Increasing number of places will not take it.

They don't want all the trouble and expense of dealing with it.
Cash can go 'missing' (wrong change given, slippery figures etc)
All cash needs to be counted and bagged.

Many reasonable size towns in the UK no longer have a bank, so a shop has no easy way of cashing it in.

Banks will also now only take a limited amount of cash over the counter in a single transaction, and only then if it's all bagged and counted. They will not take unbagged amounts.

I was given the job a couple of years ago of paying in about £3,000 taken in by a charity drive, in a mixture of paper and coins.
We had 3 people spend an entire evening counting and bagging it.
My two local banks would not take it at all.

I had to drive to a district bank about 5 miles away. Three times!
They would only take £1,000 per day.
It had to all be sealed into a single bag and it was then sent off to a central counting office, where it was all checked and then paid into the account a couple of days later.

The charity has now made a policy of no more cash.

One of our local pubs is card only. Cuts down waiting at the bar and dead easy to cash up at the end of the night. On the other hand there are some local businesses asking for cash " to reduce charges" I suspect that the majority mean avoid vat , employers NI, personal tax etc etc as the banks charge more to bank cash than anything else on a business account.

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[Nanniemate]

Going back a few years (decades) when some shops took visa and others Mastercard I was Vienna with colleagues and having a mooch around some stores that really we should not have been looking in .

I fell in love with a beautiful silk blouse. After some a lot of discussion my colleague convinced me to purchase it. (A weeks wages )

OK pulled out the credit card and the storekeeper declined the card as she only accepted visa ,I had Mastercard

After that I carried both but luckily my colleagues husband had a visa card that I didn't 2 women with puppy dog eyes he didn't stand a chance and handed over his card.

Loved the blouse wore it for years until it fell apart

Gave my colleague the cash I don't think the husband ever got it .

 

[KASPAR]

In the 90's and early 2000's I used to travel a lot on business, 20 plus global trips a year.

I had $1,000 travellers cheques that I used to carry on every business trip I made as an emergency back up.

I tried to to cash them in in 2020, but due to the pandemic nothing was done by Amex,
I then tried Barclays, who told me from 2021 they no longer accepted Travellers Cheques.

I eventually managed to get them cashed in by Amex in 2023, six months later they gave me the $1,000 back in pounds, but at the rate I paid for them them in 1999!, which happened to be very similar to the rate in 2023. Amex were obviously waiting for the rates to match !

Weirdly, I still have all the original Travellers Cheques, unsigned!
I can't image there are many still in circulation.
(I also have about £200 worth of mint French Franks notes. Any takers ?)

So if you do have Travellers Cheques tucked into the back of a draw, cash them in ASAP, if you still can.

I used to travel extensively on Business, globally. Had a Diners Card for most expenditure. A float of U$1000 in travellers cheques where the DC wasn't accepted ie fuel stations, cafes.

I was also paid 'Overseas Allowances, per diem' over a set number of days that were paid in U$ Travellers Cheques. I was in Oz for 6 months that extended to 14, accumulating considerable sums in TC. They were in a briefcase that went everywhere with me. One night I lost the car keys, the briefcase was in the boot of a soft top roadster, that had a hatch behind the drivers seat. Ripped the roof, climbed in, retrieved briefcase, thankfully.

There were 13 of us that travelled extensively, we reckon one of us was in the air every day. The Diners was great for the big bills; airfares, car rental, hotels, entertaining etc (I put £34k on it the day I left Oz for the final time), but not very good for small items like petrol, tolls, sandwiches. Requested a Mastercard. The Directors had Amex cards but very seldom travelled, so us oiks had Diners. The then Finance Director issued us Mastercards, but unbeknown to us with a £5k limit and cancelled the Diners. I was called out one Saturday evening, booked a flight to Canada. On the Sunday hired a car, put a hotel bill on the card. On the Tuesday it was decided I'd fly back to the UK that weekend, arrive Sat, go back to Canada Sunday. Things changed, on Thursday I had to go into the US, flight on card, hotel, another car hire. Then return to Canada fly to UK arrive Sunday morning, pack a bigger case meet with MD then back to Canada that evening. On the Tuesday took 3 client reps to Jamaica, another hire car and their hotel bills to go on my card. As checking out of hotel my new Mastercard was declined as I was over the limit. Rang my boss, the MD, before I spoke with the Finance Director to get a transfer to pay the bill. was told to be polite and not call the FD a moron as I had previously.

The following week, back in Canada and a new Diners card arrived at my hotel.

The fun of travelling

 

[Nanniemate]

I used to travel extensively on Business, globally. Had a Diners Card for most expenditure. A float of U$1000 in travellers cheques where the DC wasn't accepted ie fuel stations, cafes.

I was also paid 'Overseas Allowances, per diem' over a set number of days that were paid in U$ Travellers Cheques. I was in Oz for 6 months that extended to 14, accumulating considerable sums in TC. They were in a briefcase that went everywhere with me. One night I lost the car keys, the briefcase was in the boot of a soft top roadster, that had a hatch behind the drivers seat. Ripped the roof, climbed in, retrieved briefcase, thankfully.

There were 13 of us that travelled extensively, we reckon one of us was in the air every day. The Diners was great for the big bills; airfares, car rental, hotels, entertaining etc (I put £34k on it the day I left Oz for the final time), but not very good for small items like petrol, tolls, sandwiches. Requested a Mastercard. The Directors had Amex cards but very seldom travelled, so us oiks had Diners. The then Finance Director issued us Mastercards, but unbeknown to us with a £5k limit and cancelled the Diners. I was called out one Saturday evening, booked a flight to Canada. On the Sunday hired a car, put a hotel bill on the card. On the Tuesday it was decided I'd fly back to the UK that weekend, arrive Sat, go back to Canada Sunday. Things changed, on Thursday I had to go into the US, flight on card, hotel, another car hire. Then return to Canada fly to UK arrive Sunday morning, pack a bigger case meet with MD then back to Canada that evening. On the Tuesday took 3 client reps to Jamaica, another hire car and their hotel bills to go on my card. As checking out of hotel my new Mastercard was declined as I was over the limit. Rang my boss, the MD, before I spoke with the Finance Director to get a transfer to pay the bill. was told to be polite and not call the FD a moron as I had previously.

The following week, back in Canada and a new Diners card arrived at my hotel.

The fun of travelling

Some people think travelling for work I'd glamorous