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I'll be traveling to Hong Kong for roughly 2 weeks with my friend. We'll be staying at his aunt's house, so we don't have to pay for lodging. We plan on visiting China (probably some sort of tour) as well as Macau.
I withdrew 650 USD from my bank account today, but will this be sufficient for traveling/eating expenses? Or should I take out more?
I would not take any more in cash. you can always use your ATM card to get cash there. Also major stuff you can put on your credit card. I use the rule of over $20 i charge it, under $20 i pay in 'cash'.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyonpa
I would not take any more in cash. you can always use your ATM card to get cash there. Also major stuff you can put on your credit card. I use the rule of over $20 i charge it, under $20 i pay in 'cash'.
Good advice ... I will add an excellent tip I received from a poster in other thread ... Let your bank/credit card company know that you are traveling so they don't think your card purchases are fraudulent ... It's a pain to have your card re-activated in Hong Kong (or other country) should your bank shut it down as a fraud prevention measure ...
Another bit of advice...make sure if you charge anything that you get the carbons back. Keep track of them and every cc receipt. I have travelled a lot, and the only place that I had my card number stolen was in Aruba. If you notify your cc company, they will let you know of any odd/fraudulent charges to your account. I agree that I would not take any more cash.
Also, make sure that you have a copy of your passport and also have your passport number somewhere in case you lose it or it gets stolen. I have a folder in my e-mail that has that info. You can always get online.
Thank you all for the tips! I'll be sure to call the credit card company tomorrow afternoon to tell the that I'm traveling. The rule of $20 sounds very good to me as well.
also when you talk to bank/CC find out what kind of fees are on Internation ATM/Debit transactions. and fees on Credit card transactions. I have Amex, and i have no Fee for international transaction just a (i think 1% extra on the exchange rate).
also when you talk to bank/CC find out what kind of fees are on Internation ATM/Debit transactions. and fees on Credit card transactions. I have Amex, and i have no Fee for international transaction just a (i think 1% extra on the exchange rate).
Good idea.
I think most hover around 2-3%. I mean, that's really not a horrendous fee when I won't be spending THAT much money.
Also, make sure that you have a copy of your passport and also have your passport number somewhere in case you lose it or it gets stolen. I have a folder in my e-mail that has that info. You can always get online.
Absolutely!
I have a scanned copy of my passport in my email account.
Can't be too safe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyonpa
also when you talk to bank/CC find out what kind of fees are on Internation ATM/Debit transactions. and fees on Credit card transactions. I have Amex, and i have no Fee for international transaction just a (i think 1% extra on the exchange rate).
I've been using my bankcard for years at a high rate; recently found that my both my credit card and credit union cards are significantly cheaper for surcharge.
Last edited by chielgirl; 08-31-2011 at 01:46 AM..
Good advice ... I will add an excellent tip I received from a poster in other thread ... Let your bank/credit card company know that you are traveling so they don't think your card purchases are fraudulent ... It's a pain to have your card re-activated in Hong Kong (or other country) should your bank shut it down as a fraud prevention measure ...
Another heads up for using ATM's in a foreign country. The places you're going to use that ATM may not be like the places you'd use an ATM at home. If your friend is with you, have him watch your back, and watch out for lurkers. Don't flash your cash around, put it away.
You don't know those neighborhoods in Hong Kong or Macau as well as you do the neighborhood at home.
You can bring your ATM cards and/or cash (if you don't trust your ATM card will work there.)
If using ATM cards:
Please call your bank to have it activated in your destination country.
If exchanging cash:
Only exchange at the major banks (i.e. HSBC, Bank of China, Standard Charter, etc.) Avoid the street exchanges.. they don't have a good rep but I went to one anyways.. they gave me an exchange rate of about 7.70 HKD to 1 USD vs. market rate of 7.79 to 1.. fortunately I only exchanged about $60.
Also most places in Macau will accept HKDs but keep in mind their currency is about 8.0 to 1 USD vs. 7.79 HKD to 1 USD (and they'll accept HKDs at a 1:1 rate so do exchange for their local currency if you'll be making big ticket items and especially gambling.)
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