Foreign Conversion Fees

[mattedfred]

PC Financial charges a 2.5% Foreign Conversion Fee but may not work on the Plus network since they use Interac. Our Mastercards charge a 2.5% fee. Our CAA Visa TravelMoney Card charges a 3.75% fee.

What do you do for money when traveling overseas?

[Just another canuck]

What do you do for money when traveling overseas?

Same thing I do here... go to the ATM. I've never been too concerned with the fees... if you need money, you need money and I think it's foolish to get heaps of money before you go like so many do when they travel. You can exchange any leftover Baht when you land back in Pearson or wherever it is you fly into. Have fun!!

[TG]

Send your local driver looking for the best deal on the black market

[niss]

I just got a US$ account through TD. Better exchange rates.

[Just another canuck]

Couple quick tips... when you land in Bangkok, there will be a lot of people claiming to be taxis or limo service or whatever. They are very good at distracting you from the real and only airport taxi service at the exit doors. Ignore everyone and walk straight outside and at the far end of the arrival exit, you line up, get a ticket and a METRED cab. Never get in a cab without a metre and always make sure your driver starts the metre... make sure you ask politely though or they may just kick you out of their cab, you never know. Once it gets late though, a lot of the drivers will not turn on the metre and you have to negotiate a price. You will have an idea of what to say from past rides, but you will obviously have to pay more than normal.

Also, never get in a tuk-tuk... well, not for any extended period. And if the price sounds too good to be true, it is... these guys will say they'll take you across Bangkok for 20 Baht, but they don't tell you they're going to make detours to travel agents and suit shops... yes, suit shops. A lot of these tailors and travel agents hand out gas vouchers to the Thais for bringing tourists to their shops. On the other hand, you can get a tailor made suit with two tailored shirts and two ties for under a hundred bucks... any material. They can even copy all the top branded suits exactly and will even stick in a little Versace or Armani tag for shits and giggles.

Actually, the best way to get around is the sky train, but it doesn't always work depending on where you are going. Have fun.

[ahramin]

Credit Card or bank machine. Take out large amounts with the bank machine as there is usually a fixed fee ~$5 each time on top of the conversion rate. ING chequing account only charges $2.

[mattedfred]

Thanks for all of the responses so far

Has anyone tried using their PC Financial debit card in Thailand? PC only uses Interac and won't guarantee that it will work on the Plus system.

[Expat]

Never bring USD to Europe. Banks will not change them, and cambios will steal you blind!