I am going to be traveling to New York and California soon. I don't want to have to get too much money converted? But I am not sure that I will have a choice. I live in the UK, and have a UK Visa Debit card. Will I be able to go to those places and use my card, and have it spit my money out in dollars?? Sorry if this question seems noobish. But this is all new to me lol. Thanks.
Great question! You should find out from your bank what the withdrawal charges will be. Sometimes you get charged twice. But it should not be a problem finding places where you can withdraw money. And if you have a visa or master card, you should be able to use the card in many places you might need money without even having to with draw. It is always good to travel with $300.00 to $500.00 in my opinion. This will get your started. But don't forget to give a family member your credit cards help number in case your wallet gets stolen so you can cancel your card.
Hey. Thanks so much for your response. I'm a little bit annoyed that everything has to be so complicated though. I'm not sure I understnd - ATM's here in the UK charge a certain amount to withdraw money from them. Is that what you are talking about when you refer to the withdrawal charges?? And if I withdraw money with my UK card, in an American ATM machine, dollars will come out as appose to pounds? Lol. Silly question, maybe. But I want to be absolutely clear on what to expect.
Do they still do that? I rememberthere was a brief period in the late 90s when a cashpoint would charge you if you weren't a customer of that particular bank but I haven't heard of anyone being charged at an ATM for years.
Yes. If you can find a cashpoint that works with your bank - which singular cashpoints usually work with a number of popular banks - then you can get money out of it. Some of these ATM's are free, and others charge. I usually use ATM's at supermarkets, because they are usually always free to withdraw money from. I am with Natwest bank, and I am worried that I will not be able to find an ATM in the USA that will allow me to withdraw money with my UK Natwest card.
You should be absolutely fine. I'm with NatWest too and have withdrawn cash with my debit card from foreign machines with the VISA symbol. Here's what NatWest themselves have to say on the matter: Log In
Hey again. Thank you so much for this information. Travelling is so stressful. Well, I am sure that it is not for seasoned travelers, but for a newcomer it is actually very intimidating. So I appreciate being able to gather as much information about it as possible, so that I am prepared.
Sometimes banks charge twice, meaning your UK bank will charge and then you might get an additional ATM charge. But I'm not too sure. I hate it that its so complicated as well. Also, you will want to notify your bank that you are traveling, otherwise they could close your account thinking your card got stolen. Once they know you will be traveling they will not be worried when they see money being taken out. That being said, you will want to check your account regularly and make sure your card number is not being used. And if you are in the states then dollars should come out. I don't know that the exchange rate will be ideal though. You might want to exchange some before you go so that you get as much as possible for your pounds. Enjoy!
@DreekLass, you are welcome! The exchange rate is pretty good right now so you'll be able to make the most of your money : )
As long as it is an international Visa card you can use it anywhere outside the UK. You should check the Visa website to find out some of the location in the states you are going that allows you to get cash from an ATM. Some of these Visa cards can only be used in your country along. Check your bank.
Some really good advice, guys. Thank you so much!!! Now that you have explained it, it makes sense that when I withdraw dollars, pounds will be taken out of my bank account at the current exchange rate. I had not thought of that previously lol. I will notifiy my bank. Good idea!!
If you are going out of the country, I suggest that you withdraw all your money and just have it exchanged in the country that you're going to. Because the ATM charges for foreign cards are so huge! I learned my lesson hard on this one.
I've always hated being made to spend money to withdraw money. Absolutely freaking ridiculous, it is!!! We really do let the government/banks get away with too much!! There are more of us than there are them. And I'm serious! Thanks for the advice. I don't really want to be walking around with wads of cash on me, but it seems like that is going to have to be how it is.
As long as you read your bank's terms on foreign withdrawals, then there should be no confusion whatsoever. It's not that difficult to figure things out, though you should minimize your withdrawals by taking more money out at once to avoid getting hit with too many fees. Otherwise, you'll be fine during your tip money-wise.
Thank you also, troutski, for your further advice. The bank that I am with is Natwest. I hate using the phone, s hopefully I will not have to phone them up, and can just find out their terms and conditions via their website.
In my country, withdrawing to other banks than yours which the card is issued by costs about $1,5 per transaction, so I suppose that in other countries it would be even worse. Interesting question though, as it seems that people usually forget to take this in equation whilst traveling, adn might end up paying a huge percent per made transaction. I guess your best resort would be to read your bank's policy when withdrawing in a foreign country to see what the charges will be. I hope they're not that high though, haha.
It has never been a problem for us travelling between Botswana and England. Like everyone else has said, as long as you let your bank know that you're travelling abroad and the fact that you have a Visa card, you should be fine. -and yes the money will come out in Dollars. The other idea that I really like is getting a pre-paid Visa card, if you are worried about the risk of loss/theft/safety. That way you can load it up with just your holiday money and not worry about all money being stolen. Enjoy your holiday in America, DreekLass
Hey Thank you, but I am not even sure if the trip is still happening. I had a bill come back to bite me in the ass earlier this month, and I was struggling to get the money for this trip together prior to that. Now, it just seems like it is not going to happen any time soon. But I still thank everyone who responded to this thread, because I will still be making this trip. It is just going to take longer. All in all, I still need to know all of this info.
Aww that's a bummer, DreekLass! But like you say, it doesn't have to be cancelled, just delayed. Plus you now have all this information, you won't have to do research when the time comes. I do hope you get to go sometime soon. Then you'll proper make me feel green with envy LOL
